Grand theft is defined as which of the following?

• A. The theft of an item over $750
• B. The theft of an item $100 or more from a dwelling or from the enclosed area surrounding a dwelling
• C. Both A and B
• D. None

Answer: (C)

Grand theft has two ways it can be charged. First, theft of property valued at $750 or more anywhere qualifies as grand theft. Second, theft from a dwelling or the area immediately surrounding a dwelling (the curtilage) qualifies as grand theft if the value of the property stolen is $100 or more. Because either condition alone can make a theft grand theft, the definition encompasses both scenarios. That’s why the correct understanding is that both criteria describe grand theft. If you steal something worth $800 in a public place, it’s grand theft by the value rule; if you steal something worth $150 from a home or its immediate surroundings, it’s grand theft by the dwelling rule.