The line, and the exceptions
| Situation | Charge | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Value $950 or less | Petty theft, §490.2 | Misdemeanor for most defendants |
| Value over $950 | Grand theft, §487 | Wobbler |
| Firearm taken, any value | Grand theft of a firearm, §487(d)(2) | Felony |
| Vehicle taken | §487(d)(1) or Vehicle Code §10851 | Wobbler |
| Taken directly from a person | Grand theft from the person, §487(c) | Wobbler regardless of value |
| Force or fear used | Robbery, §211 | Felony — a different statute entirely |
Certain prior convictions (specified serious or violent felonies, or registrable sex offenses) remove the Prop 47 misdemeanor treatment. This matches the framing on our theft bail bonds page.
How value is measured
- Fair market value at the time of the taking, not the retail sticker and not replacement cost.
- Aggregation can apply where a single scheme is alleged across multiple takings.
- Organized retail theft is charged under §490.4, which reaches coordinated conduct across incidents.
- Petty theft with specified priors can be charged under §666 in narrow circumstances.
What it means for bail
A misdemeanor petty theft is a low scheduled bail and frequently a citation release. Grand theft filed as a felony pulls a real number — commonly $20,000 and up in Los Angeles County, higher where the value alleged is large or there are multiple counts. Premium is 10% of that, and we write theft bonds with as little as 1% down.