Theft amendments.

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Theft Amendments

This law changes penalties for theft and related offenses, increasing misdemeanor theft penalties and reducing the number of theft offenses needed before someone is charged with felony theft.

What This Bill Does

• Increases the penalty for misdemeanor theft from six months imprisonment or a $750 fine to up to one year imprisonment or a $1,500 fine.
• Changes the requirement for felony theft charges from five theft offenses to three theft offenses within a three-year period.
• Updates penalties for using devices that shield against anti-theft systems to match the new misdemeanor theft penalty.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who commit theft or related crimes
• Law enforcement agencies and courts

Terms To Know

Misdemeanor

A less serious crime that is usually punished by a fine, probation, or up to one year in jail.

Felony

A serious crime that can result in more than one year of imprisonment and significant fines.

Limits and Unknowns

• The law does not specify how it will be enforced or if there are any exceptions.
• It is unclear what impact this change will have on the number of people charged with felony theft.

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