Missouri Misdemeanor Classes and Penalties: Fines, Jail, and Expungement

Missouri misdemeanor classes and penalties break down into four tiers: Class A carries up to one year in county jail and a $2,000 fine, Class B up to six months and $1,000, Class C up to 15 days and $750, and Class D no jail at all with a maximum $500 fine.¹² The letter attached to your charge shapes far more than the maximum punishment. It affects probation length, expungement eligibility, and whether repeat-offender enhancements can extend your sentence.

The Four Classes at a Glance

Missouri groups misdemeanors into lettered classes A, B, C, and D for sentencing.³ Each class has a hard ceiling on both jail time and fines:

Class A — up to one year in county jail; fine up to $2,000.
Class B — up to six months in county jail; fine up to $1,000.
Class C — up to 15 days in a local facility; fine up to $750.
Class D — no authorized jail time; fine up to $500.

These are ceilings, not the sentence a typical defendant receives. Missouri misdemeanor sentences are served in county jail or another local facility, never in state prison, and the term is definite: a fixed number of days rather than a range.¹

Corporations face a separate schedule. A corporation convicted of any misdemeanor can be fined up to $10,000.²

Not every misdemeanor sits in one of the four lettered buckets. Some Missouri statutes set their own penalty ranges instead of adopting a class. Those are called unclassified misdemeanors, and the maximum punishment comes from the specific statute you’re charged under. Separately, any offense defined outside the criminal code that is labeled a misdemeanor without naming a class automatically defaults to Class A.⁴

What Falls Into Each Class

The class of a charge tracks the seriousness of the conduct.

Class A misdemeanors cover the most serious non-felony offenses. First-degree trespassing rises to Class A when the victim is a law enforcement officer or a close relative of one.⁵

Class B misdemeanors include standard first-degree trespassing: knowingly entering a building, inhabited structure, or another person’s real property without permission.⁵

Class C misdemeanors cover lower-level disruptions. Private peace disturbance is a Class C offense.⁶

Class D misdemeanors sit at the bottom. Stealing property worth less than $150, with no prior stealing-related convictions, is a Class D misdemeanor. Value and record are what hold it there; once the property is worth $750 or more, the same conduct becomes a Class D felony.⁷

One outdated claim still floats around in older resources: third-degree domestic assault is no longer a misdemeanor. Missouri reclassified it as a Class E felony effective January 1, 2017.⁸

What a Conviction Actually Costs

The statutory fine is only part of what you pay. Missouri courts add mandatory surcharges and court costs on top, and the total often runs well past the fine itself.

If your offense caused financial harm, the judge can order restitution requiring you to repay the victim’s actual losses, including reasonable expenses from participating in the prosecution. Restitution has real weight in a misdemeanor case: a judge cannot release you from probation until the full amount is paid, and if you have not finished paying by the end of your original probation term, the court must extend probation to its maximum allowed length.⁹

Enhanced Penalties for Repeat Offenders

Missouri gives judges authority to punish repeat misdemeanor defendants more harshly under the “persistent misdemeanor offender” designation. It applies to anyone found guilty of two or more Class A or Class B misdemeanors committed on separate occasions.¹⁰ Class C and D convictions do not count toward the threshold.

Once a judge finds you meet the standard, the court can sentence you to the full authorized term of imprisonment for the current offense.¹⁰ The practical effect is largest for defendants who might otherwise expect leniency. A first-time Class A defendant might see probation or a short jail term; a persistent misdemeanor offender on the same charge is far more likely to draw the full year.

Missouri does not recognize a separate “prior misdemeanor offender” category. The “prior offender” label under the same statute applies only to people with a prior felony conviction.¹⁰

Probation and Suspended Sentences

Many misdemeanor defendants never see the inside of a jail because the judge suspends the sentence and orders probation. Missouri misdemeanor probation runs between six months and two years. If you violate a condition, the court can extend probation once by up to one additional year beyond the original term.¹¹

The form the suspension takes makes a large difference for your record. Missouri uses two approaches. Under a Suspended Imposition of Sentence (SIS), the judge accepts your guilty plea but never formally imposes a sentence; if you finish probation successfully, no conviction appears on your public record. Under a Suspended Execution of Sentence (SES), the judge imposes a specific sentence, such as 90 days in jail, but suspends it in favor of probation. The conviction goes on your record immediately either way, and if you violate probation, the judge can order the original sentence executed.

Standard conditions include obeying all laws, maintaining employment, getting permission before leaving your area of residence, avoiding contact with other people on probation or with felony convictions, and abstaining from controlled substances unless prescribed. Probationers also pay a monthly supervision fee to the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Clearing a Misdemeanor From Your Record

Missouri allows expungement of many misdemeanor convictions, but the rules are strict and the caps are hard.

You must wait at least three years after completing your entire sentence, including probation, incarceration, and restitution, before petitioning. Over your lifetime, you can expunge no more than two misdemeanors that carried an authorized term of imprisonment.¹²

Several categories can never be expunged, no matter how much time passes:

Any misdemeanor domestic assault conviction.
Intoxication-related traffic or boating offenses, such as DWI.
Any offense requiring sex offender registration.
Weapons offenses under the unlawful-use-of-weapons statute, with a narrow exception for certain pre-2017 convictions.
Any motor vehicle violation committed by someone who holds or is required to hold a commercial driver’s license.

To file, you submit a petition in the circuit court of the county where the offense was prosecuted, list every offense you want expunged, and notify the prosecuting attorney. A filing fee applies unless you qualify as indigent.¹²

Marijuana Possession No Longer Fits the Misdemeanor Grid

Older guides still list small-amount marijuana possession as a Class D misdemeanor. That is no longer accurate. A constitutional amendment legalized recreational marijuana in December 2022, and adults 21 and older can possess up to three ounces with no criminal or civil penalty.¹³

Possessing more than three but not more than six ounces still carries penalties, but they escalate before reaching misdemeanor territory. A first violation is a civil infraction with a fine of up to $250. A second is a civil infraction with a fine of up to $500. Only a third or later violation is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000. For people under 21, possession of three ounces or less is a civil infraction with a maximum $100 fine (drug education can substitute for payment), and possession of more than three ounces but under six ounces is a civil penalty of up to $250.¹⁴

Municipal Ordinance Charges Are a Different Track

Cities and counties in Missouri can prosecute their own ordinance violations for conduct that overlaps with state misdemeanors. The same bar fight can be charged as a state misdemeanor or as a city ordinance violation, and the choice belongs to the prosecutor.

Ordinance penalties are lighter and capped based on how many violations you have had in a 12-month period: fines plus court costs are limited to $200 for a first offense, $275 for a second, $350 for a third, and $450 for a fourth or later. Jail is generally off the table for ordinance violations, with narrow exceptions for offenses involving alcohol, controlled substances, endangering someone’s health or welfare, or fleeing from law enforcement.¹⁵ An ordinance violation that mirrors an offense ineligible for expungement under state law is also ineligible for expungement.¹²

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 Revised Statutes 557.016 – Classification of Offenses
4
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 557.021 – Classification of Offenses Outside This Code
5
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 569.140 – Trespass in the First Degree
6
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 574.020 – Private Peace Disturbance
7
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 570.030 – Stealing
8
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 565.074 – Domestic Assault, Third Degree
9
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 559.105 – Restitution May Be Ordered, When
10
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 558.016 – Extended Terms for Prior Criminal Conduct
11
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 559.016 – Terms of Probation
12
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 610.140 – Expungement of Certain Criminal Records
13
Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services. Adult Use FAQs
14
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Constitution Article XIV Section 2
15
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 479.353 – Conditions, Review of Original Fine and Sentence