New York State Law

Penal Law

A Digest of New York's Criminal Code and Related Laws

Article 140 - NY Penal Law

BURGLARY AND RELATED OFFENSES

Burglary Elements
S 140.00 Criminal trespass and burglary; definitions of terms.
  The following definitions are applicable to this article:
  1. "Premises" includes the term "building," as defined herein, and any
real property.
  2. "Building," in addition to its ordinary meaning, includes any
structure, vehicle or watercraft used for overnight lodging of persons,
or used by persons for carrying on business therein, or used as an
elementary or secondary school, or an inclosed motor truck, or an
inclosed motor truck trailer. Where a building consists of two or more
units separately secured or occupied, each unit shall be deemed both a
separate building in itself and a part of the main building.
  3. "Dwelling" means a building which is usually occupied by a person
lodging therein at night.
  4. "Night" means the period between thirty minutes after sunset and
thirty minutes before sunrise.
  5. "Enter or remain unlawfully." A person "enters or remains
unlawfully" in or upon premises when he is not licensed or privileged to
do so. A person who, regardless of his intent, enters or remains in or
upon premises which are at the time open to the public does so with
license and privilege unless he defies a lawful order not to enter or
remain, personally communicated to him by the owner of such premises or
other authorized person. A license or privilege to enter or remain in a
building which is only partly open to the public is not a license or
privilege to enter or remain in that part of the building which is not
open to the public. A person who enters or remains upon unimproved and
apparently unused land, which is neither fenced nor otherwise enclosed
in a manner designed to exclude intruders, does so with license and
privilege unless notice against trespass is personally communicated to
him by the owner of such land or other authorized person, or unless such
notice is given by posting in a conspicuous manner. A person who enters
or remains in or about a school building without written permission from
someone authorized to issue such permission or without a legitimate
reason which includes a relationship involving custody of or
responsibility for a pupil or student enrolled in the school or without
legitimate business or a purpose relating to the operation of the school
does so without license and privilege.

S 140.05 Trespass.
  A person is guilty of trespass when he knowingly enters or remains
unlawfully in or upon premises.
  Trespass is a violation.

S 140.10 Criminal trespass in the third degree.
 A person is guilty of criminal trespass in the third degree when he
knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in a building or upon real
property
  (a) which is fenced or otherwise enclosed in a manner designed to
exclude intruders; or
  (b) where the building is utilized as an elementary or secondary
school or a children`s overnight camp as defined in section one thousand
three hundred ninety-two of the public health law or a summer day camp
as defined in section one thousand three hundred ninety-two of the
public health law in violation of conspicuously posted rules or
regulations governing entry and use thereof; or
  (c) located within a city with a population in excess of one million
and where the building or real property is utilized as an elementary or
secondary school in violation of a personally communicated request to
leave the premises from a principal, custodian or other person in charge
thereof; or
  (d) located outside of a city with a population in excess of one
million and where the building or real property is utilized as an
elementary or secondary school in violation of a personally communicated
request to leave the premises from a principal, custodian, school board
member or trustee, or other person in charge thereof; or
  (e) where the building is used as a public housing project in
violation of conspicuously posted rules or regulations governing entry
and use thereof; or
  (f) where a building is used as a public housing project in violation
of a personally communicated request to leave the premises from a
housing police officer or other person in charge thereof; or
  (g) where the property  consists  of  a  right-of-way  or  yard  of  a
railroad  or  rapid  transit  railroad  which  has  been  designated and
conspicuously posted as a no-trespass railroad zone.
  Criminal trespass in the third degree is a class B misdemeanor.

S 140.15 Criminal trespass in the second degree.
  A person is guilty of criminal trespass in the second degree when:
  1. he or she knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in a dwelling; or
  2.  being  a  person  required  to maintain registration under article
six-C of the correction law and designated a level two  or  level  three
offender   pursuant   to   subdivision   six   of  section  one  hundred
sixty-eight-l of the correction law, he or she enters or  remains  in  a
public  or  private  elementary,  parochial,  intermediate, junior high,
vocational or high school knowing that the victim  of  the  offense  for
which  such  registration  is required attends or formerly attended such
school. It shall not be an offense subject  to  prosecution  under  this
subdivision  if:  the  person  is  a lawfully registered student at such
school; the person is a lawful student participant in a school sponsored
event; the person is  a  parent  or  a  legal  guardian  of  a  lawfully
registered  student at such school and enters the school for the purpose
of attending their child's or dependent's event or activity; such school
is the person's designated polling place  and  he  or  she  enters  such
school  building  for  the  limited  purpose of voting; or if the person
enters such school building for the limited purposes authorized  by  the
superintendent or chief administrator of such school.
  Criminal trespass in the second degree is a class A misdemeanor.
  
S 140.17 Criminal trespass in the first degree.
  A person is guilty of criminal trespass in the first degree when he
knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in a building, and when, in the
course of committing such crime, he:
  1. Possesses, or knows that another participant in the crime
possesses, an explosive or a deadly weapon; or
  2. Possesses a firearm, rifle or shotgun, as those terms are defined
in section 265.00, and also possesses or has readily accessible a
quantity of ammunition which is capable of being discharged from such
firearm, rifle or shotgun; or
  3. Knows that another participant in the crime possesses a firearm,
rifle or shotgun under circumstances described in subdivision two.
  Criminal trespass in the first degree is a class D felony.

S 140.20 Burglary in the third degree.
  A person is guilty of burglary in the third degree when he knowingly
enters or remains unlawfully in a building with intent to commit a crime
therein.
  Burglary in the third degree is a class D felony.

S 140.25 Burglary in the second degree.
  A person is guilty of burglary in the second degree when he knowingly
enters or remains unlawfully in a building with intent to commit a crime
therein, and when:
  1. In effecting entry or while in the building or in immediate flight
therefrom, he or another participant in the crime:
  (a) Is armed with explosives or a deadly weapon; or
  (b) Causes physical injury to any person who is not a participant in
the crime; or
  (c) Uses or threatens the immediate use of a dangerous instrument; or
  (d) Displays what appears to be a pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun,
machine gun or other firearm; or
  2. The building is a dwelling.
  Burglary in the second degree is a class C felony.

S 140.30 Burglary in the first degree.
  A person is guilty of burglary in the first degree when he knowingly
enters or remains unlawfully in a dwelling with intent to commit a crime
therein, and when, in effecting entry or while in the dwelling or in
immediate flight therefrom, he or another participant in the crime:
  1. Is armed with explosives or a deadly weapon; or
  2. Causes physical injury to any person who is not a participant in
the crime; or
  3. Uses or threatens the immediate use of a dangerous instrument; or
  4. Displays what appears to be a pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun,
machine gun or other firearm; except that in any prosecution under this
subdivision, it is an affirmative defense that such pistol, revolver,
rifle, shotgun, machine gun or other firearm was not a loaded weapon
from which a shot, readily capable of producing death or other serious
physical injury, could be discharged. Nothing contained in this
subdivision shall constitute a defense to a prosecution for, or preclude
a conviction of, burglary in the second degree, burglary in the third
degree or any other crime.
  Burglary in the first degree is a class B felony.

S 140.35 Possession of burglar`s tools.
  A person is guilty of possession of burglar`s tools when he possesses
any tool, instrument or other article adapted, designed or commonly used
for committing or facilitating offenses involving forcible entry into
premises, or offenses involving larceny by a physical taking, or
offenses involving theft of services as defined in subdivisions four,
five and six of section 165.15, under circumstances evincing an intent
to use or knowledge that some person intends to use the same in the
commission of an offense of such character.
  Possession of burglar`s tools is a class A misdemeanor.

S 140.40 Unlawful possession of radio devices.
  As used in this section, the term "radio device" means any device
capable of receiving a wireless voice transmission on any frequency
allocated for police use, or any device capable of transmitting and
receiving a wireless voice transmission. A person is guilty of unlawful
possession of a radio device when he possesses a radio device with the
intent to use that device in the commission of robbery, burglary,
larceny, gambling or a violation of any provision of article two hundred
twenty of the penal law.
  Unlawful possession of a radio device is a class B misdemeanor.

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