459 is the familiar police code reference for burglary in California, drawn from Penal Code section 459. Texas uses section 30.02 for burglary of a building or habitation, and local agencies may assign separate dispatch labels. Burglary is not simply another word for robbery or an alarm activation.
Burglary Does Not Always Require Breaking Something
California section 459 concerns entry into specified places with intent to commit theft or a felony. Breaking a window or forcing a lock is not required in every case. Nor does the short definition require that property actually be carried away.
That is why “nothing was stolen” and “the door was unlocked” do not, by themselves, answer the burglary question. The full legal definition, intent and circumstances matter. The 459 reference compares the statutory subject with agency shorthand.
Burglary and Robbery Are Different
Robbery under California section 211 involves taking property from a person or immediate presence through force or fear. Burglary focuses on entry and the required intent. A confrontation is not needed for every burglary, and the presence of a building does not automatically make a taking burglary.
If the query concerns a person being threatened for property, compare the robbery guide. If it concerns someone entering with criminal intent, burglary is the more relevant reference to investigate. These distinctions explain the words; they do not classify a real case for the reader.
An Alarm Call Is Not a Confirmed Burglary
A dispatch system can send units to an alarm without having established a burglary. In Folsom's published call-type material, 459AS is an alarm label, while other burglary entries distinguish timing or reports. The code indicates the type of call being handled at that stage.
A listener should retain that uncertainty. An alarm activation, an apparent entry, a burglary in progress and a report taken later are not interchangeable descriptions. The California scanner guide explains how call labels and legal numbers coexist.
Texas Sections and Dallas Burglary Signals
Texas Penal Code 30.02 covers burglary of a habitation or building under its specified entry, concealment, intent and offense provisions. Section 30.05 concerns criminal trespass, which is a separate subject. Do not copy California's 459 number onto a Texas legal record.
Dallas's problem-type report distinguishes 11B for a business burglary, 11R for a residential burglary and 11V for a motor-vehicle burglary label, with separate in-progress labels in the same report. Those are call categories, not substitutes for the Texas statute numbers. See the Texas guide for the source and selected signals.
How to Choose the Right Burglary Reference
Ask which state, which agency and what kind of record you have. A statute citation, a dispatch entry and scanner audio call for different interpretation. Keep all letters and prefixes when copying the code, because a shortened version can discard the alarm or timing distinction.
For the legal-code overview, use the California section guide or the Texas reference. The main code hub explains the wider families. Exact legal application requires current law, including the relevant subsection and exceptions.
FAQ
Is 459 burglary or robbery?
California 459 concerns burglary. California 211 concerns robbery. They are different statutory subjects.
Does burglary require a forced entry?
Not in every case under California section 459. Entry and the required criminal intent matter; a forced lock is not a universal requirement.
Does a burglary alarm mean a burglary occurred?
No. An alarm is a reason for a call or response, not confirmation of the offense.
What is the Texas Penal Code for burglary?
Section 30.02 covers burglary of a building or habitation. Other burglary-related situations and trespass have their own provisions.
Sources
- California Penal Code § 459, California Legislative Counsel. Official Checked October 2026
- California Penal Code § 211, California Legislative Counsel. Official Checked October 2026
- Texas Penal Code § 30.02 (Burglary), Texas Legislature. Official Checked October 2026
- Texas Penal Code section 30.05 (criminal trespass), Texas Legislature. Official Checked October 2026
- Calls Summary by Problem (Signal) Type, Dallas Police Department. Updated 10/23/2026. Official Checked October 2026
- Communications Manual (radio codes, p. 32), Folsom Police Department. Updated rev. 2019. Official Checked October 2026