The Theft Ladder
Penal Code 487 — $950 is the line between petty and grand theft
In California, theft covers taking another person's property, fraudulently keeping property entrusted to the person, and getting money, labor or property by a false pretense. It is divided into two degrees: grand theft and petty theft.
| What was taken | The degree |
|---|---|
| What was takenMoney, labor or property worth more than $950 | The degreeGrand theft |
| What was takenFarm crops or domestic fowls worth more than $250 | The degreeGrand theft |
| What was takenProperty taken from the person of another | The degreeGrand theft |
| What was takenAn automobile or a firearm | The degreeGrand theft |
| What was takenBy an employee from an employer, $950 or more in any 12 consecutive months | The degreeGrand theft |
| What was takenAnything else | The degreePetty theft |
At $950 or less, it is petty theft and a misdemeanor, whatever the property. Notwithstanding the grand theft section, obtaining property by theft where the value taken does not exceed $950 is petty theft and is punished as a misdemeanor, except for a person with certain serious or registrable prior convictions.
Petty theft is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both.
Entering an open store during regular business hours intending to steal property worth $950 or less is shoplifting, a misdemeanor with the same exception for certain priors. Any other entry into a store intending to steal is burglary, and a person charged with shoplifting may not also be charged with burglary or theft of the same property.
Separate acts motivated by one intention, one general impulse and one plan may be added together to reach the grand theft amount. Punishment for grand theft is not set out here.
Sources for this section (7)
- Penal Code 487 — Grand theft
- Penal Code 490.2 — Theft of property worth $950 or less is petty theft
- Penal Code 459.5 — Shoplifting
- Penal Code 484 — What theft is
- Penal Code 486 — The two degrees of theft
- Penal Code 488 — Petty theft
- Penal Code 490 — Punishment for petty theft
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed California attorney.