§ 15A-1340.17.  Punishment limits for each class of offense and prior record level.

(a)        Offense Classification; Default Classifications. - The offense classification is as specified in the offense for which the sentence is being imposed. If the offense is a felony for which there is no classification, it is a Class I felony.

(b)        Fines. - Any judgment that includes a sentence of imprisonment may also include a fine. If a community punishment is authorized, the judgment may consist of a fine only. Additionally, when the defendant is other than an individual, the judgment may consist of a fine only. Unless otherwise provided, the amount of the fine is in the discretion of the court.

(c)        Punishments for Each Class of Offense and Prior Record Level; Punishment Chart Described. - The authorized punishment for each class of offense and prior record level is as specified in the chart below. Prior record levels are indicated by the Roman numerals placed horizontally on the top of the chart. Classes of offense are indicated by the letters placed vertically on the left side of the chart. Each cell on the chart contains the following components:

(1)        A sentence disposition or dispositions: "C" indicates that a community punishment is authorized; "I" indicates that an intermediate punishment is authorized; "A" indicates that an active punishment is authorized; and "Life Imprisonment Without Parole" indicates that the defendant shall be imprisoned for the remainder of the prisoner's natural life.

(2)        A presumptive range of minimum durations, if the sentence of imprisonment is neither aggravated or mitigated; any minimum term of imprisonment in that range is permitted unless the court finds pursuant to G.S. 15A-1340.16 that an aggravated or mitigated sentence is appropriate. The presumptive range is the middle of the three ranges in the cell.

(3)        A mitigated range of minimum durations if the court finds pursuant to G.S. 15A-1340.16 that a mitigated sentence of imprisonment is justified; in such a case, any minimum term of imprisonment in the mitigated range is permitted. The mitigated range is the lower of the three ranges in the cell.

(4)        An aggravated range of minimum durations if the court finds pursuant to G.S. 15A-1340.16 that an aggravated sentence of imprisonment is justified; in such a case, any minimum term of imprisonment in the aggravated range is permitted. The aggravated range is the higher of the three ranges in the cell.

PRIOR RECORD LEVEL

 

              I                 II                III               IV                 V                 VI

          0-1 Pt        2-5 Pts         6-9 Pts      10-13 Pts      14-17 Pts       18+ Pts                                 

A         Life Imprisonment With Parole or Without Parole, or Death, as Established by Statute   

             A                A                 A                A                  A                  A             DISPOSITION

        240-300     276-345       317-397      365-456        Life Imprisonment                  Aggravated

Without Parole

B1   192-240     221-276       254-317      292-365        336-420        386-483      PRESUMPTIVE

        144-192     166-221       190-254      219-292        252-336        290-386                  Mitigated

             A                A                 A                A                  A                  A             DISPOSITION

        157-196     180-225       207-258      238-297        273-342        314-393              Aggravated

B2   125-157     144-180       165-207      190-238        219-273        251-314      PRESUMPTIVE 

         94-125      108-144       124-165      143-190        164-219        189-251                  Mitigated 

             A                A                 A                A                  A                  A             DISPOSITION

          73-92        83-104         96-120       110-138        127-159        146-182              Aggravated

C       58-73         67-83           77-96         88-110         101-127        117-146      PRESUMPTIVE

          44-58         50-67           58-77          66-88           76-101          87-117                   Mitigated

             A                A                 A                A                  A                  A             DISPOSITION

          64-80         73-92          84-105        97-121         111-139        128-160              Aggravated

D       51-64         59-73           67-84          78-97           89-111         103-128      PRESUMPTIVE

          38-51         44-59           51-67          58-78            67-89           77-103                   Mitigated

            I/A             I/A                A                A                  A                  A             DISPOSITION

          25-31         29-36           33-41          38-48            44-55            50-63                Aggravated

E        20-25         23-29           26-33          30-38            35-44            40-50        PRESUMPTIVE

          15-20         17-23           20-26          23-30            26-35            30-40                    Mitigated

            I/A             I/A               I/A               A                  A                  A             DISPOSITION

          16-20         19-23           21-27          25-31            28-36            33-41                Aggravated

F        13-16         15-19           17-21          20-25            23-28            26-33        PRESUMPTIVE

          10-13         11-15           13-17          15-20            17-23            20-26                    Mitigated

            I/A             I/A               I/A              I/A                 A                  A             DISPOSITION

          13-16         14-18           17-21          19-24            22-27            25-31                Aggravated

G       10-13         12-14           13-17          15-19            17-22            20-25        PRESUMPTIVE

           8-10           9-12            10-13          11-15            13-17            15-20                    Mitigated

          C/I/A            I/A               I/A              I/A                I/A                 A             DISPOSITION

            6-8            8-10            10-12          11-14            15-19            20-25                Aggravated

H         5-6             6-8              8-10            9-11             12-15            16-20        PRESUMPTIVE

            4-5             4-6               6-8              7-9               9-12             12-16                    Mitigated

             C               C/I                 I                I/A                I/A                I/A            DISPOSITION

            6-8             6-8               6-8             8-10              9-11             10-12                Aggravated

I           4-6             4-6               5-6              6-8                7-9               8-10         PRESUMPTIVE

            3-4             3-4               4-5              4-6                5-7                6-8                      Mitigated

(d)       Maximum Sentences Specified for Class F through Class I Felonies. - Unless provided otherwise in a statute establishing a punishment for a specific crime, for each minimum term of imprisonment in the chart in subsection (c) of this section, expressed in months, the corresponding maximum term of imprisonment, also expressed in months, is as specified in the table below for Class F through Class I felonies. The first figure in each cell in the table is the minimum term and the second is the maximum term.

3-13       4-14       5-15        6-17       7-18       8-19      9-20       10-21

11-23    12-24      13-25     14-26     15-27     16-29     17-30     18-31

19-32    20-33      21-35     22-36     23-37     24-38     25-39     26-41

27-42    28-43      29-44     30-45     31-47     32-48     33-49     34-50

35-51    36-53      37-54     38-55     39-56     40-57     41-59     42-60

43-61    44-62      45-63     46-65     47-66     48-67     49-68

(e)        Maximum Sentences Specified for Class B1 through Class E Felonies for Minimum Terms up to 339 Months. Unless provided otherwise in a statute establishing a punishment for a specific crime, for each minimum term of imprisonment in the chart in subsection (c) of this section, expressed in months, the corresponding maximum term of imprisonment, also expressed in months, is as specified in the table below for Class B1 through Class E felonies. The first figure in each cell of the table is the minimum term and the second is the maximum term.

15-30              16-32            17-33           18-34          19-35          20-36          21-38           22-39

23-40              24-41            25-42           26-44          27-45          28-46          29-47           30-48

31-50              32-51            33-52           34-53          35-54          36-56          37-57           38-58

39-59              40-60            41-62           42-63          43-64          44-65          45-66           46-68

47-69              48-70            49-71           50-72          51-74          52-75          53-76           54-77

55-78              56-80            57-81           58-82          59-83          60-84          61-86           62-87

63-88              64-89            65-90           66-92          67-93          68-94          69-95           70-96

71-98              72-99           73-100         74-101        75-102        76-104        77-105         78-106

79-107           80-108          81-110         82-111        83-112        84-113        85-114         86-116

87-117           88-118          89-119         90-120        91-122        92-123        93-124         94-125

95-126           96-128          97-129         98-130        99-131       100-132      101-134       102-135

103-136        104-137        105-138       106-140      107-141      108-142      109-143       110-144

111-146        112-147        113-148       114-149      115-150      116-152      117-153       118-154

119-155        120-156        121-158       122-159      123-160      124-161      125-162       126-164

127-165        128-166        129-167       130-168      131-170      132-171      133-172       134-173

135-174        136-176        137-177       138-178      139-179      140-180      141-182       142-183

143-184        144-185        145-186       146-188      147-189      148-190      149-191       150-192

151-194        152-195        153-196       154-197      155-198      156-200      157-201       158-202

159-203        160-204        161-206       162-207      163-208      164-209      165-210       166-212

167-213        168-214        169-215       170-216      171-218      172-219      173-220       174-221

175-222        176-224        177-225       178-226      179-227      180-228      181-230       182-231

183-232        184-233        185-234       186-236      187-237      188-238      189-239       190-240

191-242        192-243        193-244       194-245      195-246      196-248      197-249       198-250

199-251        200-252        201-254       202-255      203-256      204-257      205-258       206-260

207-261        208-262        209-263       210-264      211-266      212-267      213-268       214-269

215-270        216-272        217-273       218-274      219-275      220-276      221-278       222-279

223-280        224-281        225-282       226-284      227-285      228-286      229-287       230-288

231-290        232-291        233-292       234-293      235-294      236-296      237-297       238-298

239-299        240-300        241-302       242-303      243-304      244-305      245-306       246-308

247-309        248-310        249-311       250-312      251-314      252-315      253-316       254-317

255-318        256-320        257-321       258-322      259-323      260-324      261-326       262-327

263-328        264-329        265-330       266-332      267-333      268-334      269-335       270-336

271-338        272-339        273-340       274-341      275-342      276-344      277-345       278-346

279-347        280-348        281-350       282-351      283-352      284-353      285-354       286-356

287-357        288-358        289-359       290-360      291-362      292-363      293-364       294-365

295-366        296-368        297-369       298-370      299-371      300-372      301-374       302-375

303-376        304-377        305-378       306-380      307-381      308-382      309-383       310-384

311-386        312-387        313-388       314-389      315-390      316-392      317-393       318-394

319-395        320-396        321-398       322-399      323-400      324-401      325-402       326-404

327-405        328-406        329-407       330-408      331-410      332-411      333-412       334-413

335-414        336-416        337-417       338-418      339-419.

(e1)      Maximum Sentences Specified for Class B1 through Class E Felonies for Minimum Terms of 340 Months or More. - Unless provided otherwise in a statute establishing a punishment for a specific crime, when the minimum sentence is 340 months or more, the corresponding maximum term of imprisonment shall be equal to the sum of the minimum term of imprisonment and twenty percent (20%) of the minimum term of imprisonment, rounded to the next highest month, plus 12 additional months.

(f)        Maximum Sentences Specified for Class B1 Through Class E Sex Offenses. - Unless provided otherwise in a statute establishing a punishment for a specific crime, for offenders sentenced for a Class B1 through E felony that is a reportable conviction subject to the registration requirement of Article 27A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes, the maximum term of imprisonment shall be equal to the sum of the minimum term of imprisonment and twenty percent (20%) of the minimum term of imprisonment, rounded to the next highest month, plus 60 additional months.  (1993, c. 538, s. 1; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 14, ss. 20, 21; c. 22, s. 7; c. 24, s. 14(b); 1995, c. 507, s. 19.5(l); 1997-80, s. 3; 2009-555, s. 2; 2009-556, s. 1; 2011-192, s. 2(e)-(g); 2011-307, s. 1; 2011-412, s. 2.4(a); 2013-101, s. 6; 2013-410, s. 3(b).)