Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
A person is guilty of arson when he or she and sets fire to or burns or causes to be burned or who aids, counsels, or procures the burning of, any structure, forest land, or property.
(a) Arson that causes is a punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for five, seven, or nine years.
(b) Arson that causes an inhabited structure or inhabited property to burn is a punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for three, five, or eight years.
(c) Arson of a structure or forest land is a punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for two, four, or six years.
(d) Arson of property is a punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, two, or three years. For purposes of this paragraph, arson of property does not include one burning or causing to be burned his or her own personal property unless there is an intent to defraud or there is injury to another person or another person’s structure, forest land, or property.
(e) In the case of any person convicted of violating this section while confined in a state prison, prison road camp, prison forestry camp, or other prison camp or prison farm, or while confined in a county jail while serving a term of imprisonment for a or conviction, any sentence imposed shall be consecutive to the sentence for which the person was then confined.
History: Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 421, Sec. 1. Effective September 7, 1994.
Simplified explanation
Arson is willfully and maliciously setting fire to or burning any structure, forest land, or property, or helping to do so; it is a felony with up to nine years in state prison when it causes great bodily injury.