§ 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 Pts        1‑4 Pts       5‑8 Pts     9‑14 Pts     15‑18 Pts      19+ Pts

A         Life Imprisonment Without Parole or Death as Established by Statute

             A                A                 A                 A                  A                  A                DISPOSITION

       240‑300    288‑360     336‑420    384‑480       Life Imprisonment                   Aggravated

     Without Parole

B1  192‑240    230‑288     269‑336    307‑384      346‑433      384‑480       PRESUMPTIVE

       144‑192    173‑230     202‑269    230‑307      260‑346      288‑384                  Mitigated

             A                A                 A                 A                  A                  A                DISPOSITION

       157‑196    189‑237     220‑276    251‑313      282‑353      313‑392                Aggravated

B2  125‑157    151‑189     176‑220    201‑251      225‑282      251‑313       PRESUMPTIVE

         94‑125    114‑151     132‑176    151‑201      169‑225      188‑251                  Mitigated

             A                A                 A                 A                  A                  A                DISPOSITION

          73‑92     100‑125     116‑145    133‑167      151‑188      168‑210                Aggravated

C      58‑73       80‑100       93‑116     107‑133      121‑151      135‑168       PRESUMPTIVE

          44‑58       60‑80        70‑93       80‑107        90‑121       101‑135                  Mitigated

             A                A                 A                 A                  A                  A                DISPOSITION

          64‑80       77‑95       103‑129    117‑146      133‑167      146‑183                Aggravated

D      51‑64       61‑77       82‑103      94‑117       107‑133      117‑146       PRESUMPTIVE

          38‑51        46‑61         61‑82        71‑94         80‑107        88‑117                   Mitigated

            I/A             I/A                A                 A                  A                  A                DISPOSITION

          25‑31       29‑36         34‑42         46‑58           53‑66           59‑74                  Aggravated

E      20‑25       23‑29         27‑34         37‑46           42‑53           47‑59         PRESUMPTIVE

          15‑20       17‑23         20‑27         28‑37           32‑42           35‑47                    Mitigated

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

         16‑20        19‑24         21‑26         25‑31           34‑42           39‑49                  Aggravated

F       13‑16        15‑19         17‑21         20‑25           27‑34           31‑39         PRESUMPTIVE

         10‑13        11‑15         13‑17         15‑20           20‑27           23‑31                    Mitigated

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

         13‑16        15‑19         16‑20         20‑25           21‑26           29‑36                  Aggravated

G      10‑13        12‑15         13‑16         16‑20           17‑21           23‑29         PRESUMPTIVE

           8‑10         9‑12          10‑13         12‑16           13‑17           17‑23                    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.

3‑4      4‑5             5‑6              6‑8             7‑9              8‑10             9‑11                           10‑12

11‑14 12‑15       13‑16         14‑17         15‑18           16‑20           17‑21                          18‑22

19‑23 20‑24       21‑26         22‑27         23‑28           24‑29           25‑30                          26‑32

27‑33 28‑34       29‑35         30‑36         31‑38           32‑39           33‑40                          34‑41

35‑42 36‑44       37‑45         38‑46         39‑47           40‑48           41‑50                          42‑51

43‑52 44‑53       45‑54         46‑56         47‑57           48‑58           49‑59

(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.

15‑27         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         50‑69         51‑71         52‑72         53‑73         54‑74

55‑75         56‑77         57‑78         58‑79         59‑80         60‑81         61‑83         62‑84

63‑85         64‑86         65‑87         66‑89         67‑90         68‑91         69‑92         70‑93

71‑95         72‑96         73‑97         74‑98         75‑99         76‑101       77‑102      78‑103

79‑104       80‑105      81‑107       82‑108      83‑109       84‑110       85‑111      86‑113

87‑114       88‑115      89‑116       90‑117      91‑119       92‑120       93‑121      94‑122

95‑123       96‑125      97‑126       98‑127      99‑128       100‑129    101‑131    102‑132

103‑133    104‑134    105‑135     106‑137    107‑138    108‑139    109‑140    110‑141

111‑143    112‑144    113‑145     114‑146    115‑147    116‑149    117‑150    118‑151

119‑152    120‑153    121‑155     122‑156    123‑157    124‑158    125‑159    126‑161

127‑162    128‑163    129‑164    130‑165    131‑167    132‑168    133‑169    134‑170

135‑171    136‑173    137‑174     138‑175    139‑176    140‑177    141‑179    142‑180

143‑181    144‑182    145‑183     146‑185    147‑186    148‑187    149‑188    150‑189

151‑191    152‑192    153‑193     154‑194    155‑195    156‑197    157‑198    158‑199

159‑200    160‑201    161‑203     162‑204    163‑205    164‑206    165‑207    166‑209

167‑210    168‑211    169‑212     170‑213    171‑215    172‑216    173‑217    174‑218

175‑219    176‑221    177‑222     178‑223    179‑224    180‑225    181‑227    182‑228

183‑229    184‑230    185‑231     186‑233    187‑234    188‑235    189‑236    190‑237

191‑239    192‑240    193‑241     194‑242    195‑243    196‑245    197‑246    198‑247

199‑248    200‑249    201‑251     202‑252    203‑253    204‑254    205‑255    206‑257

207‑258    208‑259    209‑260     210‑261    211‑263    212‑264    213‑265    214‑266

215‑267    216‑269    217‑270     218‑271    219‑272    220‑273    221‑275    222‑276

223‑277    224‑278    225‑279     226‑281    227‑282    228‑283    229‑284    230‑285

231‑287    232‑288    233‑289     234‑290    235‑291    236‑293    237‑294    238‑295

239‑296    240‑297    241‑299     242‑300    243‑301    244‑302    245‑303    246‑305

247‑306    248‑307    249‑308     250‑309    251‑311    252‑312    253‑313    254‑314

255‑315    256‑317    257‑318     258‑319    259‑320    260‑321    261‑323    262‑324

263‑325    264‑326    265‑327     266‑329    267‑330    268‑331    269‑332    270‑333

271‑335    272‑336    273‑337     274‑338    275‑339    276‑341    277‑342    278‑343

279‑344    280‑345    281‑347     282‑348    283‑349    284‑350    285‑351    286‑353

287‑354    288‑355    289‑356     290‑357    291‑359    292‑360    293‑361    294‑362

295‑363    296‑365    297‑366     298‑367    299‑368    300‑369    301‑371    302‑372

303‑373    304‑374    305‑375     306‑377    307‑378    308‑379    309‑380    310‑381

311‑383    312‑384    313‑385     314‑386    315‑387    316‑389    317‑390    318‑391

319‑392    320‑393    321‑395     322‑396    323‑397    324‑398    325‑399    326‑401

327‑402    328‑403    329‑404     330‑405    331‑407    332‑408    333‑409    334‑410

335‑411    336‑413    337‑414     338‑415    339‑416

(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 nine 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.)