Is Assault a Felony in Missouri? Every Degree Explained

Often, yes. In Missouri, three of the four degrees of assault are felonies, and the line between a misdemeanor and a felony is lower than most people expect. Knowingly causing a physical injury to another person, even without a weapon, is a felony.

This guide walks through each degree of assault under current Missouri law, the punishment range for each class, and the facts that most often push a charge up a level. It describes the law in effect today. Missouri’s assault statutes are scheduled to be rewritten effective July 1, 2027, and offenses committed after that date will be charged under the new wording.

Many states treat a fistfight that leaves someone hurt as a misdemeanor. Missouri does not. If the State alleges that a person knowingly caused a physical injury, the charge can be third degree assault, a class E felony, with no weapon and no serious injury involved.

The difference between third and fourth degree often comes down to two questions: was the injury caused knowingly or only recklessly, and was there an actual physical injury or only pain, fear, or offensive contact? Those are fact questions, and they are where many assault cases are won, reduced, or lost. A charge filed as a felony is not always proven as one.

• Class A felony: 10 to 30 years, or life imprisonment.
• Class B felony: 5 to 15 years.
• Class D felony: up to 7 years, and a fine of up to $10,000.
• Class E felony: up to 4 years, and a fine of up to $10,000.
• Class A misdemeanor: up to 1 year in jail, and a fine of up to $2,000.
• Class C misdemeanor: up to 15 days in jail, and a fine of up to $750.

Those are the outer limits the law allows, not a prediction. For class D and E felonies, the court can sentence a person to up to one year in the county jail instead of prison, and probation, including a suspended imposition of sentence, is often possible on lower-level charges. First degree assault is a different matter. It is treated as a dangerous felony, which carries a requirement to serve a large share of any prison sentence before parole eligibility.

An SIS can keep a conviction off your record if you complete probation. See SIS vs SES in Missouri. How serious is the charge? See Missouri felony classes and sentencing ranges.

• Self-defense or defense of others. Missouri law allows reasonable force in defense of yourself or another person. Once the evidence raises it, the State has to disprove it.
• State of mind. Knowingly, recklessly, and negligently are different legal standards, and the difference can move a case between a felony and a misdemeanor.
• The injury. Medical records, photographs, and timelines matter. An injury that does not meet the legal definition can change the degree.
• The weapon. Whether an object was a “dangerous instrument” depends on how it was used, and that is often disputed.
• Identification and credibility. Fights are chaotic. Witnesses disagree, and video often tells a different story than the first report.

The most damaging evidence in many assault cases is what the accused person said afterward, to police, to the other person, or on a recorded jail call. If you are under investigation or have been charged, say nothing about the facts to anyone but your lawyer.