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Virginia statute

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-96 — Petit larceny defined; how punished

Current through 2026 Regular Session

Part of Article 3: Larceny and Receiving Stolen Goods, Code of Virginia.

Criminal charges under this statute

Full text of Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-96

Statutory text current through the 2026 Regular Session. This publication reproduces the text of the Code of Virginia from the official Virginia Law Portal API published by the Virginia General Assembly's Division of Legislative Automated Systems; it is not the official Code of Virginia.

Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-96Primary source, current through the 2026 Regular Session
Any person who: 1. Commits larceny from the person of another of money or other thing of value of less than $5, or 2. Commits simple larceny not from the person of another of goods and chattels of the value of less than $1,000, except as provided in clause (iii) of § 18.2-95 , shall be deemed guilty of petit larceny, which shall be punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Official sources

Legal terms used in this section

Questions this section answers

Is identification of certain personalty a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?

It depends on the circumstances: identification of certain personalty ranges from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 5 felony in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-96.1.

Removing/altering/possessing marked personalty (value under $1,000): class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-96.1F) · Removing/altering/possessing marked personalty (value $1,000 or more): class 5 felony (Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-96.1F)

Is petit larceny defined a felony or a misdemeanor in Virginia?

Petit larceny defined is a class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia under Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-96.

Which Virginia statute covers petit larceny defined?

Petit larceny defined is governed by Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-96 (Petit larceny defined; how punished).

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.