All states and the federal criminal code separate crimes into felonies (serious offenses) and misdemeanors (less serious). Some states use a classification system to further rank felonies (from severe to less so). For those states that use a letter classification system, they may include classes A (the most serious), B, C, and so on (others use level 1, 2, 3 and so on). Thus, a class D or level 4 felony is a subset classification, and as the fourth in the ranked list of felonies, it is a serious crime, though not as serious as those in the two categories above it.
Because each state has its own penal code and its own view of how much punishment a particular crime deserves, an offense that is a class D/level 4 felony in one state may be considered a class C/level 3 or class E/level 5 in another state.
For more information on felony classification systems, see Felony Classes: Charges and Penalties.
Penalties for felonies can range from one year to life in prison, depending on the crime charged, enhancements and any mitigating circumstances. Several states also levy fines for class D felonies.
|
State |
Classification System |
| Alabama | A, B, or C |
| Alaska | A, B, or C |
| Arizona | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 |
| Arkansas | Y, A, B, C, or D |
| California | By crime |
| Colorado | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or unclassified |
| Connecticut | A, B, C, or D; or unclassified (by crime); different sentencing laws apply for crimes committed before July 1, 1981 |
| Delaware | A, B, C, D, E, F, or G |
| D.C. | By crime |
| Florida | Capital or life felonies; or felonies of the first, second, or third degree |
| Georgia | By crime |
| Hawaii | A, B, or C; murder classed separately |
| Idaho | By crime |
| Illinois | X, 1, 2, 3, or 4; murder classed separately |
| Indiana | A, B, C, or D |
| Iowa | A, B, C, or D |
| Kansas | Grid system |
| Kentucky | A, B, C, or D |
| Louisiana | By crime |
| Maine | A, B, or C |
| Maryland | By crime |
| Massachusetts | By crime |
| Michigan | A, B, C, D, E, F, G, or H |
| Minnesota | By crime |
| Mississippi | By crime |
| Missouri | A, B, C, or D |
| Montana | By crime |
| Nebraska | Class I, IA, IB, IC, ID, II, III, IIIA, or IV |
| Nevada | A, B, C, D, or E |
| New Hampshire | A or B |
| New Jersey | Indictable offenses: first, second, third or fourth degree |
| New Mexico | Capital offenses, first, second, third, or fourth degree |
| New York | A-I, A-II, B, C, D, or E |
| North Carolina | A, B1, B2, C, D, E, F, G, H, or I |
| North Dakota | AA, A, B, or C |
| Ohio | First, second, third, fourth, or fifth degree |
| Oklahoma | By crime |
| Oregon | Unclassified (by crime), A, B, or C |
| Pennsylvania | First, second, third degree or unclassified (by crime) |
| Rhode Island | By crime |
| South Carolina | A, B, C, D, E, or F |
| South Dakota | Classes A, B,or C; and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 |
| Tennessee | A, B, C, D, or E |
| Texas | Capital felonies; first, second or third degree felonies; or state jail felonies |
| Utah | Capital felonies; first, second or third degree felonies |
| Vermont | By crime |
| Virginia | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or by crime |
| Washington | A, B, or C |
| West Virginia | By crime |
| Wisconsin | A, B, C, D, E, F, G, or I |
| Wyoming | By crime |