Kansas Criminal Laws: Felony and Misdemeanor Classes, Theft, Self-Defense and Bail

Kansas sentences most felonies on sentencing grids that combine the crime's severity level with the offender's criminal history category (A through I). Nondrug felonies have severity levels I through X (drug felonies have their own grid with levels 1 through 5; some crimes are off-grid). On the nondrug grid, ranges run from 147-165 months (level I, category I, no record) up to 592-653 months (level I, category A); level X ranges from 5-7 months (categories G-I) up to 11-13 months (category A). The judge may sentence anywhere within the grid box. Blocks below the dispositional line carry presumptive probation (nonimprisonment) and blocks above it presumptive imprisonment. Maximum fines: off-grid felonies $500,000; nondrug severity levels 1-5 $300,000; nondrug levels 6-10 $100,000; drug felonies committed on or after July 1, 2012: levels 1-2 $500,000, levels 3-4 $300,000, level 5 $100,000.

Kansas has class A, B and C misdemeanors plus unclassified misdemeanors. Jail: class A not to exceed one year; class B not to exceed six months; class C not to exceed one month. Fines: class A up to $2,500; class B up to $1,000; class C up to $500. An unclassified misdemeanor carries the penalty in the statute defining it, or, if none, the class C penalty.

Theft of property or services of the value of at least $1,500 but less than $25,000 is a severity level 9, nonperson felony; at least $25,000 but less than $100,000 is severity level 7; $100,000 or more is severity level 5. Theft of less than $1,500 is a class A nonperson misdemeanor, except that it is a severity level 9 felony when the property is taken from three separate mercantile establishments within 72 hours, when it is a firearm (under $25,000), when it is mail from three separate locations within 72 hours, or when the value is at least $50 and the person has two or more prior theft convictions within five years.

A person who is not engaged in unlawful activity and who is attacked in a place where the person has a right to be "has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand such person's ground" and use any force that would be justified under Kansas's self-defense statutes.

A person is presumed to have a reasonable belief that deadly force is necessary when the person against whom force is used is unlawfully or forcefully entering, or has unlawfully or forcefully entered and is present within, the dwelling, place of work or occupied vehicle of the person using force, and the person using force knows or has reason to believe this is occurring or has occurred. The presumption does not apply if the other person has a right to be in or lawfully lives there (and is not subject to a protective order); the person being removed is a child, grandchild or in the lawful custody of the other person; the person using force is committing a crime, escaping from a crime or using the place to further a crime; or the other person is a law enforcement officer lawfully entering whom the person knows or reasonably should know is an officer. A person whose use of force is justified "is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of such force," unless the person against whom force was used is a law enforcement officer who identified themself or whom the person knew or reasonably should have known was an officer.

A prosecution may be commenced at any time for crimes including rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, murder, terrorism and illegal use of weapons of mass destruction, and for listed childhood sexual abuse offenses where the victim was under 18. A sexually violent offense must be prosecuted within 10 years (for a victim under 18, 10 years after the victim turns 18), or within one year after DNA testing conclusively establishes the suspect's identity, whichever is later. Otherwise a prosecution "shall be commenced within five years after it is committed," subject to tolling rules; tolling for certain offenses against minors cannot extend past the date the victim turns 28.

A person charged with a crime shall be released at the first appearance before a magistrate on an appearance bond sufficient to assure appearance and public safety. Bonds may be surety bonds (with sufficient solvent Kansas-resident sureties), cash deposits, or own-recognizance bonds; for bonds of $2,500 or less on certain lower-level offenses a 10% cash deposit may be allowed if listed qualifications are met. Conditions can include no contact with the alleged victim for at least 72 hours in person-crime cases, custody with a designated person, travel or association limits, house arrest and court services supervision. In setting the bond the magistrate considers the nature and circumstances of the crime, the weight of the evidence, whether the defendant is lawfully present in the United States, family ties, employment, finances, character, mental condition, length of residence, criminal record, appearance history, the likelihood of new crimes or threats to victims or witnesses, and whether the defendant was on probation or parole. A detained person may apply for review of release conditions, which must occur without unnecessary delay. Defendants charged with sex offenses who have a prior sexually violent crime conviction must have a bond of at least $750,000.

A defendant who claims to be unable to afford counsel files an affidavit in the form set by the State Board of Indigents' Defense Services; the court may question the defendant under oath and investigate finances. The court considers the defendant's assets and income, necessary expenses for the defendant and immediate family, the anticipated cost of effective representation by employed counsel, and property transferred without adequate consideration after the alleged crime. If the defendant cannot cover the anticipated cost, the defendant is determined indigent in full or in part and counsel is appointed. The determination may be reviewed at any time. A defendant applying for appointed counsel must pay an application fee of $100 to the clerk of the district court, which the court may waive in whole or in part.

Indecent liberties with a child covers lewd fondling or touching with a child "who is 14 or more years of age but less than 16 years of age" (severity level 5, person felony); sexual intercourse with a child 14 or 15 is aggravated indecent liberties (severity level 3, person felony). A lesser offense, unlawful voluntary sexual relations, applies when the child is 14 or 15, the offender is less than 19 years of age and "less than four years of age older than the child," and they are the only parties involved; voluntary sexual intercourse under that section is a severity level 8, person felony.

Possession of marijuana is a crime in Kansas. First offense: class B nonperson misdemeanor (up to six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000). With one prior conviction: class A nonperson misdemeanor. With two or more prior convictions: drug severity level 5 felony.

In Kansas, assault means knowingly placing another person in reasonable fear of immediate bodily harm; no touching is required. Simple assault is a class C person misdemeanor (up to one month in jail and a fine up to $500). Aggravated assault is assault committed with a deadly weapon, while disguised to conceal identity, or with intent to commit any felony; it is a severity level 7 person felony. Assault of a uniformed or identified law enforcement officer on duty is a class A person misdemeanor, and aggravated assault of an officer is a severity level 6 person felony.

Kansas has a separate battery offense: knowingly or recklessly causing bodily harm to another person, or knowingly making physical contact with someone in a rude, insulting or angry manner. Battery is a class B person misdemeanor (up to six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000). Aggravated battery is a felony ranging from severity level 8 to severity level 4: knowingly causing great bodily harm or disfigurement is severity level 4; knowingly causing bodily harm (or rude contact) with a deadly weapon or in a way that could cause great bodily harm, disfigurement or death is severity level 7; recklessly causing great bodily harm or disfigurement is severity level 5. Battery against an on-duty law enforcement officer, school employee or healthcare provider is graded higher.

Battery against a dating partner or a family or household member (spouses and former spouses, parents, children and stepchildren, people who live or have lived together, and people who have a child in common) is domestic battery. A first conviction is a class B person misdemeanor with 48 consecutive hours to six months in jail and a fine of $200 to $500, or the court may instead order a batterer intervention assessment and its recommendations. A second conviction within five years is a class A person misdemeanor with 90 days to one year in jail and a fine of $500 to $1,000. A third or later conviction within five years is a person felony with 90 days to one year in jail and a fine of $1,000 to $7,500. Choking or suffocating a partner or household member (impeding normal breathing or blood circulation by pressure on the throat, neck or chest, or blocking the nose or mouth) is aggravated domestic battery, a severity level 7 person felony.

Kansas has no separate shoplifting crime; it is charged as theft. Theft of property worth less than $1,500 is a class A nonperson misdemeanor (up to one year in jail and a fine up to $2,500). It becomes a severity level 9 nonperson felony when property worth less than $1,500 is taken from three separate stores within 72 hours as part of the same scheme, or when the property is worth at least $50 and the person has been convicted of theft two or more times in the five years before the crime. Under the civil shoplifting statute, a merchant may sue a shoplifter for a civil penalty: twice the retail cost or $50, whichever is greater, up to $500, if the goods are not recovered in sellable condition; or $50 or 50% of the retail cost, whichever is greater, up to $350, if they are. Parents of an unemancipated minor can be liable, the merchant must first send a written demand, and no criminal conviction is required.

Burglary is entering or staying in a place without authority with intent to commit a felony, theft, domestic battery, a protection-order violation or a sexually motivated crime there. Burglary of a dwelling is a severity level 7 person felony; of another building or structure, a severity level 7 nonperson felony; and of a vehicle, a severity level 9 nonperson felony (severity level 5 if the intent is to steal a firearm). Aggravated burglary, when a person is inside, is a severity level 4 person felony for a dwelling and severity level 5 for other buildings or vehicles. Robbery is knowingly taking property from a person or their presence by force or threat of bodily harm, a severity level 5 person felony; aggravated robbery (armed with a dangerous weapon or inflicting bodily harm) is a severity level 3 person felony.

Vandalism is called criminal damage to property in Kansas: knowingly damaging, destroying, defacing or substantially impairing the use of property someone else has an interest in, without consent (by means other than fire or explosives). Damage under $1,000 is a class B nonperson misdemeanor (up to six months and a fine up to $1,000); damage of at least $1,000 but less than $25,000 is a severity level 9 nonperson felony; and damage of $25,000 or more is a severity level 7 nonperson felony. Aggravated criminal damage to property, a severity level 6 nonperson felony, applies when damage over $5,000 is done to get at an ATM's cash or to take regulated scrap metal from listed places such as churches, schools, cemeteries, utilities and homes.

Criminal trespass is knowingly entering or staying on land, a structure, a vehicle, an aircraft or a watercraft without permission after being told personally not to enter or to leave, when the property is posted, locked, fenced or otherwise enclosed, or in defiance of a served restraining or protection order. It also covers blocking access to a health care facility after being told to leave. Criminal trespass is a class B nonperson misdemeanor (up to six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000). Trespassing in violation of a served protective or restraining order requires at least 48 consecutive hours in jail.

Possessing opiates, opium, narcotic drugs, or certain stimulants listed in K.S.A. 65-4107 is a drug severity level 5 felony. Possessing most other controlled substances, such as listed depressants, hallucinogens and anabolic steroids, is a class A nonperson misdemeanor, rising to a drug severity level 5 felony with a prior conviction for the same type of possession. Possessing drug paraphernalia for personal use (to store, inject, ingest or inhale a drug) is a class B nonperson misdemeanor, while paraphernalia used to manufacture or distribute is a drug severity level 5 felony. Many people convicted of felony drug possession who fall in certain sentencing-grid boxes and have no prior manufacturing or distribution conviction are placed in a certified drug abuse treatment program instead of prison.

A driver in a crash that injures or kills someone or damages an attended vehicle or property must stop, give name, address, registration and insurance information, and give reasonable help to anyone hurt. Leaving the scene when total property damage is less than $1,000 is a traffic misdemeanor (a class C misdemeanor, higher for repeat traffic misdemeanors within a year). Leaving when someone is injured or property damage is $1,000 or more is a class A person misdemeanor. Leaving a crash causing great bodily harm is a severity level 8 person felony; causing death is a severity level 6 person felony, or severity level 4 if the driver knew or reasonably should have known of the injury or death (severity level 3 if more than one person died). The license may be revoked on conviction.

Reckless driving is driving any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. It is a misdemeanor. A first conviction carries 5 to 90 days in jail, a fine of $25 to $500, or both; a second or later conviction carries 10 days to six months in jail, a fine of $50 to $500, or both.

Harassment by telecommunication device covers using a phone, cell phone, fax or other electronic communication device to send obscene or lewd messages or images, to make calls or send messages intended to abuse, threaten or harass, or to make a device ring repeatedly to harass; it is a class A nonperson misdemeanor. Stalking is a course of conduct (two or more acts, such as threats, following, showing up at home or work, damaging property, or using electronic tracking) aimed at a specific person that causes fear for their safety or their family's. Reckless or knowing stalking is a class A person misdemeanor for a first conviction and a severity level 7 or 5 person felony for a second. Stalking that violates a served protective order is a severity level 9 person felony (level 5 on a repeat), and intentionally stalking a child under 14 is a severity level 7 person felony (level 4 on a repeat).

Interference with law enforcement includes knowingly obstructing, resisting or opposing an officer serving a warrant or other process or carrying out an official duty, knowingly fleeing on foot after an officer with reason to stop the person signals to stop, giving false reports, and concealing evidence. Resisting or fleeing on foot is a class A nonperson misdemeanor when the underlying matter is a misdemeanor or civil case; it is a felony (severity level 9 for resisting, severity level 7 for fleeing) when it involves a felony, and fleeing while discharging or using a firearm is severity level 5. Fleeing or eluding police in a vehicle after a signal to stop is a class B nonperson misdemeanor for a first offense, class A with one prior, and a severity level 9 person felony with two or more priors. It is a severity level 9 person felony on a first offense if the driver drives recklessly, runs a roadblock, causes a crash or damage, commits five or more moving violations, drives a stolen vehicle or is escaping a felony, and severity level 7 if the driver goes the wrong way on a divided highway or forces other drivers to swerve or causes a collision.

In Kansas the crime is not simply missing a court date: it is knowingly incurring a forfeiture of an appearance bond and then failing to turn oneself in within 30 days after the forfeiture. If the person was released on bond on a misdemeanor charge (in a state court other than a city municipal court), or after a final misdemeanor conviction, it is failure to appear, a class B nonperson misdemeanor (up to six months). If the charge or final conviction was a felony, it is aggravated failure to appear, a severity level 10, nonperson felony. People released on their own recognizance, or who fail to appear on a summons or traffic citation, are treated as released on bond; forfeiting a cash bond posted for a traffic infraction is not covered.

During probation the court may issue an arrest warrant or a notice to appear, and a court services or community corrections officer may arrest a probationer for a violation. Unless the person waives it, the court must hold a hearing in open court without unnecessary delay; the State has the burden of establishing the violation, and the person has the right to a lawyer (appointed if needed) and to present witnesses and evidence. For most felony probations the court must generally use graduated sanctions first: continue or modify probation, or impose short two- or three-day jail sanctions (no more than 18 days total), and revoke and order the sentence served only after such a sanction, unless an exception applies, such as a new crime, absconding, public-safety findings, or probation granted by a departure. For misdemeanors the court may continue or modify probation with up to 60 days in county jail, impose the two- or three-day jail sanctions, or revoke probation and require the sentence (or a lesser one) to be served.

Kansas calls obstruction "interference with law enforcement." It includes knowingly false reports to police intended to be relied on, concealing, destroying or materially altering evidence to hinder an arrest or prosecution, knowingly obstructing or resisting someone serving court process or performing an official duty, and fleeing on foot from an officer who has signaled a stop. Most forms are a class A nonperson misdemeanor in a misdemeanor case and a severity level 7, 8 or 9 nonperson felony in a felony case. Intimidating a witness or victim (trying to stop them from testifying or reporting a crime) is a class B person misdemeanor; aggravated intimidation (with a threat of force, as part of a conspiracy, by a repeat offender, against a person under 18, or for pay) is a severity level 6, person felony.

Perjury is intentionally and falsely swearing to or affirming a material fact under a legally administered oath before a court, public body, notary or other officer, or falsely signing a material statement under penalty of perjury. It is a severity level 9, nonperson felony, or a severity level 7, nonperson felony if the false statement is made at the trial of a felony charge.

Being drunk in public is not a state crime in Kansas, and cities and counties are barred from making it one. State law says no county or city shall adopt any law, ordinance, resolution or regulation that makes public intoxication by alcohol in and of itself, being a common drunkard, or being found intoxicated in listed places an offense or subject to criminal penalties. Laws against drunk driving and similar offenses involving operating vehicles, machinery or other hazardous equipment are not affected.

Disorderly conduct is brawling or fighting, disturbing a lawful assembly, meeting or procession, or using fighting words or noisy conduct tending reasonably to arouse alarm, anger or resentment, when the person knows or should know it will alarm, anger or disturb others or provoke an assault or other breach of the peace. "Fighting words" are words that by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace. Disorderly conduct is a class C misdemeanor (up to one month in jail and a $500 fine).

Kansas calls indecent exposure "lewd and lascivious behavior": publicly having sex knowing others may be watching, or exposing a sex organ in public or to a non-consenting person who is not the offender's spouse, with intent to arouse or gratify sexual desires. It is a class B nonperson misdemeanor if committed in the presence of a person 16 or older, and a severity level 9, person felony if committed in the presence of a person under 16. A conviction for lewd and lascivious behavior requires sex-offender registration when one of the parties involved is under 18.

Selling sexual relations (performing, offering or agreeing to perform sex acts for hire) is a class B nonperson misdemeanor, and being a victim of human trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation of a child is an affirmative defense. Buying sexual relations from a person 18 or older is a class A person misdemeanor, and a severity level 9, person felony for a person with a prior conviction; anyone convicted must also pay a fine of not less than $1,200 nor more than $5,000. A person may enter diversion for buying sexual relations only once in a lifetime. Prostitution is not legal anywhere in Kansas.

Kansas criminal law excludes from illegal betting the state-run Kansas Lottery, licensed bingo, parimutuel wagering under the Kansas parimutuel racing act, tribal gaming, charitable raffles, qualifying fantasy sports leagues, and sports wagering as defined by state law. Other gambling, meaning making a bet or entering or remaining in a gambling place to bet, play a lottery or use a gambling device, is a class B nonperson misdemeanor (up to six months).

Kansas charges embezzlement as theft: obtaining or exerting unauthorized control over property or services, or obtaining it by deception, with intent to permanently deprive the owner. Theft is graded by value: less than $1,500 is a class A nonperson misdemeanor; at least $1,500 but less than $25,000 is a severity level 9, nonperson felony; at least $25,000 but less than $100,000 is severity level 7; and $100,000 or more is severity level 5.

Identity theft is obtaining, possessing, transferring, using, selling or buying another person's personal identifying information (such as name, Social Security number, account or card numbers, or passwords) with intent to defraud to receive a benefit, or to misrepresent that person so as to subject them to economic or bodily harm. It is a severity level 8, nonperson felony, or a severity level 5, nonperson felony if the victims' monetary loss is more than $100,000; identity fraud (false information to get an ID document, or counterfeiting such documents) is also severity level 8. Using a credit or debit card without consent, or a revoked or fake card, with intent to defraud is criminal use of a financial card: a class A nonperson misdemeanor if less than $1,000 is obtained within any seven-day period, a severity level 9 felony from $1,000 to less than $25,000, and severity level 7 at $25,000 or more.

Forgery is, with intent to defraud, making, altering or endorsing a written instrument so it appears to be made or authorized by someone else (real or fictitious), or issuing or possessing such an instrument to pass it. Forgery is a severity level 8, nonperson felony, with added fines and mandatory jail on repeat convictions (at least 30 days as a condition of probation on a second conviction and at least 45 days on a third or later). Giving a worthless check with intent to defraud is a class A nonperson misdemeanor if the check is under $1,000, a severity level 9, nonperson felony from $1,000 to less than $25,000 (or with two prior worthless-check convictions in five years), and a severity level 7, nonperson felony at $25,000 or more.

Blackmail is intentionally gaining or trying to gain anything of value, or forcing someone to act against their will, by threatening to communicate accusations or statements that would subject a person to public ridicule, contempt or degradation; this is a severity level 7, nonperson felony. Threatening to spread a video, photo or image obtained through unlawful voyeurism (breach of privacy) is a severity level 4, person felony. Obtaining property by threat can also be charged as theft, graded by value.

First-degree murder is an intentional, premeditated killing, or a killing during an 'inherently dangerous felony' such as kidnapping, robbery, rape, burglary, arson or child abuse (felony murder); it is an off-grid person felony. For premeditated first-degree murder the court must impose life in prison with no parole for 50 years ('hard 50'), unless it finds substantial and compelling mitigating reasons, in which case the sentence is life with no parole for 25 years. Capital murder (premeditated killings in listed circumstances, such as killing a police officer, murder for hire, or multiple victims) is punishable by death or life without parole. Second-degree murder - an intentional killing, or an unintentional killing done recklessly with extreme indifference to human life - is a severity level 1 person felony (intentional) or level 2 (reckless).

Voluntary manslaughter - knowingly killing upon a sudden quarrel or in the heat of passion, or under an honest but unreasonable belief that deadly force was justified - is a severity level 3 person felony. Involuntary manslaughter (killing recklessly, during a non-inherently-dangerous felony or a safety misdemeanor, or doing a lawful act unlawfully) is a severity level 5 person felony, or level 3 if the victim is under six. Involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence is a level 4 person felony, and level 3 if the driver's license was suspended, revoked or restricted for DUI or the driver is a habitual violator. Vehicular homicide - killing someone by driving in a way that is a material deviation from reasonable care (more than ordinary negligence but less than gross negligence) - is a class A person misdemeanor (up to one year in jail).

Endangering a child - knowingly and unreasonably causing or permitting a child under 18 to be placed in a situation where the child's life, body or health may be endangered - is a class A person misdemeanor (up to one year in jail). Aggravated endangering a child - doing so recklessly where the child is actually endangered, or exposing a child to meth or fentanyl dealing or manufacture - is a severity level 9 person felony, or level 6 if the child is physically harmed, and must be served consecutively. Contributing to a child's misconduct or deprivation (for example, encouraging a child to commit a misdemeanor or to drink under age, or helping a runaway hide) is a class A nonperson misdemeanor; sheltering or concealing a runaway is a severity level 8 felony, and encouraging a child to commit a felony is a severity level 7 felony.

Arson is knowingly damaging a building or property by fire or explosive without the consent of another person who has an interest in it, or to defraud an insurer or lienholder. Arson of a dwelling is a severity level 6 person felony; arson of other property is a severity level 7 nonperson felony; accidental fires caused while making illegal drugs are level 7 felonies. Aggravated arson - arson of a building or property with a person inside - is a severity level 3 person felony if it creates a substantial risk of bodily harm (level 6 if not), and arson causing great bodily harm or disfigurement to a firefighter or officer is a level 3 person felony.

Knowingly and maliciously killing, injuring, maiming, torturing, burning or mutilating an animal, or maliciously poisoning a domestic animal, is a nonperson felony with a mandatory 30 days to one year in custody, a $500-$5,000 fine, a psychological evaluation and an anger-management program. Abandoning an animal, failing to provide needed food, water, shelter and care, tripping horses for sport, or knowingly (but not maliciously) killing or injuring an animal is a class A misdemeanor the first time and a nonperson felony on a second or later conviction (mandatory five days to one year, $500-$2,500 fine). Officers may seize animals showing evidence of cruelty, and if the owner is charged, the court may transfer ownership of the animal unless the owner posts a bond for its care.

Yes. Under Kansas's breach of privacy law, disseminating a video, photo or image of an identifiable adult who is nude or engaged in sexual activity, taken where the person had a reasonable expectation of privacy, with intent to harass, threaten or intimidate and without consent, is a severity level 8 person felony, or level 5 for a repeat conviction within five years. The law expressly covers images created or altered by artificial intelligence. Secretly recording someone nude or under their clothing is also a level 8 felony, and spreading such secretly recorded images is a severity level 5 felony.

Kansas law defines cyberbullying (bullying by email, text, social media, online games and similar means) in its school bullying statute, which requires every school district to adopt policies prohibiting bullying by students, staff or parents; that statute itself carries no criminal penalty. Criminally, harassment by telecommunication device - using a phone, computer or other electronic device to send obscene material, or to send messages or images with intent to abuse, threaten or harass - is a class A nonperson misdemeanor (up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine).

Kansas has specific laws for teens. A person under 19 who knowingly transmits a nude image of an identifiable child aged 12 to 17 commits unlawful transmission of a visual depiction of a child, a class A misdemeanor (a level 10 felony on a repeat). It is aggravated - a severity level 9 felony (level 7 on a repeat) - if done to harass or embarrass, for gain, or to share with more than one person. A person under 19 who keeps a nude image of a 12- to 15-year-old sent directly by that child commits a class B misdemeanor, with a defense for those who did not ask for it, did not share it, and tried to delete it. A child who sends or keeps their own image is not covered, and the laws do not apply to sexually explicit conduct or obscenity, which fall under other crimes.

Kansas's money laundering statute covers proceeds of drug crimes: knowingly receiving or dealing in drug proceeds, financing or concealing property meant for drug crimes, managing transfers of drug proceeds, or structuring transactions to hide them or avoid reporting. It is graded on the drug sentencing grid by the value of the proceeds: under $5,000 is a drug severity level 5 felony; $5,000 to under $100,000 level 4; $100,000 to under $250,000 level 3; $250,000 to under $500,000 level 2; and $500,000 or more level 1.

Human trafficking - recruiting, harboring, transporting or obtaining a person for labor through force, fraud or coercion, benefiting from such a venture, coercing labor by threats, restraint, or confiscating ID documents, or holding someone in debt peonage - is a severity level 2 person felony with a fine of at least $2,500. Aggravated human trafficking (involving kidnapping, done for sexual gratification, resulting in death, or trafficking or hiring a child for forced labor or sex) is a severity level 1 person felony, and it is an off-grid person felony when an adult offender's victim is under 14.

Pedestrians must follow traffic and pedestrian-control signals and may not start across on a steady yellow. A pedestrian crossing anywhere other than a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection must yield to all vehicles; between adjacent signalized intersections, pedestrians may cross only in a marked crosswalk, and may not cross an intersection diagonally unless signals allow it. Drivers must still use due care to avoid pedestrians. These are traffic infractions: the uniform fine is $45 for an improper pedestrian crossing and $45 for violating a pedestrian-control signal, plus court costs.

No one may transport alcoholic liquor or cereal malt beverage in a vehicle on a highway or street unless it is in its original unopened container, in a locked trunk or outside compartment (or behind the last upright seat if there is no trunk), or in the possession of a passenger in an RV or bus who is out of the driver's area. A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $200, up to six months in jail, or both; on a second or later conviction the court must suspend the person's driver's license for one year (or may instead restrict it).

No one under 21 may possess, consume, obtain, buy or try to buy alcoholic liquor or cereal malt beverage. For ages 18-20 it is a class C misdemeanor with a minimum $200 fine; those under 18 are handled as juvenile offenders with a $200-$500 fine. The court must also order the driver's license suspended for 30 days on a first conviction, 90 days on a second and one year on a third, and may order 40 hours of community service or an alcohol education program. Using or possessing a fake or altered driver's license to buy alcohol while under 21 is a class B misdemeanor with at least 100 hours of community service and a $200-$500 fine (class A on a repeat). People who call for medical help for an alcohol emergency have immunity.

Driving while one's license is canceled, suspended or revoked is a class B nonperson misdemeanor on a first conviction and a class A nonperson misdemeanor on a second or later, with a fine of at least $100. Unless the suspension was only for failing to pay traffic fines or appear, the person must serve at least five days in jail; if the suspension was for DUI or test refusal and the person also drives under the influence, at least 90 days. A third conviction tied to a test refusal, lack of insurance, vehicular homicide or similar suspension carries at least 90 days and a $1,500 fine. The state extends the suspension by 90 days.

Driving a motor vehicle on a highway without a valid driver's license (or one classified for that vehicle) is a class B nonperson misdemeanor (up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine). Drivers must carry their license and hand it to an officer on demand, but a person charged with not having it will not be convicted if they later show the court or the arresting officer's office a license that was valid at the time of arrest.

Kansas does not ban switchblades or other knife types by statute. Carrying a dagger, dirk, dangerous knife, straight razor, stiletto or similar weapon is a crime only if the person possesses it with intent to use it unlawfully against another (criminal use of weapons, a class A misdemeanor); throwing stars and metal knuckles are restricted separately. State law forbids cities and counties from enacting or enforcing any rule on the possession, carrying, sale or use of knives, and voids earlier local knife ordinances.

Consumer fireworks are legal in Kansas, but bottle rockets are banned: selling or setting one off is an unclassified misdemeanor with a fine of up to $100. The State Fire Marshal says the federal Child Safety Act also bars devices such as M-80s, cherry bombs and silver salutes. Seasonal retail stands may sell only from June 20 through July 7; only registered permanent retailers may sell at other times. The state does not set when consumer fireworks may be discharged; cities and counties decide and may ban or limit them. Selling or using display fireworks requires a license from the State Fire Marshal (applicants must be 21 or older).

Kidnapping is taking or confining a person by force, threat or deception, intending to hold them for ransom or as a shield or hostage, to help commit a crime or escape, to injure or terrorize the victim or someone else, or to interfere with a government or political function. Kidnapping is a severity level 3 person felony, and aggravated kidnapping (kidnapping in which bodily harm is inflicted on the victim) is a severity level 1 person felony, the highest level on the nondrug grid (147 to 653 months depending on criminal history). Criminal restraint (knowingly and without legal authority restraining someone so as to substantially interfere with their liberty) is a class A person misdemeanor, punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a fine up to $2,500. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

A criminal threat is a threat to commit violence made to put someone in fear, or to cause the evacuation, lockdown or disruption of a building, place of assembly or transportation facility (or made in reckless disregard of that risk); threats to contaminate food, drugs or water supplies, or to expose animals to a contagious disease, are also covered. A criminal threat is a severity level 9 person felony. It becomes aggravated criminal threat, a severity level 5 person felony, when a public, commercial or industrial building, place of assembly or transportation facility is actually evacuated, locked down or disrupted because of the threat. A statement claiming to have already done one of these acts also counts as a threat. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Stealing a car is charged under the general Kansas theft law, graded by value: less than $1,500 is a class A nonperson misdemeanor (up to 1 year and $2,500); $1,500 to under $25,000 is a severity level 9 nonperson felony; $25,000 to under $100,000 is severity level 7; and $100,000 or more is severity level 5. Joyriding, called 'criminal deprivation of property' (taking a vehicle to use temporarily without consent, without intending to keep it), is a class A nonperson misdemeanor with a mandatory 30 days to 1 year and a fine of at least $100 on a first conviction and 60 days to 1 year and at least $200 on a second; a third or later conviction is a severity level 9 nonperson felony. The mandatory minimums do not apply where they would cause manifest injustice. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Obtaining control over stolen property or services, knowing they were stolen by someone else, with intent to permanently deprive the owner, is a form of theft in Kansas and is graded by value. It is a class A nonperson misdemeanor below $1,500 (up to 1 year and $2,500); a severity level 9 nonperson felony from $1,500 to under $25,000; severity level 7 from $25,000 to under $100,000; and severity level 5 at $100,000 or more. Theft of $50 to under $1,500 is also a severity level 9 felony for someone with two or more theft convictions in the past five years, and a stolen firearm under $25,000 is a severity level 9 felony. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Kansas created the crime of organized retail crime in 2024. It covers acting with one or more other people to steal, or to receive, buy, sell or possess knowingly stolen, merchandise with a total retail value of $5,000 or more within a 12-month period as part of an organized plan, and recruiting, organizing, directing or financing others to do so. It is a severity level 6 nonperson felony at $5,000 to under $25,000, severity level 5 at $25,000 to under $100,000, and severity level 4 at $100,000 or more. Separately, the general theft law makes theft of less than $1,500 from three separate stores within 72 hours, as part of one scheme, a severity level 9 nonperson felony. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Distributing or possessing with intent to distribute most controlled substances is a drug felony graded by amount on the drug sentencing grid: under 3.5 grams is drug severity level 4, 3.5 to under 100 grams level 3, 100 grams to under 1 kilogram level 2, and 1 kilogram or more level 1 (the most serious). Fentanyl-related substances, heroin and methamphetamine have lower thresholds (under 1 gram level 4; 1 to under 3.5 grams level 3; 3.5 to under 100 grams level 2; 100 grams or more level 1), and marijuana has higher ones (level 1 at 30 kilograms or more). Pills are graded by dosage unit, with fentanyl pills reaching level 1 at 250 units, and the level rises one step for distribution within 1,000 feet of school property. Possessing amounts such as 3.5 grams of fentanyl, heroin or methamphetamine, or 450 grams of marijuana, supports an inference of intent to distribute.

Unlawfully obtaining a prescription-only drug covers forging, altering or signing a prescription without being a practitioner, passing or possessing such a prescription, possessing drugs obtained with one, and giving false information to a practitioner to get a prescription-only drug. It is a class A nonperson misdemeanor (up to 1 year and $2,500), and a severity level 9 nonperson felony with a prior conviction. Selling, offering to sell, or possessing with intent to sell a drug obtained this way is a severity level 6 nonperson felony. Cases that can be charged under the controlled-substance distribution or possession statutes are charged under those laws instead. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Kansas charges injury caused by drunk or drugged driving as aggravated battery. Causing great bodily harm or disfigurement while driving under the influence is a severity level 5 person felony, and causing bodily harm under circumstances where great bodily harm, disfigurement or death could result is severity level 8. It is a severity level 4 person felony if the DUI driver causes great bodily harm or disfigurement while their license is suspended, revoked or restricted, or while classed as a habitual violator. Recklessly causing great bodily harm (by any means) is also severity level 5 aggravated battery. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

No one may drive in, or take part in, any race, speed competition or contest, drag race or acceleration contest, test of endurance, exhibition of speed or acceleration, or attempt at a speed record on a Kansas highway. Racing is a misdemeanor; under the traffic code's default rule an unclassified traffic misdemeanor is a class C misdemeanor (up to 1 month and $500), a class B misdemeanor (up to 6 months and $1,000) for a second offense within one year, and a class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year and $2,500) for a third offense within one year.

It is a crime to operate or attempt to operate a vessel in Kansas with an alcohol concentration of .08 or more (at the time or within three hours), or .02 or more if under 21, or while under the influence of alcohol or drugs to a degree that makes one incapable of operating safely. A first conviction is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in jail, a fine of $100 to $500, or both; a second or later conviction carries 90 days to 1 year and, in the court's discretion, a $100 to $500 fine. Anyone convicted must complete an approved boater safety course before operating a vessel again. An under-21 operator who tests .02 to under .08 instead loses boating privileges for 30 days (90 days for a repeat), and refusing a test bars boating for three months.

A 'fraudulent insurance act' is knowingly, with intent to defraud, presenting or preparing a materially false statement (written, electronic or oral) in an insurance application, rating, or claim, or concealing material facts to mislead. It is graded by amount: a severity level 6 nonperson felony at $25,000 or more; severity level 7 at $5,000 to under $25,000; severity level 8 at $1,000 to under $5,000; and a class C nonperson misdemeanor under $1,000 (up to 1 month and $500). Fraudulent acts within six consecutive months totaling $25,000 or more carry a presumptive prison sentence regardless of grid position. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Getting or trying to get public assistance by a willfully false statement, impersonation, collusion or other fraud is theft under K.S.A. 21-5801, graded by the amount (a class A misdemeanor below $1,500; felonies from severity level 9 upward at $1,500 or more), and the person must repay the assistance obtained. Unemployment benefits fraud (knowingly making a false statement or hiding a material fact to get or increase benefits) is also theft punished under 21-5801, but is a severity level 5 nonperson felony when the person had no work basis for the claim and filed false statements in the names of three or more other real or fictitious people within 30 days. Medicaid provider fraud is a separate crime under the Kansas Medicaid fraud statutes.

Bribery is offering, giving or promising a public official (including a candidate or public employee) any benefit the official may not lawfully accept, intending to improperly influence the official's performance or non-performance of duties, or an official intentionally requesting, receiving or agreeing to receive such a benefit. It is a severity level 7 nonperson felony. A public official convicted of bribery forfeits their office or job, and anyone convicted is forever disqualified from holding public office or public employment in Kansas, even if the conviction is expunged. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Under the Kansas income tax act, a person who, with fraudulent intent, fails to pay tax or to file, sign or supply a required return or information is liable for a penalty equal to the unpaid tax plus interest, and is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000, 30 days to 1 year in county jail, or both. Willfully signing a fraudulent return is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Non-fraudulent late filing or payment brings civil penalties (1% per month, up to 24%) rather than criminal charges.

Rape in Kansas is knowingly having sexual intercourse with someone who does not consent because they are overcome by force or fear or are unconscious or physically powerless, or with someone who cannot consent because of a mental condition or the known effect of alcohol or drugs; it is a severity level 1 person felony, the highest level on the nondrug grid (147 to 653 months depending on criminal history). Rape by lying that sex is medically necessary or legally required is a severity level 2 person felony. Aggravated criminal sodomy (other sexual acts under the same non-consent circumstances) is also severity level 1. Aggravated sexual battery (non-consensual sexual touching by force or fear, of an unconscious or incapacitated person) is a severity level 5 person felony, and sexual battery (non-consensual sexual touching of a person 16 or older) is a class A person misdemeanor (up to 1 year). Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Sexual intercourse or sodomy with a child under 14 is rape or aggravated criminal sodomy (severity level 1), and lewd fondling or touching of a child under 14 is aggravated indecent liberties with a child (severity level 3); when the offender is 18 or older, each of these is an off-grid person felony, and under 'Jessica's Law' the sentence is life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 25 years (40 years for a repeat offender). With a child aged 14 or 15, sexual intercourse is aggravated indecent liberties (severity level 3), non-consensual lewd touching is severity level 4, and lewd fondling or touching is indecent liberties with a child (severity level 5); sodomy with a 14- or 15-year-old is criminal sodomy (severity level 3). Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Kansas calls this 'sexual exploitation of a child.' Possessing a visual depiction of a child under 18 engaged in sexually explicit conduct (or an artificially generated depiction, added in 2025) for sexual purposes, or a parent or guardian permitting a child's use, is a severity level 5 person felony. Using or enticing a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct to make a performance, or promoting such a performance, is a severity level 3 person felony, and an off-grid felony (life with a 25-year mandatory minimum under Jessica's Law) when the offender is 18 or older and the child is under 14. Sharing such material over the internet is internet trading in child pornography (severity level 5), or aggravated internet trading (severity level 3, off-grid if the child is under 14) for performances. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Electronic solicitation is using the phone, internet, email, chat, texting or other electronic means to entice or solicit a person the offender believes is a child to commit or submit to an unlawful sexual act. It is a severity level 3 person felony if the offender believes the child is 14 or 15, and a severity level 1 person felony if the offender believes the child is under 14. Because the crime turns on what the offender believes, it applies when the 'child' is actually an undercover officer. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Kansas registers sex offenders (and some violent and drug offenders) under the Kansas Offender Registration Act. Offenders must register in person within three business days of coming into a county where they live, work or go to school, and sex offenders must report in person four times a year. Registration lasts 15 years for lower-level offenses (such as sexual battery), 25 years for others (such as electronic solicitation or indecent liberties), and life for offenses such as rape, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated indecent liberties, or for a second registrable conviction. Failing to comply is a felony: severity level 6 on a first conviction, level 5 on a second and level 3 on a third or later; a violation lasting more than 180 days is an aggravated violation (severity level 3), and each 30 days of continued violation is a new offense. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Kansas makes it a severity level 8 nonperson felony for certain people with felony records to possess a firearm or a knife. The ban is permanent for a person whose felony involved using a firearm; it lasts 8 years after the sentence or supervision ends for listed serious felonies (such as murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, aggravated robbery or assault, rape, aggravated sodomy and most drug felonies); 3 years for other person felonies; and 3 months for other nonperson felonies. Juvenile adjudications for the same conduct count. Except for the serious-felony category, the ban does not apply to a conviction that has been expunged or pardoned. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Knowingly and without authorization accessing a computer, system or network and damaging, altering, destroying, copying, disclosing or taking data or property, exceeding authorized access to do the same, or using a computer to carry out a scheme to defraud, is a severity level 8 nonperson felony, or a severity level 5 nonperson felony if the victims lose more than $100,000. Unauthorized access alone (including to a social networking account) or disclosing someone's password or access code without authorization is a class A nonperson misdemeanor (up to 1 year). Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Kansas is a one-party consent state: its breach of privacy law makes it a crime to intercept a phone call or other private communication 'without the consent of the sender or receiver,' so a participant may record, or one party may consent. Intercepting communications without any party's consent, divulging illegally intercepted messages, or secretly using a device to hear or record sounds inside a private place without the consent of the people entitled to privacy there, is breach of privacy, a class A nonperson misdemeanor (up to 1 year and $2,500).

Falsely reporting to police that a particular person or an officer committed a crime is interference with law enforcement, a class A nonperson misdemeanor, or a severity level 8 felony if the false report concerns a felony; false information about a missing or dead child under 13 is a severity level 8 felony. Kansas also has a 2018 'swatting' law: making a false request for emergency help is a class A misdemeanor, a severity level 10 felony if the caller disguises their identity, level 7 if the call falsely reports violent crime or an immediate threat to life, level 6 if someone is hurt in the response, level 4 for great bodily harm, and level 1 if someone dies. Felony prison ranges come from the sentencing grid, which combines the severity level with criminal history.

Kansas does not have a separate hate crime offense; instead, bias is a sentencing factor. If an offense was motivated entirely or in part by the victim's race, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin or sexual orientation (or the defendant's belief about them, even if mistaken), the judge may treat it as a substantial and compelling reason to impose an upward departure sentence above the presumptive grid range. Any such fact that raises the penalty, other than a prior conviction, must be proved to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.

Kansas abolished parole for crimes (other than off-grid crimes) committed on or after July 1, 1993; those offenders instead serve a fixed period of postrelease supervision (generally 12 to 36 months by severity level) after prison. On an alleged violation of parole, conditional release or postrelease supervision, the secretary of corrections may issue a warrant or a parole officer may arrest, and the released person may be brought before the Prisoner Review Board for a hearing. If the violation is established, the board may continue or revoke release; for a postrelease supervision violation that is not a new crime, revocation means six months of confinement (reducible by up to three months for good conduct), and for a new felony or misdemeanor conviction the board sets confinement up to the remaining supervision period.

Knowingly violating a protection from abuse order, a protection from stalking, sexual assault or human trafficking order, a qualifying out-of-state or tribal protective order, a family-court restraining order, or a no-contact condition of release, probation or postrelease supervision is violation of a protective order, a class A person misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a $2,500 fine. Violating an extended protective order (one a court extended, for at least one more year and up to the defendant's lifetime, after finding the defendant violated a protection order or was convicted of a person felony) is a severity level 6 person felony.

Kansas has no automatic adult prosecution of juveniles; a prosecutor must ask the court to authorize it. No juvenile under 14 can be tried as an adult. The juvenile is presumed to be a juvenile, and the prosecutor must rebut that presumption by a preponderance of the evidence at a hearing, where the court weighs factors such as the seriousness of the offense, whether it was aggressive, violent or premeditated, whether it was against a person, and the juvenile's record and maturity. For off-grid felonies and severity level 1 to 4 person felonies, the prosecutor may instead seek an extended jurisdiction juvenile prosecution, which imposes a juvenile sentence plus an adult sentence that is stayed and carried out only if the youth violates the juvenile sentence or commits a new offense.

Kansas has the death penalty for capital murder, which covers specific intentional and premeditated killings: killing during a kidnapping for ransom, murder for hire, killing by a prison or jail inmate, killing the victim of a rape or sodomy, killing a law enforcement officer, killing more than one person in the same act or scheme, and killing a child under 14 during a kidnapping intended to commit a sex offense. The prosecutor must file notice of intent, and a unanimous jury must find aggravating circumstances not outweighed by mitigating circumstances; otherwise the sentence is life without parole. By statute, executions are carried out by intravenous injection of substances chosen by the secretary of corrections.

In Kansas, a person convicted of a felony in any state or federal court cannot register to vote or vote from the time of conviction until the person has completed the terms of the authorized sentence. Once the sentence is completed, eligibility returns automatically; the statute sets no extra waiting period or application.

Kansas restores civil rights automatically: a felony conviction makes a person ineligible to hold public office, register and vote, or serve on a jury, and those ineligibilities end when the person completes the terms of the authorized sentence. Firearm rights follow a separate rule: the ban on possessing a firearm or knife is permanent if the felony involved a firearm, lasts 8 years after the sentence or supervision ends for listed serious felonies, 3 years for other person felonies, and 3 months for other nonperson felonies; except for the serious-felony category, it does not apply to a conviction that has been expunged or pardoned.

Kansas does not have a general 'three strikes' sentence; prior convictions instead raise a person's criminal history category on the sentencing grid, which lengthens the presumptive sentence. For sex crimes, an 'aggravated habitual sex offender' (a person convicted of a listed sexually violent crime after two or more prior sexually violent crime convictions) must be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. A 'persistent sex offender' (a sexually violent crime with one prior such conviction, or rape with a prior rape conviction) receives double the maximum presumptive prison term.

Kansas lists tetrahydrocannabinols, including natural and synthetic THC isomers, in Schedule I, except THC in industrial hemp (no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis) and in hemp products, unless the hemp product is otherwise unlawful under the hemp act. Final hemp products may contain a total tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3%. Kansas bans selling or distributing hemp cigarettes, cigars, smokeless products, teas, and liquids or solids for vaping; a first violation is a class A nonperson misdemeanor and a repeat is a severity level 9 nonperson felony. The Revisor's annotation to the Schedule I statute summarizes Attorney General Opinion 2021-4 as finding delta-8 THC unlawful to possess or sell unless made from industrial hemp. Kansas has no age-limit or licensing program for hemp THC products.

Psilocybin and psilocyn are Schedule I hallucinogenic substances in Kansas. Possessing a hallucinogenic drug is a class A nonperson misdemeanor (up to 1 year and $2,500), and can become a drug severity level 5 felony with certain prior convictions. Kansas law has no psilocybin program or decriminalization.

Kratom (mitragynine) is not listed in any of Kansas's controlled substance schedules (Schedules I through V), so it is not a controlled substance under state law. A 2025 bill to enact a Kratom Consumer Protection Act (HB 2230) died without a committee hearing, so Kansas has no state age limit or labeling law for kratom from that bill.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is excluded from Kansas's definition of marijuana, and hemp products may contain no more than 0.3% total THC. CBD oil may be used as an ingredient in hemp products intended to be eaten or applied, but hemp teas, smokable hemp and hemp vape liquids may not be sold. Claire and Lola's law separately defines a 'cannabidiol treatment preparation' (an oil whose THC is no more than 5% of its CBD content, verified by an accredited independent lab) for people with a debilitating medical condition, and bars child-removal proceedings based solely on possessing or using it in line with the possession statute.

The minimum age to buy or possess cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (vapes) and tobacco products in Kansas is 21. A person under 21 who buys, tries to buy, possesses or tries to possess them commits a cigarette or tobacco infraction with a $25 fine, and the judge may require a juvenile to appear in court with a parent or guardian. Selling, giving or furnishing cigarettes or tobacco products to someone under 21, or buying for them, is a class B person misdemeanor with a minimum $200 fine.

Kansas's crime of mistreatment of a dependent adult or an elder person covers anyone 60 or older (and dependent adults 18 or older who cannot protect their own interests). Physically injuring, unreasonably confining or punishing the person is a severity level 5 person felony (level 2 for an adult-care-home resident who is a dependent adult). Financial exploitation is graded by amount: severity level 2 for $1,000,000 or more, level 3 for $250,000 up to $1,000,000, level 4 for $100,000 up to $250,000, level 5 for $25,000 up to $100,000, level 7 for $1,500 up to $25,000, and a class A person misdemeanor under $1,500 (level 7 with two prior convictions in five years). Withholding necessary treatment, goods or services is a severity level 8 person felony (level 5 for an adult-care-home resident).

Kansas covers voyeurism in its breach of privacy law. Secretly filming, photographing or recording a person under or through their clothing, or a person who is nude or undressed, without consent where they expect privacy, is a severity level 8 person felony (severity level 5 on a second conviction within five years); spreading such images is a severity level 5 person felony. Spreading nude or sexual images of an identifiable adult (including AI-altered images) to harass, threaten or intimidate is also a severity level 8 person felony. Entering a private place to secretly listen or watch, or using hidden listening devices, is a class A nonperson misdemeanor.

Simple assault (placing someone in fear of immediate bodily harm) is a class C person misdemeanor and simple battery a class B person misdemeanor in Kansas. Against a uniformed or identified law enforcement officer on duty, assault is a class A person misdemeanor and aggravated assault (with a deadly weapon, disguised, or with intent to commit a felony) a severity level 6 person felony. Battery against an officer is a class A person misdemeanor for rude or insulting contact and a severity level 7 person felony for causing bodily harm; battery of a correctional officer by an inmate is a severity level 5 person felony; aggravated battery against an officer is a severity level 3 or 4 person felony. The battery provisions also cover judges, prosecutors and court services and community corrections officers on duty.