The four most common felony offenses in Arizona are DUI, theft and property crimes, violent crimes, and drug crimes. Each one comes with its own penalties, its own legal process, and its own set of defense options.
If you’re facing any of them, the decisions you make right now matter more than most people realize. The first few days after an arrest are often the most critical. What you say, who you talk to, and whether you have legal representation can all shape how the case unfolds.
Find out what it means, what’s at stake, and what a Phoenix criminal defense lawyer can do to help.
What are the Four Most Common Felonies?
People often search for “felony” as if it is one crime. It is not. “Felony” is the level of the offense. Arizona has many felony crimes, and some come up far more often than others.
Felony DUI (Driving Under the Influence)
Most people think of DUI as a misdemeanor, and in many cases it starts that way. A first-time DUI with no aggravating factors is often charged as a misdemeanor. The charge becomes a felony when certain conditions are present.
In Arizona, a DUI becomes a felony if:
- You have two or more prior DUI convictions within 84 months. A third DUI within that window is charged as an Aggravated DUI, a Class 4 felony.
- Someone was seriously injured or killed. If your driving caused a crash that hurt or killed another person, you may face aggravated assault or manslaughter charges, both of which are felonies.
- A child under 15 was in the vehicle. Having a minor in the car while driving impaired is an automatic felony charge in Arizona.
- You were driving on a suspended, revoked, or restricted license.
- You were driving the wrong way on a highway.
Many DUI arrests start as misdemeanor cases. Some do not stay that way.
A DUI can become a felony in Arizona when aggravating factors are present. That can include driving on a suspended license, repeat DUI history within the look-back period, or other facts that raise the charge to aggravated DUI. That is one reason a broad felony page should also point readers to a felony DUI page and a sentencing page on the site.
Felony Theft and Property Crimes
Theft is one of the easiest areas to misunderstand because people often assume there is one clean dollar cutoff, and that is the end of the story. Under A.R.S. § 13-1802, Arizona theft charges are graded by value, but there are important exceptions:
- $25,000 or more: class 2 felony
- $4,000 to less than $25,000: class 3 felony
- $3,000 to less than $4,000: class 4 felony
- $2,000 to less than $3,000: class 5 felony
- $1,000 to less than $2,000: class 6 felony
Theft below $1,000 is usually a class 1 misdemeanor, but it can still be a class 6 felony if the property is taken from another person, if the item is a firearm, or in a few other situations laid out in the statute.
That is why a short line like “theft over $1,000 is a felony” is only part of the story. The facts matter.
Violent Crimes
Violent felonies can carry some of the toughest penalties in Arizona.
A good example is aggravated assault under A.R.S. § 13-1204. Depending on the facts, aggravated assault can be charged as a class 2, class 3, class 4, class 5, or class 6 felony. The charge level can turn on things like:
- Serious physical injury
- The use of a weapon
- The identity of the alleged victim
- Whether the accused is alleged to have assaulted a first responder, prosecutor, or law enforcement employee.
Other violent felony charges can include murder, manslaughter, robbery, kidnapping, and certain domestic violence cases when the facts raise the offense level.
Felony Drug Crimes
Drug charges are among the most common felony offenses in Arizona.
Under A.R.S. § 13-3407, dangerous drug offenses can be charged at very different levels depending on what the state claims happened:
- Possession or use of a dangerous drug is a class 4 felony.
- Possession of a dangerous drug for sale is a class 2 felony.
- Possession of equipment or chemicals to manufacture a dangerous drug is usually a class 3 felony, and can rise to a class 2 felony in methamphetamine cases.
- Manufacturing a dangerous drug is a class 2 felony.
- Transporting for sale, importing, selling, or offering to sell a dangerous drug is a class 2 felony.
There is one detail many people miss. In some first-offense dangerous drug possession cases, the court may enter judgment as a class 1 misdemeanor or place the person on probation and delay whether the offense is treated as a felony or misdemeanor. That kind of outcome depends on the charge, the person’s record, and the court’s ruling.
Other Types of Felony Charges in Arizona
Less common types of felony charges include:
Felony Sex Crimes
Sex crimes can lead to life-changing felony consequences.
Under A.R.S. § 13-1406, sexual assault is a class 2 felony in Arizona. A first offense carries a sentencing range of 5.25 years to 14 years. The statute also says a person convicted of sexual assault is not eligible for suspension of sentence, probation, pardon, or release from prison on any basis except as the law allows until the sentence imposed has been served or commuted.
Cases involving minors can carry even harsher sentencing rules. Charges tied to child exploitation, molestation, or sexual conduct with a minor can also expose a person to severe prison terms and sex offender registration issues.
Fraud, Identity Theft, and Other White Collar Felonies
Not every felony involves violence. Many white collar charges are felonies too. Arizona prosecutors may file felony charges in cases involving identity theft, credit card fraud, forgery, embezzlement, money laundering, or organized fraud activity.
These cases often turn on records, banking trails, digital evidence, and what the state claims the accused knew or intended.
What Makes a Crime a Felony in Arizona?
Under A.R.S. § 13-601, Arizona places different types of felonies into six classes:
- Class 1 felony
- Class 2 felony
- Class 3 felony
- Class 4 felony
- Class 5 felony
- Class 6 felony
Class 1 is the most serious level. First-degree murder and second-degree murder are class 1 felonies in Arizona. Other felony charges usually fall somewhere between class 2 and class 6, depending on the statute and the facts alleged by the state.
In plain English, the lower the class number, the more severe the charge tends to be.
Arizona Felony Sentencing Ranges for First-Time Offenders
For many non-dangerous first-time felony cases, A.R.S. § 13-702 sets the sentencing ranges. Those ranges can move up or down based on aggravating or mitigating facts.
Here is a quick look at the ranges for class 2 through class 6 felonies:
- Class 2 felony: 3 years to 12.5 years
- Class 3 felony: 2 years to 8.75 years
- Class 4 felony: 1 year to 3.75 years
- Class 5 felony: 0.5 years to 2.5 years
- Class 6 felony: 0.33 years to 2 years
That does not mean every felony case leads to prison. Some offenses allow probation. Some carry flat-time prison terms. Some have their own sentencing rules outside the general chart. Charges marked as dangerous, charges involving children, and repeat-offender cases can bring much harsher results.
Can a Felony Be Reduced to a Misdemeanor in Arizona?
Sometimes, yes.
Under A.R.S. § 13-604, some class 6 felonies can be left undesignated. After the person successfully completes probation and satisfies the court’s conditions, the court can designate the offense a misdemeanor. That does not apply to every case. It depends on the statute, the facts, the person’s record, and the court’s ruling.
This is one of the most searched questions around Arizona felonies because it can affect jobs, housing, and how a record shows up later.
Can a Felony Record Be Sealed in Arizona?
In some cases, yes.
A.R.S. § 13-911 allows eligible people to petition the court to seal records tied to an arrest, conviction, and sentence. Eligibility depends on the offense and whether all terms of the sentence have been completed. A sealing petition is not automatic, and not every felony qualifies.
That said, the law gives many people a real path to ask the court for relief once the waiting period and other requirements are met.
Are Civil Rights Ever Restored After a Felony Conviction?
Arizona law gives some first offenders an automatic path. Under A.R.S. § 13-907, a person with no prior felony conviction may have lost or suspended civil rights automatically restored on completion of probation or absolute discharge from imprisonment, so long as victim restitution has been paid.
This does not mean every problem tied to a felony disappears. It does mean the law gives some first-time offenders a built-in path toward restoring rights.
Contact Us If You are Facing Charges for Any Type of Felony Offense
Move fast and be careful. Do not try to talk your way out of trouble with the police. Do not guess about what the state can prove. Do not treat a felony charge like a paperwork issue that will sort itself out.
A felony case can turn on search issues, witness credibility, forensic testing, phone data, statements, prior-history allegations, and plea leverage. The earlier a defense lawyer gets involved, the more room there may be to challenge the facts, push back on the filing decision, fight for a reduction, or protect the record from getting worse than it already is.
At Suzuki Law Offices, we defend people charged with serious crimes across Arizona. If you have been arrested, contacted by detectives, or charged with a felony, get legal help right away.
Call or text (602) 682-5270 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form