What Is Grand Larceny in Illinois? Felony Thresholds and Penalties

Illinois does not use the term grand larceny. Every theft offense in the state, from shoplifting a candy bar to embezzling millions, is charged under a single statute, 720 ILCS 5/16-1, which sorts conduct into tiers based on the value of what was taken and the circumstances of the offense.¹ The felony line sits at $500 for most situations. Below that, theft is a Class A misdemeanor. Above it, you are facing anywhere from one year in prison up to a Class X felony carrying thirty years, with several circumstances that can push a charge into felony territory no matter how little the property was worth.

What Counts as Theft

A person commits theft by knowingly taking or exercising unauthorized control over someone else’s property with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of it.¹ The statute also reaches property obtained by deception, property obtained by threat, and knowingly receiving stolen goods. Prosecutors have to prove you knew you had no right to the property and that you meant the owner to lose it for good. Property means anything of value, including cash, vehicles, personal belongings, services, and intangible assets.

Felony Theft Thresholds in Illinois

The charge class depends first on the fair market value of the property at the time it was taken:

$500 or less, not taken from a person: Class A misdemeanor.
Over $500 to $10,000: Class 3 felony.
Over $10,000 to $100,000: Class 2 felony.
Over $100,000 to $500,000: Class 1 felony.
Over $500,000 to $1,000,000: Class 1 felony, no probation available.
Over $1,000,000: Class X felony.¹

The $500 cutoff is where most people first encounter felony exposure. A $400 item taken off a shelf is a misdemeanor. A $600 item is a Class 3 felony and years of potential prison time.

When a Low-Dollar Theft Still Becomes a Felony

Several circumstances override the dollar tiers.

Taken Directly From a Person

Snatching a phone from someone’s hand or lifting a wallet from a pocket is a Class 3 felony no matter the value.¹ A $20 theft from a store display is a misdemeanor. The same $20 taken off a person is a felony.

Government, School, or Place of Worship Property

Theft from a school, place of worship, or of government-owned property bumps the charge up one full felony class at every tier. A theft under $500 that would normally be a Class A misdemeanor becomes a Class 4 felony. Theft above $100,000 in these settings becomes a Class X felony.¹

Prior Theft-Related Convictions

A prior conviction for theft, robbery, burglary, residential burglary, home invasion, forgery, possession of a stolen vehicle, or several related offenses turns a sub-$500 theft that would otherwise be a misdemeanor into a Class 4 felony.¹ If you have any prior theft-related conviction, the misdemeanor option is gone.

Elderly or Disabled Victims

Theft by deception of $5,000 or more from a victim age 60 or older, or from a person with a disability, is a Class 2 felony.¹ That enhancement is specific to theft by deception at that threshold, not every theft from an older victim. A separate statute, 720 ILCS 5/17-56, targets financial exploitation by anyone in a position of trust using deception, intimidation, or illegal means to take an elderly or disabled person’s assets. Penalties under that statute range from a Class 4 felony for losses of $300 or less to a Class 1 felony when the victim is 70 or older and the loss is $15,000 or more.² Caregiver fraud and power-of-attorney abuse cases are often charged here because the penalties can exceed the general theft statute.

Shoplifting Is Charged Under a Different Statute

People searching for grand larceny often turn out to be dealing with a shoplifting case, which Illinois prosecutes separately under 720 ILCS 5/16-25.³ Retail theft covers taking merchandise, switching price tags, under-ringing items at self-checkout, and using devices to defeat theft-detection systems. The felony cutoff is lower than for general theft: retail theft of merchandise worth $300 or less is a Class A misdemeanor. Shoplifting $400 in merchandise crosses the felony line, even though $400 would still be a misdemeanor under the general theft statute.

Prison Time and Fines by Class

Class A Misdemeanor

Less than one year in county jail and a fine of up to $2,500.⁴ First-time offenders often receive probation or court supervision, but jail is on the table and judges have full discretion.

Felony Classes

Class 4 felony: one to three years in prison; extended term three to six years. Applies to repeat-offender low-value theft and to low-value theft from schools, places of worship, or government.⁵
Class 3 felony: two to five years; extended term five to ten years. The starting class for theft above $500 or theft from the person.
Class 2 felony: three to seven years; extended term seven to fourteen years. Applies at the $10,000 to $100,000 range.⁶
Class 1 felony: four to fifteen years; extended term fifteen to thirty years. Covers theft of $100,000 to $500,000. Once the amount reaches $500,000, probation is off the table.⁷
Class X felony: six to thirty years, no probation or conditional discharge; extended term thirty to sixty years. Reserved for theft above $1,000,000 or theft from government, schools, or places of worship above $100,000.⁸

Fines of up to $25,000 apply to every felony class. Courts also routinely order restitution. When the property can be returned, the court orders that first. When it cannot, the defendant owes the greater of the property’s value at the time of the taking or at the time of sentencing.

How Long Prosecutors Have to File

Illinois generally gives prosecutors three years to bring felony theft charges and 18 months for misdemeanors. Theft involving a breach of fiduciary duty, such as embezzlement by a trustee or financial advisor, is an exception: the deadline can extend up to one year after the victim discovers the theft, though the total cannot push beyond three years past the normal cutoff.⁹ If the victim is a minor or legally incapacitated, the clock does not start until the disability ends.

What a Felony Theft Conviction Costs You Afterward

The sentence and the fine are only the start. A felony theft conviction carries collateral consequences that last for years.

Firearms

Federal law bars anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison from possessing a firearm or ammunition.¹⁰ Every Illinois felony theft class qualifies. The ban is permanent unless the conviction is expunged or firearm rights are restored by a specific pardon.

Immigration

Federal immigration law treats a theft offense as an aggravated felony when the sentence imposed is at least one year, even if that sentence is suspended.¹¹ An aggravated felony conviction makes a non-citizen deportable with very limited relief. Because every Illinois felony theft class has a minimum sentence of at least one year, a sentence at the statutory minimum can trigger it. Defense attorneys for non-citizen clients often work to negotiate sentences below the one-year mark specifically to avoid this result.

Employment

A theft conviction creates an obvious credibility problem for jobs involving money, inventory, or access to others’ property. Federal agencies and federal contractors cannot ask about criminal history until after a conditional offer under the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, but employers can still weigh a conviction once they know of it.¹² Some positions have outright statutory disqualifications, such as airport security screening for people with serious convictions in the last ten years.

Criminal Record

Illinois allows sealing or expungement of some records, but felony convictions face heavy restrictions. Many felony theft convictions cannot be sealed until years after the sentence is complete, and some are not eligible at all. A felony theft conviction will show up on background checks for employment, housing, and professional licensing for a long time. For most people facing these charges, the record consequences end up mattering more than the sentence itself.

1
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 720 ILCS 5/16-1 – Theft
2
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 720 ILCS 5/17-56 – Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person or a Person With a Disability
3
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 720 ILCS 5/16-25 – Retail Theft
4
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-55 – Class A Misdemeanor
5
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-45 – Class 4 Felony
6
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-35 – Class 2 Felony
7
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-30 – Class 1 Felony
8
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-25 – Class X Felony
9
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 720 ILCS 5/3-6 – Extended Limitations
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
11
Legal Information Institute. 8 USC 1101(a)(43) – Aggravated Felony Definition
12
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Arrest and Conviction Records – Resources for Job Seekers, Workers and Employers