TMZ reports:

Chris Brown has copped a plea in his assault case. He won't do jail time, but he will spend 6 months doing things like road cleanup. He's also been ordered to stay 50 yards clear of Rihanna.

He'll spend 180 days doing hard labor in Virginia which is where Brown lives - it's equivalent to Caltrans or graffiti cleanup.

He gets 5 years probation for FELONY assault -- he pled guilty. He'll get supervised probation. He'll have to come back to court every three months.

He must enroll in a domestic violence counseling program.

This is interesting ... the judge said if Brown and Rihanna are at the same public events, the 50-yard stay away turns into 10 yards. The stay away order lasts 5 years.

The judge said she wanted to make sure that Chris Brown "was treated as any other person who comes through this court."

If Brown violates probation, he could get up to 4 years in prison.

Rihanna is in the courthouse but never entered the courtroom.

So Brown is now a convicted felon and loses the right to vote or carry a gun.

Brown left the courtroom ... just after he left, Rihanna walked in the courtroom. The judge is now explaining the deal to her. The judge is telling Rihanna about the protective order.