Alabama Theft and Shoplifting Laws

If you're looking for a Alabama online shoplifting class, it's important to know your Alabama theft laws. This can help you understand more about your offense.

Please note that the Alabama theft laws displayed on this page are to help you to understand your local Alabama theft, shoplifting and stealing laws. While we have made every attempt to show the latest version of Alabama theft laws, we do not guarantee its accuracy. This page is not a substitute for legal advice from an attorney. We suggest that you consult with an appropriate attorney for more information about Alabama theft laws.

Section 13A-8-1 Definitions generally.

Deception:
Deception occurs when a person knowingly creates a false impression, fails to correct a false impression, prevents someone from getting important information about property, sells or transfers property without disclosing legal impediments, or makes promises they don't intend to keep. It doesn't include trivial falsehoods or exaggerated commendations of products or services.

Deprive:
To deprive means withholding property from someone permanently, selling it in a way that makes recovery unlikely, retaining it with the intent to return it only under certain conditions, selling, giving, or transferring it to someone else, or subjecting it to the claim of someone other than the owner.

Financial Institution:
Includes banks, insurance companies, credit unions, and other organizations that act as places for depositing funds or mediums of savings or collective investment.

Firearm:
A weapon that discharges a shot using gunpowder.

Government: Refers to the United States, states, counties, municipalities, political units, departments, agencies, or subdivisions of the government, or any corporation or association carrying out government functions.

Obtains:
Involves bringing about the transfer of property or securing performance of labor or services.

Owner:
A person with possession or any interest in the property, even if that possession or interest is unlawful.

Propelled Vehicle:
Any device transporting people or property, including motor vehicles, motorcycles, motorboats, aircraft, and vessels with machinery propulsion.

Property:
Encompasses money, tangible or intangible personal property, contracts, interests, and other valuable things. Public utility commodities like gas and electricity are considered property.

Receiving:
Includes acquiring possession, control, or title, and taking a security interest in property.

Stolen:
Obtained through theft, robbery, or extortion.

Threat:
A menace communicated to cause harm, damage, confinement, accusation, exposure, testimony, action as an official, strike, boycott, or other acts calculated to harm substantially another person.

Value:
The market value of property at the time and place of the criminal act. For certain written instruments, their value is determined based on the amount due or the economic loss the owner might suffer.

Aggregation of Theft Amounts:
Amounts involved in thefts committed as part of one scheme may be added up to determine the offense's severity. However, only one conviction and sentence are allowed for all thefts included in this aggregate.

Section 13A-8-2 Theft of property

A person commits theft of property if they:

1. Knowingly take someone else's property without permission with the intent to keep it.
2. Deceptively obtain control over someone else's property with the intent to keep it.
3. Take property from a law enforcement agency that was explicitly represented as stolen.
4. Take unauthorized control over donated items left at or near a charitable organization.

Section 13A-8-3 Theft of property in the first degree.

Theft becomes first-degree if:

• The stolen property exceeds $2,500 in value.
• Any value property is taken directly from a person.
• It involves a motor vehicle theft.
• The theft is part of a scheme to sell or transfer property, the property is worth at least $1,000, and the scheme occurs within a 180-day period.

First-degree theft is a Class B felony, which is a serious offense.

Section 13A-8-4 Theft of property in the second degree.

Theft is second-degree if:

• The stolen property is worth more than $500 but doesn't exceed $2,500.
• It involves a credit or debit card theft.
• It involves the theft of a firearm, rifle, shotgun, controlled substances, or livestock.
• The stolen property is worth more than $250 but doesn't exceed $2,500, and the offender has a previous theft conviction.

Second-degree theft is a Class C felony, also a significant offense.

Section 13A-8-5 Theft of property in the third degree.

Theft becomes third-degree if:

• The stolen property is worth up to $500 and is not taken directly from a person.

Third-degree theft is a Class A misdemeanor, a less severe offense than first or second-degree theft.

Section 13A-8-6 Theft of lost property - Definition.

A person commits the crime of theft of lost property if he actively obtains or exerts control over the property of another which he knows to have been lost or mislaid, or to have been delivered under a mistake as to the identity of the recipient or as to the nature or the amount of the property, and with intent to deprive the owner permanently of it, he fails to take reasonable measures to discover and notify the owner.

In general, if you find lost property, you should take reasonable steps to try to find the owner. If you cannot find the owner, you should turn the property over to the police or another government agency.

Section 13A-8-7 Theft of lost property in the first degree.

• If you find lost property worth more than $2,500 and keep it for yourself, you can be charged with theft of lost property in the first degree.
• This is a Class B felony, which means you could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and/or fined up to $25,000.

Section 13A-8-8 Theft of lost property in the second degree.

• If you find lost property worth more than $500 but less than or equal to $2,500 and keep it for yourself, you can be charged with theft of lost property in the second degree.

• This is a Class C felony, which means you could be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison and/or fined up to $10,000.

Section 13A-8-9 Theft of lost property in the third degree.

• If you find lost property worth less than or equal to $500 and keep it for yourself, you can be charged with theft of lost property in the third degree.

• This is a Class A misdemeanor, which means you could be sentenced to up to 1 year in jail and/or fined up to $5,000.

Section 13A-8-10 Theft of services - Definition.

You commit theft of services if you intentionally get services (like labor, professional services, transportation, accommodation, etc.) that you know are only available for payment, using deception, threats, false tokens, or other means to avoid paying.

If you have control over others' services that you're not entitled to, and you divert them for your benefit or someone else's, that's also theft of services.

For services where payment is usually immediate (like hotels or restaurants), leaving without paying or offering to pay is considered evidence of deception.

Section 13A-8-10.1 Theft of services in the first degree.

If the stolen services are worth more than $2,500, it's considered theft of services in the first degree.

First-degree theft of services is a Class B felony, a serious offense.

Section 13A-8-10.2 Theft of services in the second degree.

If the stolen services are worth more than $500 but not more than $2,500, it's theft of services in the second degree.

Second-degree theft of services is a Class C felony, still a significant offense.

Section 13A-8-10.3 Theft of services in the third degree.

If the stolen services are worth up to $500, it's theft of services in the third degree.

Third-degree theft of services is a Class A misdemeanor, a less serious offense than first or second-degree theft of services.

Section 13A-8-10.4 Theft of trademarks or trade secrets.

Definitions:

• Article: Anything physical or a copy of it, like a drawing, photograph, or blueprint.
• Copy: A reproduction of an article.
• Representing: Describing, depicting, containing, reflecting, or recording.
• Trade Secret: Valuable scientific or technical information, design, process, or formula that the owner has taken steps to keep confidential.
• Trademark: A word, name, symbol, or device used by a person or business to identify their goods or services. Offense:

You commit "theft of trade secrets or trademarks" if, without the owner's consent, you knowingly:

• Steal a trade secret.
• Make a copy of an article representing a trade secret.
• Communicate or transmit a trade secret.
• Make a copy or reproduction of a trademark for any commercial purpose.
• Sell an article with a reproduced trademark, knowing it was used without the owner's consent.

Penalty:

Theft of trade secrets or trademarks is a Class C felony, a serious offense.

You might also be interested in Alabama Theft and Shoplifting Classes.