How Much Theft Is a Felony in Missouri: The $750 Threshold and Penalties

In Missouri, theft becomes a felony once the stolen property or services are worth $750 or more. Below that figure, stealing is a Class A misdemeanor. Above it, the charge starts at a Class D felony and climbs from there based on value. Dollar amount is not the only trigger, though. Certain stolen items, a history of prior theft convictions, and thefts tied to an organized scheme can all make stealing a felony even when the value is small.

The $750 Line

Stealing anything worth less than $750 is, absent special circumstances, a Class A misdemeanor. That carries up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.¹² Once the value reaches $750, the same conduct becomes a Class D felony.³

Felony Classes Based on Value

Missouri sorts value-based felony theft into two main tiers:

Property worth $750 to $24,999 is a Class D felony, punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Property worth $25,000 or more is a Class C felony, punishable by three to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

The prison ranges and fine caps come from Missouri’s general sentencing statutes rather than the theft statute itself.¹² Stealing a teller machine or its contents is automatically a Class C felony no matter how much cash is inside.³

Items That Are a Felony at Any Value

Some stolen items trigger a Class D felony regardless of what they are worth. Even a $50 item on this list puts you in felony territory:

Motor vehicles, watercraft, or aircraft
Firearms or explosive weapons
Credit or debit cards and letters of credit
Controlled substances
Livestock or captive wildlife held under a conservation permit
Wills or unrecorded deeds affecting real property
Utility infrastructure such as electrical transformers, telecommunications wiring, or natural gas pipes

Taking property directly from another person’s body, like pickpocketing a wallet, is also a Class D felony no matter what the wallet contains.³

A smaller group of items lands at Class E felony, carrying up to four years in prison: stealing any animal, stealing a catalytic converter, and stealing mail or packages delivered by a common carrier.³¹

When Prior Convictions Turn a Small Theft Into a Felony

A person with three or more prior stealing convictions on separate occasions within the previous ten years faces a Class E felony on the next theft, even if the item is worth less than $750.³ That means up to four years in prison and a $10,000 fine for conduct that would otherwise be a misdemeanor.

Motor vehicle theft has its own escalation track. Steal a car, boat, or aircraft after two stealing-related convictions on separate occasions in the last ten years, and the charge jumps to a Class B felony, which carries five to fifteen years in prison.³¹ That is a large jump from the Class D felony that applies to a first motor vehicle theft.

Combined and Organized Thefts

Missouri lets prosecutors add up the value of multiple thefts when they are part of a single scheme or course of conduct. Whether the property came from one owner or several, and whether the thefts happened in one afternoon or across weeks, the combined total sets the felony class.³ An employee skimming $100 a week from a register can end up charged with a Class D or Class C felony once months of activity are added together, even though no single act of stealing crossed the $750 line.

Organized retail theft is treated more harshly than ordinary shoplifting. When theft is part of an agreement among one or more people to steal from a business, the felony class moves up:

$750 to $9,999 in stolen goods or property damage is a Class C felony (three to ten years), rather than the Class D that would apply to an ordinary theft at the same amount.
$10,000 or more is a Class B felony (five to fifteen years).

The same aggregation rule applies, so a series of small shoplifting trips to different stores can combine into one felony charge.³

How Value Is Actually Measured

The felony class depends on the fair market value of the stolen property at the time and place of the crime. Fair market value is what a willing buyer would pay a willing seller in an open transaction.³ It is not the original purchase price, and it is not the replacement cost. A three-year-old laptop that sold for $1,200 new might carry a used-market value of $400, which keeps the charge below the felony line.

Value fights are common in borderline cases. Defense attorneys often bring in appraisers or pull comparable sales data to argue the property was worth less than $750, which reduces the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Prison and Fines at Each Felony Level

Class E felony: up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Class D felony: up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Class C felony: three to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Class B felony: five to fifteen years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Class C and Class B carry mandatory minimum prison terms of three and five years, respectively. A judge cannot sentence below those floors.¹ If a person or corporation profited from the theft, the court can also impose a fine of up to double the gain, which can far exceed the standard $10,000 cap.²

Restitution and Consequences That Outlast the Sentence

On top of fines and prison, a court may order restitution, requiring the convicted person to repay the victim’s actual losses.⁴ Restitution is discretionary rather than automatic, but judges order it in most theft cases, and the amount can include the victim’s reasonable expenses from participating in the prosecution, not just the value of what was taken. Unpaid restitution is treated like a civil judgment and can be collected long after the sentence ends.

A felony theft conviction also carries consequences beyond the courthouse. Federal law bars anyone convicted of a felony from possessing firearms or ammunition, and the ban is permanent unless the conviction is expunged or another legal remedy restores the right.⁵ Federally insured banks and credit unions are prohibited from hiring people convicted of crimes involving dishonesty or breach of trust, and theft sits squarely in that category.⁶ Many state licensing boards ask about felony convictions, and a theft conviction can disqualify applicants from fields like accounting, insurance, real estate, and notary services. Canada treats most felony convictions as grounds to deny entry, and other countries impose similar restrictions.

Missouri does allow expungement of some felony theft convictions under Section 610.140, with a three-year waiting period after the entire sentence is complete and no new offenses during that window.⁷ Standard stealing under Section 570.030 is eligible, but organized stealing under Section 570.025 is specifically excluded, so the exact statute of conviction matters if clearing the record is on the table.

1
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 558.011 – Sentence of Imprisonment, Terms
2
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 558.002 – Fines for Felonies
3
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 570.030 – Stealing – Penalties
4
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 559.105 – Restitution
5
United States Sentencing Commission. Section 922(g) Firearms
6
National Credit Union Administration. Fair Hiring in Banking Act Section 205(d)
7
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 610.140 – Expungement of Certain Records