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Key Facts
- State and federal levels: Federal law and the compared state laws use separate felony classification systems, so one classification table does not describe them all.
- State level: States use different felony labels, including degrees, lettered classes, numbered levels, named categories, or unclassified felonies.
- Federal level: Federal law classifies felonies from Class A through Class E according to the maximum authorized term of imprisonment.
- State level: The offense statute and the jurisdiction’s classification and punishment provisions must be read together.
A useful felonies list cannot be a single national checklist. Federal law and each state create their own crimes, elements, grades, and authorized punishments. The same conduct may have a different title or classification depending on the governing law, and some offenses can move between grades based on value, injury, victim, intent, prior convictions, or another statutory fact.
What makes an offense a felony
A felony is a serious criminal-offense category defined by the law that creates the offense. The familiar shorthand—a crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment—fits many systems, but it is not a substitute for the controlling statute.
California Penal Code section 17 generally distinguishes a felony by punishment with death, imprisonment in state prison, or imprisonment in county jail under specified provisions. Texas Penal Code section 12.04 separately classifies felonies as capital, first degree, second degree, third degree, and state jail felonies. New York Penal Law section 55.05 uses Class A through E felony categories and identifies some felonies as unclassified.
These schemes show why a felony definition must name the jurisdiction. One state’s Class A felony cannot be assumed to match another state’s Class A felony.
How felony classes differ across jurisdictions
Federal felony classes
Under 18 U.S.C. section 3559, an offense with a maximum term of life imprisonment or death is a Class A felony. Lower federal felony classes descend through Class B, C, D, and E according to the maximum authorized imprisonment stated in the statute.
The federal classification provision applies to federal offenses. It does not reclassify a state conviction or prove how a state labels comparable conduct.
California’s punishment-based definition
California section 17 ties felony status to the punishment authorized by the offense. It also addresses crimes punishable either as felonies or misdemeanors and lists circumstances in which such an offense becomes a misdemeanor for specified purposes.
Texas named categories
Texas section 12.04 identifies five felony categories: capital felony, first-degree felony, second-degree felony, third-degree felony, and state jail felony. The category must then be paired with the punishment provision and the statute defining the particular offense.
New York lettered classes
New York section 55.05 uses Class A, B, C, D, and E felonies. It divides Class A into A-I and A-II and recognizes unclassified felonies when an offense outside the Penal Law does not receive a specific classification.
Florida degrees and life felonies
Florida section 775.08 defines a felony through authorized punishment and section 775.081 classifies felonies as capital, life, first degree, second degree, or third degree. Florida also provides a rule for a felony that another statute leaves without an express degree.
Why offense names alone can mislead
An offense title often covers several grades. A value threshold can separate felony property offenses from misdemeanors; an injury, weapon, victim category, quantity, prior conviction, or aggravating circumstance can also change classification when the governing statute says so.
The relationship between felonies and misdemeanors is therefore statute specific. Some laws authorize alternative felony-or-misdemeanor treatment, while other offenses remain fixed in one category.
How to read a felony citation
- Identify whether the cited law is federal or belongs to a particular state.
- Open the offense provision and identify its elements and stated grade.
- Follow cross-references to the jurisdiction’s classification and punishment sections.
- Separate the base offense from any degree allegation, enhancement, attempt, or repeat-offender provision.
- Distinguish the charge from the final disposition and sentence.
A separate guide to felony classes can help compare grading systems. The legally controlling answer, however, comes from the current offense statute and the connected provisions in the same jurisdiction.
