California legal term
serious felony in California Criminal Law
Current through 2026 California legislative session
In California criminal law, “serious felony” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the California criminal code.
What does “serious felony” mean in California criminal law?
“serious felony” means any of the following: (1) Murder or voluntary manslaughter; (2) mayhem; (3) rape; (4) sodomy by force, violence, duress, menace, threat of great bodily injury, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury on the victim or another person; (5) oral copulation by force, violence, duress, menace, threat of great bodily injury, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury on the victim or another person; (6) lewd or lascivious act on a child under 14 years of age; (7) any felony punishable by death or imprisonment in the state prison for life; (8) any felony in which th (Cal. Penal Code § 1192.7)
Statutes defining or using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.