Missouri Felony Classes, Sentencing & Dangerous Felony List

Missouri felony classes and sentencing work on two overlapping systems. The first sorts felonies into five classes, A through E, with authorized prison terms running from up to four years for a Class E felony to a range of ten to thirty years or life for a Class A. The second is a separate statutory list of “dangerous felonies” that forces anyone convicted to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before parole. Prior convictions, use of a weapon, and which list an offense falls on can move the numbers significantly.

The Five Felony Classes and Their Prison Ranges

Missouri sets a specific prison range for each class. The figures below are the full authorized term, which for most non-dangerous cases includes both prison time and a period of supervised conditional release.¹

Class A felony: 10 to 30 years, or life imprisonment.
Class B felony: 5 to 15 years.
Class C felony: 3 to 10 years.
Class D felony: up to 7 years.
Class E felony: up to 4 years.

Class A, B, and C felonies carry mandatory minimums. A judge cannot go below the statutory floor. Class D and E felonies have maximums but no statutory minimum, which gives judges room to impose probation, jail, or a shorter prison term on lower-level offenses.¹

Prison Time Versus Conditional Release

For most felonies that are not on the dangerous felony list, the sentence automatically splits into a prison term and a conditional release term supervised by the parole board. The conditional release portion is one-third of the sentence for terms of nine years or less, three years for terms between nine and fifteen years, and five years for terms over fifteen. The prison term is whatever remains. A six-year sentence on a non-dangerous felony, for example, works out to roughly four years in prison followed by two years of conditional release.¹

Fines and Other Financial Costs

Missouri’s general fine statute caps fines for Class C, D, and E felonies at $10,000 per offense. If the defendant gained money from the crime, the court can set the fine at up to double the amount gained.²

Class A and B felonies are not covered by that cap. Any fine for those offenses depends on the specific statute defining the crime, which may authorize a fine above $10,000, a smaller fine, or none at all. Courts can impose a fine alongside or instead of prison.²

Restitution to victims and administrative court costs come on top of the fine. Anyone released on parole or probation can also be charged a monthly supervision fee of up to $60, though the standard amount is currently set at $30.³

How Prior Convictions Raise the Sentence

A prior record can push the sentencing range up a full class. Missouri law defines three offender categories, each with different consequences.⁴

Prior offender: one previous felony conviction. The court sentences within the normal range for the current offense.
Persistent offender: two or more prior felony convictions from separate incidents, or a single prior dangerous felony. The court must sentence to the range for one class higher than the current offense.
Dangerous offender: a person convicted of a felony involving knowing endangerment of life or serious physical injury who also has a prior Class A, Class B, or dangerous felony conviction. The same one-class bump applies.

That one-class jump can add years. A persistent offender convicted of a Class D felony, normally capped at seven years, faces the Class C range of three to ten years instead. To count, the prior convictions must predate the current offense.⁴

Dangerous Felonies and the 85 Percent Rule

The dangerous felony designation is the single biggest driver of long time served in Missouri prisons. Anyone convicted of an offense on the statutory list must serve at least 85 percent of the imposed sentence before becoming eligible for parole. The one narrow exception: an offender who reaches age 70 and has already served at least 40 percent of the sentence becomes eligible at that point. Otherwise the 85 percent rule is absolute, regardless of good behavior or program participation.⁵

The list is broader than the label suggests. It covers most serious violent crimes, including first-degree assault, second-degree murder, kidnapping in its various forms, first-degree domestic assault, first-degree elder abuse, first-degree robbery, and first-degree assault of a law enforcement officer. Second-degree assault qualifies when the victim is a “special victim” under the statute, a category that includes law enforcement officers and emergency responders.⁶

Sexual offenses on the list include first-degree rape, forcible rape, first-degree sodomy, forcible sodomy, and attempted versions when physical injury results. First-degree statutory rape and first-degree statutory sodomy qualify when the victim is under twelve. First- and second-degree child molestation and child abuse resulting in death are also included.⁶

Other designated offenses include first-degree arson, armed criminal action, vehicle or bus hijacking charged as a Class A felony, and planting a bomb near a bus or terminal. Parental kidnapping qualifies when a parent conceals a child’s whereabouts for 120 days or more. Conspiracy to commit any dangerous felony is itself a dangerous felony. Repeat intoxication-related traffic or boating offenses can also qualify when the person meets the “habitual offender” definition under Missouri’s DWI laws.⁶

Armed Criminal Action Adds a Second Sentence

Using a weapon during any felony triggers a separate charge of armed criminal action. It is not a sentencing enhancement on the underlying crime; it is its own unclassified felony, and it runs consecutively, meaning the defendant serves it after finishing the sentence for the underlying felony.⁷

First offense: 3 to 15 years, no parole for the first 3 years. Unlawful firearm possession raises the minimum to 5 years.
Second offense: 5 to 30 years, no parole for 5 years. Unlawful firearm possession raises the minimum to 15 years.
Third or subsequent offense: minimum of 10 years with no upper cap specified, no parole for 10 years. Unlawful firearm possession sets the floor at 15 years.

Because the sentence runs consecutively, armed criminal action can double or triple the total time actually spent incarcerated. A person convicted of first-degree robbery (a dangerous felony) who also used a gun serves the robbery sentence and then a separate three-to-fifteen-year armed criminal action sentence, with no overlap between them.⁷

Parole Minimums for Non-Dangerous Felonies

Outside the dangerous felony list, how much of a sentence must be served before parole eligibility depends on how many prior prison commitments the person has to the Missouri Department of Corrections.⁵

One prior prison commitment: 40 percent of the sentence, or age 70 after serving 30 percent.
Two prior prison commitments: 50 percent, or age 70 after serving 40 percent.
Three or more prior prison commitments: 80 percent, or age 70 after serving 40 percent.

A first-time offender convicted of a non-dangerous felony is not subject to these percentages, which is why the conditional release structure described earlier does most of the work for that group. For repeat offenders, the minimums stack fast. Someone with three prior prison commitments who receives a ten-year sentence on a non-dangerous felony must serve at least eight years before any form of early release.⁵

Statute of Limitations

The state has a limited window to bring charges. Once it closes, prosecution is barred regardless of the evidence.⁸

No time limit: murder, first-degree rape, forcible rape, first-degree sodomy, forcible sodomy, attempted versions of those sexual offenses, and any Class A felony.
Five years: first-degree arson charged as a Class B felony, and second-degree arson.
Three years: all other felonies.

Fraud-based offenses and misconduct in public office get special treatment. For fraud, the clock starts when an aggrieved party discovers the offense, with any extension capped at three additional years. For misconduct in office, prosecution is allowed during the officeholder’s tenure and for two years after, again with a three-year cap on the extension.⁸

1
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 558.011 – Sentence of Imprisonment
2
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 558.002 – Fines for Felonies
3
Missouri Department of Corrections. Intervention Fees FAQs
4
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 558.016 – Prior Felony Convictions, Minimum Prison Terms
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Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 558.019 – Prior Felony Convictions, Minimum Prison Terms
6
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 556.061 – Code Definitions
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Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 571.015 – Armed Criminal Action, Offense Of, Penalty
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Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 556.036 – Time Limitations