Report a theft in Virginia to the local police department or sheriff first and keep the case number. Under Va. Code § 18.2-95, theft becomes a felony at $1,000. Then follow the checklist for what was taken, below.
Virginia at a glance
| Felony theft threshold | $1,000. Simple larceny of goods worth $1,000 or more is grand larceny, a felony in Virginia, and theft of any firearm is grand larceny regardless of value. |
|---|---|
| Theft statute | Va. Code § 18.2-95 |
| Grading | Under $1,000 (not from a person, not a firearm): petit larceny, a Class 1 misdemeanor (§ 18.2-96). $1,000 or more: grand larceny, 1 to 20 years in prison, or at the jury's or judge's discretion up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. Larceny of $5 or more from another person's body or immediate control, and larceny of any firearm, are also grand larceny. |
| Vehicle theft | Stealing a vehicle worth $1,000 or more is grand larceny under § 18.2-95. Taking a vehicle without intent to steal it (unauthorized use, § 18.2-102) is a Class 6 felony, or a Class 1 misdemeanor if the vehicle is worth less than $1,000. |
| State police | Virginia State Police |
| Motor vehicles | Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles |
| Consumer protection | Virginia Attorney General, Consumer Protection Section |
| Online police reports | The Fairfax County Police Department accepts online reports for thefts under $10,000, thefts from vehicles and stolen bicycles in the county, but not stolen vehicles, license plates or firearms; reports are for documentation only. Other Virginia departments set their own rules. |
| Lost or stolen gun reporting | Virginia requires owners to report a lost or stolen firearm to local law enforcement or the State Police within 48 hours of discovering the loss (Va. Code § 18.2-287.5), according to the Giffords Law Center, an advocacy group. |
| Pawn and secondhand dealers | Va. Code § 54.1-4010 requires pawnbrokers to file a daily report of goods taken in, with customer identification and item descriptions, with local police by noon the next day; the section sets no holding period. |
| Official stolen property lookups | No public state-run lookup was found for Virginia. Use the national tools in the lookup directory. |
Statute text checked on law.lis.virginia.gov. Laws change; confirm the current version before relying on it.
Virginia by the numbers
| Measure | Virginia | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity theft reports to the FTC, 2024 | 18,460 reports, 213 per 100,000 residents; ranked 23 of 50 | FTC Consumer Sentinel Data Book 2024 |
| Fraud and other reports to the FTC, 2024 | 117,836 reports, 1,361 per 100,000 residents | FTC Consumer Sentinel Data Book 2024 |
| Firearms reported stolen from private citizens | 5,587 a year on average, 64.7 per 100,000 residents (2019 to 2023) | ATF National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment |
These figures count reports made to federal agencies, so they measure what was reported, not every theft. National context is on the theft statistics page.
Reporting a theft in Virginia
Virginia's counties and cities run most local policing, so a theft report usually goes to the county or city police department, or to the sheriff in counties without a police force. The Virginia State Police handles highways and assists localities but does not list an online theft report on its homepage.
Online reporting depends on where you live. The Fairfax County Police Department takes online reports for thefts under $10,000, thefts from or of parts of a motor vehicle, stolen bicycles and lost property, with financial crimes routed to a separate online system. Fairfax states that online reports are for documentation and are not investigated, and it excludes stolen vehicles, stolen plates and lost or stolen firearms. Check your own department's site, and keep the case number. Our stolen property guide lists what to gather.
Virginia theft law and the felony threshold
Virginia keeps the common-law split between petit and grand larceny. Under Va. Code § 18.2-95, grand larceny covers:
- simple larceny of goods worth $1,000 or more;
- larceny of money or property worth $5 or more from another person's body or immediate control; and
- larceny of any firearm, regardless of value.
Grand larceny carries 1 to 20 years in a state correctional facility, though a jury or judge may instead impose up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2,500, or both. Theft below those lines is petit larceny, a Class 1 misdemeanor under § 18.2-96. A 2024 amendment lets prosecutors bring the case in the county or city where the victim lives. Because the firearm rule ignores value, a stolen handgun is a felony case even when the gun is inexpensive; see our stolen firearm guide.
Stolen vehicles and license plates in Virginia
A vehicle worth $1,000 or more is grand larceny when stolen. Virginia also has an unauthorized use offense, § 18.2-102, for taking a vehicle, boat or aircraft without the owner's consent but without intent to steal it: a Class 6 felony, or a Class 1 misdemeanor if the vehicle is worth less than $1,000. Report a stolen car by phone or in person, since Fairfax and many other departments exclude stolen vehicles and plates from online reporting.
The Virginia State Police runs HEAT (Help Eliminate Auto Theft), a statewide program funded by auto insurers under Va. Code § 38.2-414. According to a State Police overview, HEAT pays rewards for anonymous tips that lead to auto theft arrests and promotes VIN etching (engraving the vehicle identification number into the windows). The Virginia DMV handles plates and titles; ask it for current replacement steps after you file a police report. See stolen vehicles and check if stolen for national tools.
Pawn shops and secondhand sales
Under Va. Code § 54.1-4010, pawnbrokers must prepare a daily report of everything pawned, pledged or sold to them, listing the customer's name, residence and identification, an image of the ID and a description of each item. The report goes to the local chief of police or a designated officer by noon the next day, and localities may require electronic filing. The section sets no statewide holding period, so any hold depends on local ordinance or police request. Serial numbers in your police report give officers something to match against those records.
Identity theft and fraud help in Virginia
The Office of the Attorney General runs an Identity Theft Passport program. The passport is a card a victim can show to police or others who question their identity, meant to protect against detention or arrest for crimes someone else committed in their name. A Virginian who has filed a police report as a victim of identity crime, or who has a court order expunging a record because of identity crime, may apply. General consumer complaints go to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section. Start with IdentityTheft.gov, freeze your credit, and follow our identity theft guide.
Checklists for what was stolen
Each guide opens with a checklist in the order to act, with a free printable PDF.
- Domain names
- Identity theft
- Vehicles
- Social media and email
- SIM swap and phone numbers
- Stolen phones
- Bicycles and e-bikes
- Packages and mail
- Wallets, cards and checks
- Passports
- Firearms
- Art and collectibles
- Cryptocurrency
This page is general information about Virginia, not legal advice. For your situation, consult an attorney licensed in Virginia.
Sources
- Va. Code § 18.2-95 (vacode.org 2025 edition)
- Va. Code § 18.2-96, Petit larceny (vacode.org)
- Va. Code § 18.2-95 (FindLaw)
- Va. Code § 18.2-102, Unauthorized use of animal, aircraft, vehicle or boat
- Va. Code § 54.1-4010 (vacode.org)
- Fairfax County Police Department, Report a Crime
- Virginia State Police HEAT Program Overview (DCJS)
- Virginia Attorney General, Identity Theft
- Virginia Attorney General, Consumer Protection
- Virginia State Police
- Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
- Giffords Law Center, Reporting Lost & Stolen Guns in Virginia