Conn. Gen. Stat. » Title 53a — PENAL CODE · Chapter 952 — Penal Code: Offenses
Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-117 (2026)

Criminal mischief in the third degree: Class B misdemeanor

✓ current as of May 2026
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(a) A person is guilty of criminal mischief in the third degree when, having no reasonable ground to believe that such person has a right to do so, such person: (1) Intentionally or recklessly (A) damages tangible property of another, or (B) tampers with tangible property of another and thereby causes such property to be placed in danger of damage; or (2) damages tangible property of another by negligence involving the use of any potentially harmful or destructive force or substance, including, but not limited to, fire, explosives, flood, avalanche, collapse of building, poison gas or radioactive material; or (3) intentionally or recklessly (A) damages tangible property owned by the state or a municipality that is located on public land, or (B) tampers with tangible property owned by the state or a municipality that is located on public land and thereby causes such property to be placed in danger of damage; or (4) damages tangible property owned by the state or a municipality that is located on public land by negligence involving the use of any potentially harmful or destructive force or substance, including, but not limited to, fire, explosives, flood, avalanche, collapse of building, poison gas or radioactive material.

(b) Criminal mischief in the third degree is a class B misdemeanor.

(1969, P.A. 828, S. 119; 1971, P.A. 871, S. 22; P.A. 05-234, S. 6.)

History: 1971 act specified that use of harmful or destructive force or substance is “not limited to” fire, explosives, etc. in Subsec. (a)(2); P.A. 05-234 added Subsec. (a)(3) and (4) re intentionally or recklessly damaging or tampering with tangible property owned by the state or a municipality located on public land and re damaging or tampering with tangible property owned by the state or a municipality located on public land by negligence involving the use of any potentially harmful or destructive force or substance and made technical changes, effective January 1, 2006.

See Sec. 53a-44a re surcharge on fine for criminal mischief on public land.

Cited. 184 C. 157; 190 C. 428; 194 C. 347; 221 C. 788; 227 C. 153; 229 C. 285; 236 C. 31.

Cited. 1 CA 647; 6 CA 334; 7 CA 75; 9 CA 59; 13 CA 214; 14 CA 526; Id., 804; 17 CA 326; 18 CA 303; 24 CA 473; judgment reversed in part, see 221 C. 788; 29 CA 801; judgment reversed, see 229 C. 285; 36 CA 364; 37 CA 733; 38 CA 225.

Cited. 35 CS 587; Id., 675; 36 CS 89; 37 CS 755; 38 CS 665; 39 CS 504.

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 71 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1978–2024 · leading case: State v. Chance, 671 A.2d 323 (Conn. 1996).
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State v. Chance, 671 A.2d 323 (Conn. 1996). · cites it 4× “II The defendant next claims that he is entitled to a new trial on the arson charge because the trial court refused to instruct the jury on the lesser offense of criminal mischief in the third degree, General Statutes § 53a-117 (a) (2). 20 We disagree.”
State v. Brosnan, 608 A.2d 49 (Conn. 1992). · cites it 6× “Brosnan, was convicted 1 of two counts of interfering with an officer in violation of General Statutes § 53a-167a (a), 2 and of one count of criminal mischief in the third degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-117 (a) (1) (A).”
State v. Young, 779 A.2d 112 (Conn. 2001). · cites it 4× “95-214, § 5, 1 and one count each of breach of the peace in violation of *82 General Statutes § 53a-181 (a) (2), 2 disorderly conduct in violation of General Statutes § 53a-182 (a) (l), 3 reckless endangerment in the second degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-64 4 and…”
State v. Fauntleroy, 921 A.2d 622 (Conn. App. Ct. 2007). · cites it 4× “The defendant, Darryl Fauntleroy, appeals from the judgment of conviction, rendered after a jury trial, of attempt to commit burglary in the third degree in violation of General Statutes §§ 53a-49 and 53a-103 (a), attempt to commit larceny in the sixth *146 degree in violation…”
State v. Davis, 618 A.2d 557 (Conn. App. Ct. 1993). · cites it 6× “While on probation, the defendant was arrested for committing the crimes of burglary in the second degree *803 in violation of General Statutes § 53a-102, 1 criminal mischief in the third degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-117, 2 and possession of narcotics in…”
State v. Velky, 821 A.2d 752 (Conn. 2003). · cites it 6× “Following a jury trial, the defendant, Richard Velky, was found guilty of criminal mischief in the third degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-117 1 and breach of the peace in violation of General Statutes (Rev.”
State v. Daniels, 726 A.2d 520 (Conn. 1999). · cites it 4× “As a result, he was charged with criminal mischief in the third degree in violation of *68 General Statutes § 53a-117, 5 burglary in the third degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-103, 6 larceny in the sixth degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-125b 7 and…”
State v. Middlebrook, 725 A.2d 351 (Conn. App. Ct. 1999). · cites it 6× “The defendant, Kevin Middlebrook, appeals from the judgment of conviction, rendered after a jury trial, of burglary in the third degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-103, 1 larceny in the first degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-122 2 3and criminal mischief…”
State v. Egan, 514 A.2d 394 (Conn. App. Ct. 1986). · cites it 6× “In October, 1984, while on probation, the defendant was arrested and charged with assault in the third degree in violation of General Statutes § SSa-dl 1 and criminal mischief in the third degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-117. 2 After a trial to a jury, *61 the…”
State v. Irizarry, 896 A.2d 828 (Conn. App. Ct. 2006). · cites it 4× “Irizarry, appeals from the judgment of conviction, rendered after a jury trial, of assault in the second degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-60 (a) (2), 1 threatening in the second degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-62 (a) (2) 2 and criminal mischief in the…”
State v. Rivera, 204 A.3d 4 (Conn. App. Ct. 2019). · cites it 7× “Rivera, appeals from the judgment of conviction, rendered after a jury trial, of breach of the peace in the second degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-181 (a) (1), criminal mischief in the third degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-117 (a) (1), and threatening…”
State v. Aloi, 861 A.2d 1180 (Conn. App. Ct. 2004). · cites it 4× “The defendant, Paul Aloi, appeals from the judgments of conviction, rendered after a trial to the court, of criminal trespass in the second degree as a lesser offense included within burglary in the third degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-108, interfering with an…”
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— Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-117(a)(1) — 1 case
Berrios v. Quiros (D. Conn. 2024).
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.