(1) A person is guilty of criminal mischief in the first degree when, having no right to do so or any reasonable ground to believe that he or she has such right, he or she intentionally or wantonly:
(a) Defaces, destroys, or damages any property causing pecuniary loss of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more;

Attorney's Note

Under the Kentucky Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class C felonybetween 5 and 10 yearsbetween $1,000 and $10,000
Class D felonybetween 1 and 5 yearsbetween $1,000 and $10,000
For details, see § 532.060

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Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 512.020

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Property: includes livestock as defined in KRS §. See Kentucky Statutes 512.010
  • Tenant: means a person entitled under a lease or rental agreement to occupy a residential rental property to the exclusion of others. See Kentucky Statutes 512.010

(b) Tampers with the operations of a key infrastructure asset, as defined in KRS
511.100, in a manner that renders the operations harmful or dangerous; or
(c) As a tenant, intentionally or wantonly defaces, destroys, or damages residential rental property causing pecuniary loss of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more.
(2) Criminal mischief in the first degree is a Class D felony, unless the offense occurs during a declared emergency as defined by KRS § 39A.020 arising from a natural or man-made disaster, within the area covered by the emergency declaration, and within the area impacted by the disaster, in which case it is a Class C felony.
Effective: July 14, 2022
History: Amended 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 151, sec. 9, effective July 14, 2022. — Amended
2021 Ky. Acts ch. 164, sec. 2, effective June 29, 2021. — Amended 2020 Ky. Acts ch. 12, sec. 2, effective July 15, 2020. — Amended 1976 Ky. Acts ch. 183, sec. 3. — Created 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 406, sec. 106, effective January 1, 1975.