The Fredericksburg City Council passed an amendment to the city ordinance on petit larceny. With the move, the city’s code now matches Virginia State Code.
The Commonwealth of Virginia currently defines petit larceny as stealing from person money or anything of value of less than $5 or the value of goods unlawfully taken from a person.
The previous threshold of value in Fredericksburg’s code for petit larceny was set at $200 and will now be raised to less than $1,000. The act is treated as a Class One misdemeanor in Virginia.
In comparison, grand larceny is defined in the state as a charge of stealing money or anything of value over $5 or the value of goods stolen is over $1,000. The penalty for grand larceny is a felony offense punishable by 20 years in prison.
The General Assembly created the new amendment in 2018 and adopted the legislation in 2020.
