Texas Penal Code Section 29.14 does not exist. Aggravated robbery in Texas is codified at Section 29.03 of the Penal Code, and it is one of the most serious non-homicide offenses in the state: a first degree felony punishable by 5 to 99 years or life in prison, with restrictions on probation and parole that go well beyond the standard punishment range.1State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 29.03 – Aggravated Robbery
The confusion with “29.14” is common in online searches, but the correct citation for every issue discussed below is Section 29.03.
What Turns a Robbery Into Aggravated Robbery
Aggravated robbery builds on the base offense in Section 29.02. A robbery happens when someone, during a theft, either causes bodily injury to another person or threatens them with imminent injury or death. The injury does not have to be severe — any physical pain counts — and the threat alone is enough.2State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 29.02 – Robbery
Section 29.03 identifies three circumstances that push a robbery up to the aggravated tier. Only one has to be present.1State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 29.03 – Aggravated Robbery
Serious Bodily Injury
The first factor is causing serious bodily injury in the course of the robbery. Texas draws a hard line between ordinary bodily injury and serious bodily injury, which means an injury creating a substantial risk of death, causing permanent disfigurement, or resulting in long-term loss or impairment of a body part or organ.3State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 1.07 – Definitions A broken bone that heals in weeks may not qualify. A knife wound that collapses a lung typically will. That distinction is the difference between a 2-to-20 sentence and a 5-to-life sentence.
Using or Displaying a Deadly Weapon
The second factor is using or exhibiting a deadly weapon. Texas defines a deadly weapon two ways: something designed for causing death or serious injury (a firearm, a knife), or anything used in a manner capable of causing death or serious injury.3State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 1.07 – Definitions The second category is broad and can reach a car driven at a person, a baseball bat, or a household object depending on how it was used.
You do not have to fire a gun or swing a weapon. Displaying it during the robbery is enough.1State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 29.03 – Aggravated Robbery
A Victim Who Is Elderly or Disabled
The third factor applies when the victim is 65 or older, or has a mental, physical, or developmental disability that leaves them substantially unable to protect themselves.1State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 29.03 – Aggravated Robbery This element works differently from the other two. Serious bodily injury is not required. Ordinary bodily injury, or even a threat, is enough when the victim falls into one of these protected groups.
The Sentencing Range
Aggravated robbery is a first degree felony. The prison range is 5 to 99 years or life in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and the court may add a fine of up to $10,000.4State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 12.32 – First Degree Felony Punishment Courts can also order restitution to the victim covering losses such as medical bills, lost income, and property damage; if the judge declines to order it, the reason has to be stated on the record.
The 3g Restrictions on Probation and Parole
Aggravated robbery is what Texas practitioners call a “3g offense,” listed in Article 42A.054 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Two separate consequences flow from that designation.5State of Texas. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 42A.054
No Judge-Ordered Probation After a Jury Verdict
For most felonies, a judge can place a convicted defendant on community supervision. That option is off the table for aggravated robbery. Once a jury returns a guilty verdict on this charge, the defendant is going to prison.5State of Texas. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 42A.054 Plea agreements negotiated before trial can sometimes produce a different result, but the trial path forecloses probation.
Parole Only After Half the Sentence
Most Texas inmates become parole-eligible after serving one-quarter of their sentence with good conduct time counted. Aggravated robbery inmates must serve at least half the sentence in flat calendar time, with no credit for good behavior. A 30-year cap applies, so a life sentence produces parole eligibility after 30 years of actual time served. No 3g inmate is eligible in less than two years.6State of Texas. Texas Government Code 508.145 – Eligibility for Release on Parole
Eligibility is not release. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles can still deny parole after the minimum is met. On a 20-year sentence, the earliest parole hearing would come after 10 years of day-for-day time.
How This Compares to Standard Robbery
The underlying conduct is similar — theft with force or threats — but the consequences separate sharply.
- Felony class: standard robbery is a second degree felony; aggravated robbery is first degree.2State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 29.02 – Robbery
- Prison range: 2 to 20 years for standard robbery, 5 to 99 or life for aggravated.7State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 12.33 – Second Degree Felony Punishment
- Probation: available in some standard robbery cases; unavailable after a jury conviction for aggravated robbery.5State of Texas. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 42A.054
- Parole eligibility: one-quarter of the sentence with good conduct time for standard robbery; half the sentence in flat time for aggravated.6State of Texas. Texas Government Code 508.145 – Eligibility for Release on Parole
The maximum fine is $10,000 in both cases, but for a defendant facing decades in prison, the fine is rarely the pressing issue.
Statute of Limitations
The state does not have unlimited time to charge. Under Article 12.01 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, robbery offenses carry a five-year statute of limitations, measured from the date of the offense.8State of Texas. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 12.01 Certain events, such as the defendant fleeing the state, can pause the clock, but five years is the baseline.
Consequences After Release
An aggravated robbery conviction reaches past the sentence itself.
Firearms: Texas prohibits felons from possessing a firearm. Under Section 46.04, the earliest a person with a felony conviction can legally possess a firearm under state law is five years after completing the sentence, and even then only at their own home. Federal law imposes a separate lifetime ban on firearm possession for anyone convicted of a felony.
Voting: the right to vote is suspended during incarceration, parole, and any period of supervised release. Once the full sentence, including supervision, is discharged, voting rights are restored and a person can re-register in their county of residence.9United States Courts. Civil Rights Restoration
Employment and licensing: a first degree violent felony triggers background-check screening and disqualifies applicants from many licensed occupations. Texas has narrowed how licensing boards can weigh criminal history, but a conviction of this seriousness remains a durable obstacle for years after release.