Wisconsin Felony Classes: Penalties, Sentencing, and Enhancements

Wisconsin sorts felonies into nine classes labeled A through I, with Class A carrying the harshest punishment and Class I the lightest. Maximum prison terms run from life for a Class A felony down to three and a half years for a Class I, and every felony prison sentence is split into time behind bars followed by a period of community supervision, so the headline maximums tell only part of the story.¹

Maximum Penalty for Each Felony Class

The ceilings in Wis. Stat. § 939.50 set the outer limit a judge can impose for each class. Fines are not available at the top two levels; from Class C down, the court can add a fine on top of prison time.

Class A

Reserved for first-degree intentional homicide. The sentence is life imprisonment, and no fine is authorized. There is no range for the judge to weigh.¹

Class B

Up to 60 years in prison, no fine. Second-degree intentional homicide and first-degree sexual assault are charged at this level.¹

Class C

Up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Felony murder and manufacturing large quantities of certain drugs sit here.¹

Class D

Up to 25 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. First-degree reckless injury and certain child abuse offenses are prosecuted at this level.¹

Class E

Up to 15 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Aggravated battery causing great bodily harm is a common Class E charge.¹

Class F

Up to 12 years and 6 months in prison and a $25,000 fine. First-degree recklessly endangering safety falls here.¹

Class G

Up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Second-degree reckless endangerment and theft of high-value property are typical charges.

Class H

Up to 6 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Substantial battery, meaning intentionally causing bodily harm, is frequently charged at this level.

Class I

Up to 3 years and 6 months in prison and a $10,000 fine. This is the entry point for felony-level crimes in Wisconsin. Possession of certain controlled substances and non-aggravated stalking can bring a Class I charge.

How Prison Time Actually Works: Bifurcated Sentencing

Since 2000, every Wisconsin felony prison sentence has been bifurcated. The judge imposes two consecutive portions: initial confinement in a state prison, followed by extended supervision in the community under Department of Corrections oversight. Parole does not exist for people sentenced under this system.²

The confinement portion has its own cap for each class, lower than the overall maximum. A Class C felony carries a 40-year maximum, but the confinement piece alone cannot exceed 25 years; the rest would be extended supervision. The caps on confinement by class:

Class B: 40 years of confinement (of a 60-year maximum)
Class C: 25 years (of 40)
Class D: 15 years (of 25)
Class E: 10 years (of 15)
Class F: 7 years and 6 months (of 12.5)
Class G: 5 years (of 10)
Class H: 3 years (of 6)
Class I: 1 year and 6 months (of 3.5)

The extended supervision portion has to be at least 25 percent of the confinement term and has its own ceilings by class: 20 years for Class B, 15 for Class C, 10 for Class D, 5 for Classes E through G, 3 for Class H, and 2 for Class I.² A violation of supervision conditions can send a person back to prison for the balance of the term.

So when someone receives a 20-year sentence for a Class D felony, that does not translate to 20 years in a cell. A judge might set 13 years of confinement and 7 years of extended supervision. The person serves the full confinement portion, because there is no parole to shorten it, then moves to supervised release.

When the Maximum Can Be Raised: Repeat Offender Enhancements

Wisconsin’s habitual criminality statute lets prosecutors seek a higher maximum for defendants with prior convictions. The extra time depends on the current charge’s maximum and whether the prior was a misdemeanor or felony:

Current maximum of 1 year or less: can be raised to up to 2 years total.
Current maximum between 1 and 10 years: up to 2 extra years for a prior misdemeanor, or up to 4 extra years for a prior felony.
Current maximum over 10 years: up to 2 extra years for a prior misdemeanor, or up to 6 extra years for a prior felony.

The enhancement stacks on top of the statutory maximum for the class.³ A Class G felony that normally tops out at 10 years can reach 14 if the defendant has a prior felony.

A separate and far harsher category applies to persistent repeaters, meaning people convicted of two or more prior serious felonies. A persistent repeater faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or extended supervision.³

Felonies Outside the A-Through-I Grid

Not every Wisconsin felony fits the classification system. Some offenses carry penalties written directly into the statute defining the crime, and the class maximums in § 939.50 do not apply. These unclassified felonies turn up in specialized areas such as corporate tax, environmental regulation, and other technical regulatory offenses. Bifurcated sentencing still applies, but the confinement portion cannot exceed 75 percent of the total sentence rather than following the per-class caps.²

What a Felony Conviction Costs Beyond the Sentence

The prison term and fine are the start, not the end. Federal law bars anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year from possessing firearms or ammunition.⁴ Every Wisconsin felony class, A through I, exceeds that threshold, so every felony conviction triggers the ban.

Voting rights are suspended for the full length of a Wisconsin felony sentence, including extended supervision and probation. Once a person is fully off paper, the right to vote is automatically restored and they can re-register.¹

International travel also narrows. Canada routinely denies entry to people with felony records. Australia and New Zealand apply character tests screening for prison sentences of 12 months or more. Beginning in late 2026, U.S. citizens traveling to the 29 Schengen Area countries will need travel authorization through the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, which asks about criminal history and can deny applications for serious offenses.

A felony record also affects employment background checks, professional licensing, housing applications, and eligibility for certain federal benefits, regardless of the class.

Expungement for Lower-Class Felonies

Wisconsin’s expungement rules are narrow, and the window closes earlier than most people expect. A court can order expungement only at sentencing. If the judge does not make the order then, you cannot come back later and ask.⁵

To qualify, you must have been under 25 when you committed the offense, and the crime must carry a maximum of 6 years or less. That limits felony expungement to Class H and Class I offenses. The judge still has discretion and must find that expungement benefits you without harming society. Certain violent offenses, stalking convictions, and crimes against children are excluded entirely, and so are Class H and Class I felonies if you have any prior felony on your record.⁵ The expungement takes effect only after successful completion of the sentence, meaning no later conviction and, if on probation, no revocation.

1
Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 939.50 – Classification of Felonies
2
Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 973.01 – Bifurcated Sentence of Imprisonment and Extended Supervision
3
Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 939.62 – Increased Penalty for Habitual Criminality
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
5
Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 973.015 – Special Disposition