Under Reckless Damage/Destruction of Property, reckless damage or destruction of property without effective consent of the owner is classified as what offense?

• A. Class B Misdemeanor
• B. Class C Misdemeanor
• C. State Jail Felony
• D. Felony of the Third Degree

Answer: (B)

In Texas, reckless damage or destruction of property without the owner’s consent is charged as a Class C misdemeanor. The key idea here is the mental state: “reckless” means you consciously disregarded a substantial risk that damage would occur, rather than intending or knowing you were damaging something. Because the act is reckless rather than purposeful, it settles at the lowest misdemeanor level. If the damage were intentional or done with knowledge, the offense could be higher and tied to the value of the property damaged. So the correct takeaway is that recklessly damaging property without consent carries a Class C misdemeanor.