petty offense
Small legal violation
A petty offense is a minor legal violation, less serious than a misdemeanor—typically punishable by a small fine rather than jail time.
Traffic tickets, littering, and minor trespassing often qualify.
The category exists to keep trivial infractions out of criminal courts: He was cited for a petty offense and paid the fine by mail.
- jaywalkingIllegal pedestrian crossing
- traffic ticketCitation for driving infractions
- infractionMinor rule breach
- public orderSocietal calm and lawfulness
- fineAcceptable in quality
civil penalty · misdemeanor · loitering · open container · violation · municipal code · trespassing · public intoxication · warning · slap on the wrist · decriminalization · citation · fix-it ticket · criminal law · speeding · parking violation · probation · community service
- criminal chargesarson, burglary, homicide, kidnapping, robbery
- minor offenseswhite lie, fib, jaywalking, misdemeanor, littering
- crimesarson, burglary, robbery, kidnapping, vandalism
- lower courtsmagistrates court, district court, district courts, municipal court, municipal courts
petty offensefelony
Serious criminal offense
capital crime · capital offense · high crime · criminal offense · federal crime
petty offenseatrocity
Unforgivable mass cruelty
mortal sin · crime against humanity · grave sin · abomination · cardinal sin
petty, offense, pettier, pettiest, pettily, pettiness, offend, offends, offended