Bad Check Laws by State 2025

Bad checks, a form of financial fraud where a check is drawn on an account with insufficient funds to cover the amount, can have serious legal consequences. Each state in the United States has its own laws regarding bad checks, including the thresholds for determining whether passing a bad check is a misdemeanor or a felony. Here’s an overview of how different states handle bad check cases and the associated penalties:

In most states, the dollar amount represented by the bad check determines whether the crime of passing it is a misdemeanor or a felony. Additionally, the penalties for passing bad checks vary widely from state to state, with some states imposing fixed fees while others have a range of fees depending on factors like the amount of the check and whether it’s a repeat offense.

For instance, in Colorado, writing a bad check can lead to a fee ranging from $100 to $500, with the possibility of revision to equal 20% of the check amount. In California, the fee for passing a bad check is at the discretion of the court, but typically it’s $25 for the first offense and $35 for subsequent offenses. Similarly, in Florida, passing a bad check under $50 incurs a $25 fee, which rises to 5% for checks over $500.