FACT BRIEFDoes Nevada consider theft a felony only if something valued at $1,200 or more is stolen?
YES
With the passage of AB236, signed June 2019, the threshold for felony theft in Nevada was raised to $1,200. Theft of property or services below this threshold is classified as a misdemeanor. Prior to the passage of AB236, Nevada had one of the lowest thresholds for felony theft at $650, with 43 states having a higher threshold.
While an earlier version of the bill proposed setting the threshold at $2,000, the final language sets the amount at $1,200—meaning that the penalty for stealing a single smartphone would be a misdemeanor.
“It was a compromise. But we definitely had discussions about iPhones,” said Democratic Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen.
AB236 also created a tiered penalty structure based on increasing values of theft.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Nevada Legislature Assembly Bill No. 236 | Sec. 61
Nevada Legislature Minutes of the meeting of the Assembly Committee on Judiciary | March 8, 2019
Nevada Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice Practitioner Guide to AB 236
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