How Much Stolen Money Is a Felony in Maryland?
The number is $1,500. Under Criminal Law Section 7-104, theft of property or services worth $1,500 or more is a felony in Maryland. Below that line, theft is a misdemeanor, with its own internal tiers. This page lays out the complete penalty ladder, the aggregation and repeat-offender rules that surprise people, and the defense fights over valuation that move cases across the felony line.
The Complete Maryland Theft Penalty Ladder
All value-based theft in Maryland is graded by CR Section 7-104(g):
| Value of property or services | Classification | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $100 | Misdemeanor | 90 days and/or $500 |
| $100 to under $1,500 | Misdemeanor | 6 months and/or $500 (first conviction); 1 year for a second or subsequent |
| $1,500 to under $25,000 | Felony | 5 years and/or $10,000 |
| $25,000 to under $100,000 | Felony | 10 years and/or $15,000 |
| $100,000 or more | Felony | 20 years and/or $25,000 |
Every tier also requires restitution: the statute orders the convicted person to restore the property or pay the owner its value.
The charge pages for the two misdemeanor tiers cover those cases in detail: theft under $100 and theft $100 to $1,500.
The Repeat-Offender Trap: Misdemeanor Value, Felony-Level Time
Section 7-104(g)(4) contains the provision that catches shoplifting defendants off guard. A person with four or more prior theft convictions who is convicted of a theft under $1,500 faces up to 5 years, the same exposure as felony theft, even though the new charge involves misdemeanor-level value. The State must seek this enhancement, but for someone with a record, a $200 shoplifting case can carry prison exposure. See our pages on shoplifting defense and organized retail theft.
How Value Gets Counted, and Fought
The dollar figure is an element the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt, and it is more contestable than people assume:
- Fair market value, not retail sticker. Used goods are worth what they would sell for, not what they cost new. A three-year-old laptop is not a $2,000 theft.
- Aggregation. The State can add up takings that are part of one scheme or continuing course of conduct, turning a series of small thefts into a single felony count. Whether the acts truly form one scheme is a litigable question. See what is a theft scheme.
- Services and intangibles. Value of services is measured by their market rate, which invites expert disputes.
- Proof problems. Receipts, appraisals, and testimony establish value. Where the State's valuation witness is a store manager guessing, the felony threshold is vulnerable.
Knocking value below $1,500 does not just cut the maximum from 5 years to 6 months; it converts a felony into a misdemeanor for employment, expungement, and immigration purposes.
Related Property Felonies With Their Own Rules
The $1,500 ladder covers general theft. Related charges grade differently:
- Motor vehicle theft: its own felony under CR Section 7-105 regardless of the car's value
- Joyriding / unauthorized removal: the misdemeanor alternative when the taking was temporary
- Credit card theft and credit card fraud: separate statutes with their own thresholds
- Embezzlement and fraud and bad checks: value-graded like theft but charged under separate provisions
- Robbery and burglary: felonies regardless of value, because force or entry, not dollars, drives the grading
Frequently Asked Questions
How much theft is a felony in Maryland?
$1,500. Theft of property or services valued at $1,500 or more is a felony carrying up to 5 years, with higher tiers at $25,000 (10 years) and $100,000 (20 years).
Is theft under $1,500 always a misdemeanor?
The charge is a misdemeanor, but a defendant with four or more prior theft convictions faces up to 5 years even for a sub-$1,500 theft under the repeat-offender enhancement.
Can multiple small thefts add up to a felony?
Yes. Maryland allows aggregation of takings that are part of a single scheme or continuing course of conduct. Whether separate incidents really form one scheme is a common defense battleground.
Who decides what the stolen property was worth?
The State must prove fair market value beyond a reasonable doubt. Defense challenges to inflated retail valuations regularly move cases below the felony threshold.
Charged Near the Felony Line?
The valuation fight is winnable, and it changes everything downstream. FrizWoods defends theft cases at every tier across Maryland. Start at our Maryland theft lawyer hub or contact us for a free consultation.