December 13, 2025

Porch Pirates Beware! Your Crimes Are Now a Felony

By: Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News

December 13, 2025

MONTGOMERY, Ala. Porch Pirates Beware! Stealing any package from someone’s property is now a FELONY in Alabama!

Thanks to a new law passed by State Sen. April Weaver (R-Brierfield) during the 2025 legislative session, that crime is now a felony offense punishable by stiff prison sentences and high fines.

It may not stop everyone from being a thief, but it should cause them pause, and maybe they’ll think twice!

“The Grinch may have stolen Christmas in Whoville, but if he does it in Alabama, he’ll have plenty of time in state prison for his heart to grow three sizes,” Weaver said.

“And if anyone accepts a stolen package from a porch pirate under our new law, both of them will get to wear a festive pair of shiny handcuffs during Christmas.”

Alabama is not alone in increasing the penalties for these types of crimes. Now instead of a little misdemeanor, it’s a felony with serious consequences.

With passage of Weaver’s bill, Alabama became the twelfth state in the nation to approve a law specifically targeting the porch piracy practice and joined Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.

A nationwide study released earlier this month noted that porch pirates stole more than 104 million packages during 2025, which equates to about 250,000 packages stolen every day and represents $15 billion in estimated losses to consumers and $22 billion to retailers.

More than one in three Americans had a package stolen in 2025 and 75% had more than one package taken. The average value of a package stolen by a porch pirate is $143.

Most of the stolen packages, almost a third, were delivered by Amazon with UPS, the U.S. Post Service, and FedEx following in descending order.

“With more and more homes and neighborhoods linked with video doorbells and other high-tech surveillance measures, even the boneheaded burglars from ‘Home Alone’ would think twice before stealing a package under Alabama’s tough new porch piracy law,” Weaver added.

According to the new law that went into effect on October 1, stealing a package, letter, or other item delivered by the U.S. Postal Service or other delivery service now results in:

A Class A misdemeanor, the highest and most serious level of misdemeanor, punishable by a year in prison and a fine of up to $6,000 if taken from one to nine addresses. Receiving a known porch pirated or stolen package is also a Class A misdemeanor.

A Class D felony punishable by one to five years in prison and a fine of up to $7,500 if taken from 10 to 29 addresses.

A Class C felony punishable by one to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $7,500 if taken from 30 or more addresses.

An upcharge to a Class C or Class B felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $30,000 if packages or mail are taken with the intent of stealing personal information or defrauding the addressee.

In certain cases where a person has entered an outbuilding, garage or enclosed area, an additional charge of burglary could be added.