Porch piracy a felony under new law passed by Alabama Legislature

MONTGOMERY — Porch piracy is a costly crime with losses upward of $15 billion for customers and $22 billion for retailers.

Now, porch pirates will face a costly penalty and losses of their own if they are convicted in Alabama.

This Christmas season is the first in which stealing delivered packages from the homes of Alabamians is a felony offense punishable by stiff prison sentences and high fines thanks to a law introduced by Sen. April Weaver and passed by the Legislature during the 2025 regular session.

The law went into effect Oct. 1.

“The Grinch may have stolen Christmas in Whoville, but if he does it in Alabama, he’ll have plenty of time in state prison for his heart to grow three sizes,” Weaver (R-Brierfield) said. “And if anyone accepts a stolen package from a porch pirate under our new law, both of them will get to wear a festive pair of shiny handcuffs during Christmas.

“With more and more homes and neighborhoods linked with video doorbells and other high-tech surveillance measures, even the boneheaded burglars from ‘Home Alone’ would think twice before stealing a package under Alabama’s tough new porch piracy law.”

According to the law, stealing a package, letter, or other item delivered by the U.S. Postal Service or other delivery service now results in:

• A Class A misdemeanor, the highest and most serious level of misdemeanor, punishable by a year in prison and a fine of up to $6,000 if taken from one to nine addresses. Receiving a known porch pirated or stolen package is also a Class A misdemeanor.
• A Class D felony punishable by one to five years in prison and a fine of up to $7,500 if taken from 10 to 29 addresses.
• A Class C felony punishable by one to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $7,500 if taken from 30 or more addresses.
• An upcharge to a Class C or Class B felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $30,000 if packages or mail are taken with the intent of stealing personal information or defrauding the addressee.

More than one in three Americans had a package stolen in 2025 and 75% had more than one package taken. The average value of a package stolen by a porch pirate is $143.

With passage of Weaver’s bill, Alabama became the 12th state in the nation to approve a law specifically targeting porch piracy, joining Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.