Theft amendments.

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary and text do not provide specific details on enforcement mechanisms or anticipated impacts on crime rates, leaving these points as speculative.

Theft Amendments

This law changes penalties for theft and related offenses, increasing misdemeanor theft penalties to up to one year imprisonment or a $1,500 fine, and reducing the number of theft convictions needed before felony charges from five to three.

What This Bill Does

• Increases the penalty for misdemeanor theft to be punishable by imprisonment for up to one (1) year, a fine not to exceed one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00), or both.
• Changes the number of theft offenses needed before someone is charged with felony theft from five to three.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who commit theft and related crimes
• Law enforcement agencies that handle these cases

Terms To Know

Felony

A serious crime, often punishable by more than one year in prison.

Misdemeanor

A less serious crime, usually punishable by a fine or up to one year in jail.

Limits and Unknowns

• The law does not specify how it will be enforced.
• It is unclear if the changes will reduce theft rates.

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 26LSO-0081

Bill No.:

SF0007

Effective:

7/1/2026

LSO No.:

26LSO-0081

Enrolled Act No.:

SEA No. 0009

Chapter No.:

11

Prime Sponsor:

Joint Judiciary Interim Committee

Catch Title:

Theft amendments.

Has Report:

No

Subject:

Amending the penalty for theft and offense threshold for felony theft.

Summary/Major Elements:

This act amends the criminal offense of theft. The act amends the penalty for misdemeanor theft to be punishable by imprisonment for up to one (1) year (increased from six (6) months), a fine not to exceed one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00) (increased from seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00)), or both.

The act also amends the offense threshold for felony theft. A person convicted of a third or subsequent theft offense (rather than the fifth offense) is guilty of felony theft.

The act amends the penalty for unlawful use of theft detection shielding devices to match the penalty for misdemeanor theft as amended in this act (imprisonment for one (1) year, a fine not to exceed one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00), or both).

The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

26LSO-0081

ORIGINAL Senate

File No
.
SF0007

ENROLLED ACT NO. 9,

SENATE

SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2026 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to crimes and offenses; amending the penalties for theft and related offenses as specified; amending the number of theft offenses needed for a felony theft offense; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 6
‑
3
‑
402(c)(iii) and (j) and 6
‑
3
‑
411(e) are amended to read:

6
‑
3
‑
402.

Theft; penalties.

(c)

Except as provided in subsections (g) and (j) of this section, theft is:

(iii)

A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than
six (6) months
one (1) year
, a fine of not more than
seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00)
one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00)
, or both, if the value of the property is less than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00).

(j)

Any person convicted of a
fifth
third
or subsequent offense for theft, shoplifting, larceny, wrongful taking of property, wrongful disposal of property or livestock rustling, any other theft offense under this section, any theft offense under a municipal ordinance or any theft offense pursuant to a substantially similar law of another jurisdiction separately brought and tried shall be guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than ten (10) years, a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00), or both.

6
‑
3
‑
411.

Unlawful use of theft detection shielding devices; penalty.

(e)

A person who commits any of the offenses specified under subsections (a) through (d) of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than
six (6) months
one (1) year
, a fine of not more than
seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00)
one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00)
, or both.

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2026
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

1