Damaging Someone Else's Property
720 ILCS 5/21-1 — a Class A misdemeanor up to $500 of damage, and a felony above it
A person commits criminal damage to property when they knowingly damage property of another, recklessly damage it by fire or explosive, knowingly start a fire on another's land, or do one of the other acts the section lists.
Who handles this in Illinois: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the Illinois directory.
| Amount of damage | Class |
|---|---|
| Amount of damage$500 or less | ClassClass A misdemeanor |
| Amount of damageOver $500 up to $10,000 | ClassClass 4 felony |
| Amount of damageOver $10,000 up to $100,000 | ClassClass 3 felony |
| Amount of damageOver $100,000 | ClassClass 2 felony |
- Damage to a school, a place of worship, farm equipment or a memorial to police, firefighters or veterans is graded a step higher.
- Damaging a fire hydrant or fire fighting equipment, or opening a hydrant without authorization, is a Class B misdemeanor.
- Where the owner consented to the damage, that is an affirmative defense to the main forms of the offense.
Where the damage exceeds $10,000, the court imposes a fine equal to the value of the damage.
Sources for this section (1)
- 720 ILCS 5/21-1 — Criminal damage to property
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Illinois attorney.