Hit and Run Penalties by State (2026)

By Mustafa Bilgic · Updated 2026-09-28

Leaving the scene of a crash without stopping, giving your information and helping anyone hurt is a crime in every state in this table. Whether it is a felony depends on what happened: leaving a crash in which someone was killed is a felony in 42 of the 51 jurisdictions in this table, while leaving a crash that only damaged property is a misdemeanor or a lesser offense in 46 of the 48 with a verified property-damage rule. This page lists the penalty tiers for all 50 states and the District of Columbia as of September 28, 2026, taken from each state's statute, and the checker below shows the rule for your case.

Hit and Run Penalties by State: 2026 Table

How each state classifies leaving the scene of a crash, by what happened, as of September 28, 2026, in the statute's own words. The checker above shows the penalty range for each case.

Is a Hit and Run a Felony?

Death: a felony in 42 jurisdictions. In California, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana and Tennessee it is a felony or a misdemeanor depending on the facts, such as whether the driver knew of the death. In the District of Columbia and Wyoming the statute sets a jail term of a year or less. Maine and New Jersey grade it as a Class C crime and a crime of the second degree without using the word felony.

Injury: a felony in 21 jurisdictions. In 29 others, including Colorado, Georgia, New York and Pennsylvania, leaving an injury crash is a misdemeanor or another non-felony offense, although most of them make a serious injury a felony or allow it to be charged as one.

Property damage only: a misdemeanor or lesser offense in 46 jurisdictions. Missouri and Virginia can treat it as a felony in some cases: Missouri: Class A misdemeanor; class E felony if property damage exceeds $1,000 (or with a prior finding of guilt); Virginia: Class 1 misdemeanor if damage is $1000 or less; Class 5 felony if damage is more than $1000.

Felony status can also turn on whether the driver knew of the injury, caused the crash or has prior convictions; the checker shows the full rule and penalty for each state.

Property Damage and Parked Cars

The statutes we read require a driver who hits an unattended vehicle or other property to stop and either find the owner or leave a written note with the driver's name and address. Alaska requires a written note in a conspicuous place with the names and addresses of the driver and owner and the circumstances.

Most states treat these cases as misdemeanors. Penalties range from a fine, such as up to $500 and up to 60 days in Florida, to up to a year in jail in states such as Alabama and Connecticut. Texas and Virginia grade the offense by the amount of damage: in Texas it is a class C misdemeanor under $200 and class B at $200 or more, and in Virginia a class 1 misdemeanor at $1,000 or less and a class 5 felony above $1,000.

Injury and Death: The Felony Tiers

When someone is hurt or killed, the penalties rise sharply. A few examples from the statutes:

• Florida: leaving a crash with a death is a first-degree felony with a 4-year mandatory minimum prison term and up to 30 years.
• Pennsylvania: a death is a felony of the second degree with a 3-year mandatory minimum.
• South Carolina: a death carries 1 to 25 years in prison and a fine of $10,000 to $25,000.
• Wisconsin: a death is a class D felony with up to 25 years in prison.

Several states split injuries into tiers. Hawaii has three: bodily injury (misdemeanor), substantial bodily injury (class C felony) and serious bodily injury or death (class B felony). Arizona raises a death or serious injury case from a class 3 to a class 2 felony when the driver caused the crash.

License Revocation After a Hit and Run

Many hit and run statutes also take away the driver license. The statutes we read provide for a license revocation or suspension in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Examples: Arizona revokes the license for 3 years after an injury crash, 5 years after a serious injury and 10 years after a death; Florida revokes it for at least 3 years; Delaware revokes it for 6 months even for a property-damage case.

If You Were the Victim of a Hit and Run

If another driver hit you and left, report the crash to the police right away; many states also require a written crash report (see car accident reporting requirements by state). If the driver is never found, your own uninsured motorist coverage may be the source of payment; hit-and-run victim compensation and the UM/UIM coverage guide explain how those claims work. A criminal case against the driver does not replace a claim for your medical bills and lost income.

Worked Examples

• Florida, a pedestrian is killed and the driver leaves: First-degree felony (a felony). Penalty in the statute: 4-year mandatory minimum and up to 30 years in prison, fine up to $10,000.
• Arizona, a serious injury in a crash the driver caused: Class 3 felony (Class 2 if the driver caused the crash) (a felony). Penalty in the statute: 2 to 8.75 years in prison for a first offense (class 2: 3 to 12.5 years), fine up to $150,000.

How This Table Was Built

For each state and the District of Columbia we read the leaving-the-scene statute in the state code and, where the statute names only a class of crime, the sentencing statute for that class, and recorded the exact words; every class and penalty shown appears in that wording. Where a state website did not answer our server we read an archived copy of the same official page, and for a few codes that are not freely readable online, a Justia copy. Maine and New Jersey grade crimes by class or degree and do not use the words felony and misdemeanor.

The table shows the law as of September 28, 2026. Next scheduled review: January 1, 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions