Short answer
In the US Courts glossary, a felony carries a possible prison penalty of more than one year; a misdemeanor is punishable by one year or less. That distinction concerns the offense’s potential punishment, not simply the sentence someone serves. These federal sources do not establish a classification rule for every state. 1 2
On this page
At a glance
Scroll to compare all columns →
| Question | Felony | Misdemeanor |
|---|---|---|
| Glossary imprisonment boundary | More than one year | One year or less |
| Federal subclasses | A–E | A–C |
| Is time served the defining measure here? | No: potential penalty matters | No: potential penalty matters |
The glossary supplies the broad boundary; the September 2026 DOJ excerpt supplies the federal subclass labels. 1 2
What each thing is
Both terms classify offenses rather than describe a particular person’s time in custody. The glossary characterizes a felony as a serious crime and defines a misdemeanor through its imprisonment limit. Its entries provide a compact distinction, not an offense-by-offense classification list. 1
Key differences
Federal classification involves more than a single felony-versus-misdemeanor label. The September 2026 DOJ excerpt lists five felony classes and three misdemeanor classes. It connects classifications to imprisonment limits, fines, authorized probation, supervised release, revocation imprisonment, and special assessments. The excerpt does not show the numerical limits for each class. 2
How to tell them apart
The practical reading rule is to distinguish the offense’s authorized punishment from the punishment imposed in a particular case. For the glossary’s boundary, ask whether the possible prison penalty exceeds one year. Its limit: these excerpts cannot establish the classification of an unspecified state offense. 1 2
Where they overlap
Both categories belong to the federal criminal penalty framework described by DOJ, and both have lettered subclasses. A class letter alone therefore needs its accompanying category: federal Class A felony and Class A misdemeanor are different labels within the same broader framework. 2
Edge cases
Exactly one year falls on the misdemeanor side of the glossary’s boundary, not the felony side. Another boundary matters: DOJ also lists infractions. Consequently, its federal framework is not exhausted by the two categories discussed here; the supplied excerpt does not give the infraction threshold. 1 2
Why the distinction exists
In the federal framework described in September 2026, classification organizes multiple kinds of penalties and sentencing limits. A statutory maximum identifies the highest possible punishment; a mandatory minimum, where applicable, identifies a lower bound. Those concepts help explain why an offense classification is not a report of the actual sentence. 2
Common misconceptions
A short sentence does not, by itself, establish that an offense is a misdemeanor: the glossary uses potential punishment. Nor do these excerpts justify treating the federal one-year boundary as a verified nationwide state rule. No state statutes or state classification examples are supplied. 1 2
Examples
Hypothetical glossary-based case 1: An offense permits up to one year of imprisonment. It fits the misdemeanor definition, including at that endpoint. Case 2: An offense permits two years, but the imposed sentence is six months. It fits the felony definition despite the shorter sentence. These illustrations do not classify any actual state offense. 1