Nevada Theft Laws: $1,200 Felony Line, Penalties and Shoplifting

In Nevada, theft becomes a felony when the property or services are worth "$1,200 or more" (NRS 205.0835(2)(b)). Below $1,200, theft is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 6 months in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Nevada has no separate shoplifting crime: shoplifting is charged as theft or larceny on the same scale, and stealing a firearm, a motor vehicle, or property from someone's person is a felony at any value. For other states, see our guide to theft laws by state.

Information last verified on 2026-10-13. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Nevada state theft law in Chapter 205 of the Nevada Revised Statutes (the theft provisions in NRS 205.0821 to 205.0835, the larceny provisions in NRS 205.2175 to 205.2705, and related property offenses), the sentencing sections in NRS Chapter 193, the habitual criminal statutes NRS 207.010 and 207.014, and the merchant provisions in NRS 597.850 to 597.870. It does not cover federal theft offenses, city or county ordinances, or identity theft and fraud schemes, which have their own pages linked below.

What counts as theft in Nevada

Nevada folds most stealing offenses into one crime. Under NRS 205.0833(1), conduct defined as theft "constitutes a single offense embracing the separate offenses commonly known as larceny, receiving or possessing stolen property, embezzlement, obtaining property by false pretenses, issuing a check without sufficient money or credit, and other similar offenses."

The core definition is in NRS 205.0832(1)(a): "a person commits theft if, without lawful authority, the person knowingly: (a) Controls any property of another person with the intent to deprive that person of the property." The same subsection also covers, among other things, obtaining property or services by a material misrepresentation, controlling property "knowing or having reason to know that the property was stolen," keeping lost or misdelivered property without reasonable efforts to notify the owner, passing a check the person knows will not be paid, and obtaining gasoline or other fuel "without paying or agreeing to pay compensation."

Nevada also kept its older larceny statutes. Grand larceny under NRS 205.220 includes intentionally stealing "Personal goods or property, with a value of $1,200 or more, owned by another person," and petit larceny under NRS 205.240 covers the same conduct when the value is "less than $1,200." The two sets of statutes use the same value lines.

How value is measured

For theft, "value" means "the fair market value of the property or services at the time of the theft" (NRS 205.0831), and the amount involved "shall be deemed to be the highest value, by any reasonable standard, of the property or services which are obtained" (NRS 205.0834). The larceny chapter uses the same "highest value attributable to the property by any reasonable standard" rule (NRS 205.251(1)).

Both chapters allow aggregation. Under NRS 205.0834, "Amounts involved in thefts committed pursuant to a scheme or continuing course of conduct, whether from one or more persons, may be aggregated in determining the grade of the offense." NRS 205.251(2) says the same for larceny offenses committed "by one or more persons pursuant to a scheme or continuing course of conduct."

Nevada theft penalties by value

The tiers below come from NRS 205.0835(2) (theft) and NRS 205.222(2) (grand larceny). Grand larceny starts at $1,200, so its "less than $5,000" tier covers $1,200 to $4,999.99. The category C and D ranges are set by NRS 193.130(2), and the misdemeanor range by NRS 193.150(1).

In every tier, "the court shall order the person who committed the theft to pay restitution" (NRS 205.0835(3); the larceny sections have the same rule). Under NRS 193.130(1), a felony sentence has a minimum and a maximum term, and "The minimum term of imprisonment that may be imposed must not exceed 40 percent of the maximum term imposed."

These are the ordinary statutory ranges. Three general provisions can raise them:

• Older or vulnerable victims. Under NRS 193.167(2), a person who commits theft under NRS 205.0832(1)(a), (b) or (c) "intentionally or knowingly against any person who is 60 years of age or older or against a vulnerable person" faces an additional penalty: for a felony, "a minimum term of not less than 1 year and a maximum term of not more than 20 years," and for a misdemeanor, a jail term equal to the one prescribed for the crime. NRS 193.167(1) adds the same additional term for "Taking money or property from the person of another," and for embezzlement or obtaining money or property by false pretenses of "a value of $650 or more," against a person 60 or older or a vulnerable person. The added sentence "Must not exceed the sentence imposed for the crime or criminal violation" (NRS 193.167(4)(a)).
• Habitual criminals. The general theft penalty section (NRS 205.0835) and the petit larceny section (NRS 205.240) contain no prior-conviction tier. The general habitual criminal statute applies only after prior felonies: a person convicted of a felony "who has previously been five times convicted" of a felony is punished for a category B felony, 5 to 20 years, and after seven prior felonies faces a category A sentence (NRS 207.010(1)). Whether to seek that count is "within the discretion of the prosecuting attorney" (NRS 207.010(3)). A separate statute, NRS 207.014, sets a category B felony of 5 to 20 years for a felony involving fraud or intent to defraud after two prior such felonies "if the victim of each offense was an older person, a person with a mental disability or a vulnerable person," and in that situation "The prosecuting attorney shall include a count under this section."
• Other specific statutes. NRS 205.0835(1) applies "Unless a greater penalty is imposed by a specific statute," which is why the property-specific offenses below can carry higher grades.

Felonies regardless of value

Several larceny offenses are felonies no matter what the property is worth:

• Firearm: "A person who commits grand larceny of a firearm is guilty of a category B felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for a minimum term of not less than 1 year and a maximum term of not more than 10 years, and by a fine of not more than $10,000" (NRS 205.226(2)).
• Motor vehicle: grand larceny of a motor vehicle is "For a first offense, a category C felony," and "For a second or subsequent offense within 5 years, a category B felony" punishable by 1 to 6 years and a fine up to $5,000 (NRS 205.228(2)).
• Taking from the person: a person who, "under circumstances not amounting to robbery," takes property from the person of another without consent is guilty of a category C felony. The court "shall not grant probation to or suspend the sentence" if the victim "has any infirmity caused by age or other physical condition" (NRS 205.270(1), (3)).
• Livestock: stealing "One or more head of livestock owned by another person" is grand larceny under NRS 205.220(3)(a), with no value floor. Grand larceny also includes using "a card or other device for automatically withdrawing or transferring money in a financial institution to obtain intentionally money to which the person knows he or she is not entitled" (NRS 205.220(2)).

Shoplifting in Nevada

Nevada does not have a separately graded shoplifting offense. Taking merchandise from a store is charged as theft under NRS 205.0832 or as petit or grand larceny, using the value table above, so merchandise worth $1,200 or more is a felony. Several statutes deal specifically with retail theft.

Organized retail theft

Under NRS 205.08345(6)(c), "organized retail theft" means "committing, either alone or with any other person or persons, a series of thefts of retail merchandise against one or more merchants, either on the premises of a merchant or through the use of an Internet or network site, in this State with the intent to" return the merchandise for value or to "Resell, trade or barter the merchandise for value." Despite the name, the definition reaches a person acting alone. A person who knowingly participates in or furthers it is guilty of a category B felony:

The thefts of all participants are aggregated, the case may be prosecuted in any county where any participant committed a theft, and the Attorney General may investigate and prosecute (NRS 205.08345(3) to (5)). Restitution is mandatory.

Damaging a store during a theft

NRS 205.935(1), added by Assembly Bill 4 of the Legislature's 36th Special Session in 2025 and effective January 1, 2026, provides: "If a person intentionally causes property damage to a retail establishment during the commission of a theft offense and the aggregate value of the amount involved in the theft or property damage, or any combination thereof, is $750 or more, the person is guilty of a category C felony." A "theft offense" means a violation of NRS 205.0832 or 205.240, and a "retail establishment" includes businesses that prepare and sell meals.

Shielding devices, fake receipts and price labels

Possessing a "theft detection shielding device or theft detection device deactivator" with intent to commit, aid or abet a theft, or making or selling one with that intent, is a category D felony (NRS 205.970). Possessing, making, altering, forging or counterfeiting a sales receipt or inventory pricing label "with the intent to cheat or defraud a retailer" is a category E felony, or a category D felony with "15 or more fraudulent sales receipts or inventory pricing labels" (NRS 205.965).

Merchant detention

Under NRS 597.850(3), a merchant "who has reason to believe that merchandise has been wrongfully taken by a person and that the merchant can recover the merchandise by taking the person into custody and detaining the person" may detain the person "on the premises, in a reasonable manner and for a reasonable length of time," to recover the merchandise or to inform a peace officer. The merchant is presumed to have that reason "if the merchant observed the person concealing merchandise while on the premises." A reasonable detention does not make the merchant liable for false arrest, false imprisonment, slander or unlawful detention "unless the taking into custody and detention are unreasonable under all the circumstances."

That immunity depends on posting. Under NRS 597.850(4), no merchant is entitled to it "unless there is displayed in a conspicuous place on the merchant's premises a notice in boldface type clearly legible" in substantially the form the statute sets out. A merchant may also ask anyone on the premises to keep in full view any merchandise the person may have removed from its display (NRS 597.850(2)).

Can a store demand money after shoplifting in Nevada?

NRS 597.860(1) provides that "An adult who steals merchandise from, or damages property on, a merchant's premises is civilly liable for the retail value of the merchandise or the fair market value of the other property, plus damages of not less than $100 nor more than $250, costs of suit and reasonable attorney's fees. An action may be brought even if there has been no criminal conviction for the theft or damage."

• Parents and guardians: the parent or legal guardian of a minor who steals merchandise or damages property on a merchant's premises is liable for the same amounts, and that recovery "is not limited by, any other provision of law which limits the liability of a parent or legal guardian for the tortious conduct of a minor" (NRS 597.870(1)).
• Small claims: either action "may be brought as a small claim in a Justice Court if the total amount sought does not exceed the statutory limit for such a claim" (NRS 597.860(2), 597.870(2)).
• After a conviction: separately, a person convicted under the larceny statutes "is civilly liable for the value of any property stolen and not recovered in its original condition," measured by retail value or fair market value at the time of the crime, whichever is greater, and a signed restitution order is deemed a judgment for collecting damages (NRS 205.980(1), (4)).

The statutes set what a merchant can recover in court; they do not decide whether a particular demand letter is valid. A lawyer licensed in Nevada can advise on a specific letter.

Other theft offenses with their own grades

Chapter 205 contains other theft offenses that set their own grades:

Category E felonies carry 1 to 4 years and a fine up to $5,000, but with stated exceptions the court "shall suspend the execution of the sentence and grant probation" (NRS 193.130(2)(e)). Embezzlement under NRS 205.300 is punished "in the manner prescribed by law for the stealing or larceny of property of the kind and name" taken. Separate embezzlements from the same person within 6 months, none a felony on its own, "must be combined" when their total value is enough to make the offense a felony (NRS 205.300(2)).

Recent changes

• 2025: NRS 205.935 (damaging a retail establishment during a theft) was added by Assembly Bill 4 of the 36th Special Session of the Nevada Legislature, effective January 1, 2026. The 2025 regular session added NRS 205.990 to 205.994 on possessing or buying used utility wire.
• 2023: the Legislature amended the organized retail theft section, NRS 205.08345, and added the mail theft section, NRS 205.975, and the catalytic converter theft and possession offenses, NRS 205.27415 and 205.27419.
• 2019: the theft penalty section (NRS 205.0835), grand larceny (NRS 205.220 and 205.222) and petit larceny (NRS 205.240) were last amended in 2019.

Related legal issues

• Theft by false pretenses, bad checks and other fraud schemes are covered in our guide to Nevada scam and fraud laws.
• Stealing or misusing personal identifying information is covered in Nevada identity theft laws.
• Whether a theft record can be sealed is covered in Nevada expungement laws.
• Deadlines for filing charges are covered in the Nevada statute of limitations guide.

Federal theft offenses are covered on the theft laws by state hub.

Related

• Theft laws by state
• Nevada scam and fraud laws
• Nevada identity theft laws
• Nevada expungement laws
• Nevada statute of limitations

This article provides general legal information about Nevada theft law, not legal advice. Statutes change and their application depends on the facts. For advice about a specific situation, contact a lawyer licensed in Nevada.

Last updated: 2026-10-13.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the felony theft threshold in Nevada?

Theft becomes a felony when the property or services are worth $1,200 or more (NRS 205.0835(2)(b)). From $1,200 to under $5,000 it is a category D felony, punishable by 1 to 4 years and a fine up to $5,000.

Is stealing $1,200 a felony in Nevada?

Yes. The statute says $1,200 or more, so property worth exactly $1,200 is a category D felony. Theft of less than $1,200 is a misdemeanor.

What is the penalty for petit larceny in Nevada?

Petit larceny, stealing property worth less than $1,200, is a misdemeanor under NRS 205.240: up to 6 months in county jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both (NRS 193.150), and the court must order restitution.

Is shoplifting a felony in Nevada?

Shoplifting is charged as theft or larceny, so it is a felony when the merchandise is worth $1,200 or more. Organized retail theft of $3,500 or more within 120 days is a category B felony, and damaging a store during a theft is a category C felony when the theft and damage total $750 or more.

Is stealing a gun a felony in Nevada?

Yes. Grand larceny of a firearm is a category B felony punishable by 1 to 10 years and a fine up to $10,000, regardless of the gun's value (NRS 205.226).

Is stealing a car a felony in Nevada?

Grand larceny of a motor vehicle is a category C felony for a first offense and a category B felony (1 to 6 years) for a second or subsequent offense within 5 years (NRS 205.228). Taking a vehicle without intent to keep it permanently is a gross misdemeanor (NRS 205.2715).

Can a store make me pay after shoplifting in Nevada?

Under NRS 597.860, a merchant can sue an adult for the retail value of the merchandise plus $100 to $250 in damages, costs and reasonable attorney's fees, even with no criminal conviction. Parents of a minor face the same liability under NRS 597.870.

Can a store detain a suspected shoplifter in Nevada?

A merchant who has reason to believe merchandise was wrongfully taken may detain the person on the premises in a reasonable manner for a reasonable time (NRS 597.850(3)). The merchant's immunity applies only if the statutory notice is posted conspicuously.

Can several small thefts be added together in Nevada?

Yes. Amounts involved in thefts committed under a scheme or continuing course of conduct may be aggregated to set the grade of the offense (NRS 205.0834; NRS 205.251(2)).