Wyoming Court Records

Wyoming court records are official case and administration records, files, and materials created, or maintained, in whole or part, by or for the court concerning court proceedings and include registers of actions of;

• Any criminal action.
• Any action, except a juvenile proceeding.
• Proceeding for expungement.

The information is usually in aggregate or electric form. These court records are available for overall public consumption and are available through the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Computer terminals that the public may use by visiting the local courthouse. However, some information is exempt. Wyoming district courts do not charge any fee to use the public access terminal. Wyoming State abides by the Wyoming Public Records Act (Wyoming Statutes 16-4-201 through 204). These are a grouping of laws that guarantee public access to check public records maintained and held by governing bodies at all levels.

Which Wyoming courts maintain publicly accessible Records?

Wyoming state courts are responsible for maintaining various court records. The information is used by landmen, attorneys, historians, enforcement officials, genealogists, and other researchers to track social and economic conditions, property and mineral rights, business acumen, personal behavior, and development of local communities. The most used records are case files and dockets. Case files are found in district courts. Dockets are found in Justice of the Peace and municipal courts. The following courts are responsible for maintaining publicly accessible records:

Wyoming Supreme Court

This is the highest court in the state of Wyoming. It consists of five judgeships, a chief justice, and 4 associate justices. The Supreme Court deals with appeals from the lower Wyoming courts in criminal and civil cases. The Supreme Court judges are appointed by a Republican governor. The court also has the power to issue writs of review, mandamus, certiorari, habeas corpus, and other writs necessary to its exercise of appellate duties. Currently, Wyoming Supreme Court has implemented remote access to its records through its online public docket. The public records are available without any fee charges.

Wyoming District Courts

The district judges deal with all civil cases, and felony cases and exercise exclusive original jurisdiction in all probate and juvenile matters. The district courts are the state trial courts of general jurisdiction. Wyoming district courts maintain the publicly accessible records of their cases, the general public can access the records by visiting the respective district courthouses. 

 

Wyoming Circuit Courts

The circuit courts have limited jurisdiction. They hear smaller civil cases and misdemeanor criminal cases. They may also have the jurisdiction of a municipal court the court requests and if the Supreme Court consents to such a consolidation of courts. The circuit courts may also set bail for a person accused of a crime and conduct preliminary hearings in felony cases. The circuit courts maintain publicly accessible records of their cases which can be accessed through the general public physically visiting the respective circuit court location.

Wyoming Municipal Courts

They are courts of limited jurisdiction in Wyoming. There are 72 municipal courts throughout the state, each handling ordinance and traffic violations within their jurisdiction. The municipal courts are responsible for maintaining publicly accessible records of their cases. Most criminal cases heard by the municipal courts usually had their sentences filed with or reviewed by the district courts. The public can access them by visiting the respective municipal court location.

What are the common public court records in Wyoming?

Wyoming public court records contain vital information about legal proceedings and court decisions that employees, family, or friends can use. The following are the common public court records in Wyoming State, explaining each record, and the corresponding court, government agency, or division responsible for them.

Criminal Court Records

Criminal court records in Wyoming provide a comprehensive review of a person’s criminal history. This does not exclude information from correctional facilities and state jails, local courts, and other state divisions. A criminal case is a public matter. The information contained in these records is as follows;

• Physical descriptors
• Sex
• Charges
• Subject’s name or aliases
• Trial court
• Offense classification
• Disposition for all charges.

The Division of criminal investigation within the Office of the attorney general is designated as the central repository for criminal history record information.
 

Civil Court Records

These are documents or information related to a civil case where private citizens or companies take legal action against each other in court. The most common include;

• Small claim cases records
  • These are lawsuits between companies or individuals. In this kind of case, no one is allowed to have a lawyer.
• General civil case records
  • These cases involve money disputes where one is sued over things like property damage, contracts, or someone getting injured/hurt.
• Family court records
  • These are records for cases such as divorce, child custody, and adoption.
• Landlord/ tenant court records
  • These are records related to landlord-tenant disputes.
• Probate cases records
  • These are generally about taking care of people and their personal affairs like wills, estates, guardianships, and conservatorships for people who cannot handle their finances or take care of themselves. 
• Juvenile case
  • Juvenile records involve records of children under the age of 18, juvenile records are not Wyoming public records therefore they can’t be viewed by the general public.

Does Wyoming have a case search?

Wyoming does not offer an online statewide case search tool, however, there are other methods one can conduct a case search, to check the status of a court case or get access to court records. Court dockets and records are available in all courthouses during normal business hours. Wyoming has courthouses that make it easy for one to find their court record. Knowing the specific court in which one’s case is filed narrows down the search and simplifies the process. An individual can use Wyoming Supreme Court docket tool to look up non-confidential case information, individuals can visit Wyoming Public Records Act.

Methods in obtaining a court record, what is required

To access a file, a case number is required. The state archives have indexes from a few justice of the peace courts, Supreme Court, district courts, and municipal courts. Patrons should contact the court where the case was filed to obtain a case file number that is if the archives do not have the index from a particular court. One can find to date contact information for Wyoming courts on the Wyoming Supreme Court's website.

However, records ten to twenty years old or older are transferred to Wyoming State Archives. After complying with the specific courthouse's requirements, one can inspect or copy any court record. Also, it is important to know how to check your case progress or status so that you can be more prepared to respond to any claim or action. So, to have it easy while searching for a case in Wyoming;

• Understand how the Wyoming courts are structured. Once you know which ones have jurisdictions, it will be easier to narrow down your search to which court your case is assigned.
• Search for Wyoming court records. Right now, Wyoming has no way one can search court records online unless it’s an appellate case. Find your appellate case online with Wyoming Supreme Court’s public docket tool.

 

Enter some or all of the following information;

• Case number
• Case title (Maverick v. Mayland Funding, LLC)
• Case type (criminal, civil, etc.)
• Date the case was filed

Once you enter the above, you will get results matching the information you have entered.

• Find your court records and check your case status in courthouses.
• You can access your court records by visiting a courthouse near you or calling a court clerk. Courthouses in Wyoming are many, which makes finding your court records an easy task.
• At the courthouse, there is public access terminal where you can search for all types of cases throughout Wyoming State. In a court house, you are asked to provide the following information:
  • Case number
  • Names of the parties listed in the case

To obtain court records in person, follow these general steps;

1. Find out whether the case is a state or federal case

In Wyoming district courts, all cases are heard under Wyoming law. The courts have broad trial jurisdiction, so they would be a nice place to start. If a person violates federal law and is arrested, their case is heard in a federal court. All Federal court records are at the National Archives.

1. Find out the type of Wyoming court (District Court, Circuit Court/Justice of peace courts, Municipal Court, or the Supreme Court) that had jurisdiction over a case.
2. Find out where the records are held and the court's physical location. Wyoming state archive does not keep all court records. Most county courts hold and keep their records, and records sent to Wyoming state archives are done so voluntarily.

So, first, check with the county courts, then check with Wyoming state archives.

1. Visit the courthouse or call a county clerk; this has to be done during normal business hours. Courthouses in Wyoming are many; visiting a courthouse is important because you get assisted by the court workers and make sure you get all the information you need. Contacting them in advance is important so that you know the specific requirements.
2. Inform the court clerk of the specific case records you want, and provide the information they ask from you i.e., case number and the names of the parties listed on the case.
3. If requested to fill out a request form or provide identification, follow the specified guidelines and provide all the necessary details.
4. The court will provide copies of the requested records at a fee by statute and rule.

 

Requests by mail

One can also request court copy records by mail.

To get a copy of a court record by mail;

1. Determining the type of Wyoming court that had jurisdiction over a case 
2. Contact the clerk of the court during regular business hours.
3. Inform the court clerk of the specific case records you want, and provide all the information they ask from you i.e. case number and names of parties on the case
4. Request a copy by mail
5. Pay the applicable fees 
6. Expect to receive your copy in a few days

Currently, Wyoming Supreme Court has implemented remote access by the general public to its records through its online Public Docket. The records are searchable and available without any fee. However, most lower court documents for appellate cases are excluded.

To access the district court records, the general public has to visit the courthouses and the records are accessible through computer terminals provided by the courthouses. Through the terminal, one can view any court record that is not confidential held by the Wyoming district court clerk.

One cannot print from the terminal, the district court provides copies of the court records at a fee by statute and rule. Wyoming Circuit courts also do not provide remote access to their court records to the general public, the records are available through computer terminals as in the case of district courts.

 

Recent efforts on remote access

The Board of Judicial Policy and Administration (BJPA) formed the Circuit Court Automation Committee and District Court Automation Committee to address policy decisions that come up in the implementation of the new Wyoming statewide case management systems, full court enterprise. The automation committees created a public access subcommittee to consider remote access to court records. 

The judiciary interim committee also actively monitored the status and progress of remote access to Wyoming court records. The committee’s mandate is to consider remote access to court records and documents, protecting confidential information in Wyoming court records and funding.

Remote access to public court records and new legislative direction remains a priority to Wyoming State. The committee’s focus is to review the status of access to public court records and documents and their storage, especially within the circuit and district courts, intending to improve access. The committee is also mandated with the task to review and consider revenues used to fund the implementation of the desired and needed technology upgrades to attain court record automation.

 

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Counties in Wyoming

• Albany
• Big Horn
• Campbell
• Carbon
• Converse
• Crook
• Fremont
• Goshen
• Hot Springs
• Johnson
• Laramie
• Lincoln
• Natrona
• Niobrara
• Park
• Platte
• Sheridan
• Sublette
• Sweetwater
• Teton
• Uinta
• Washakie
• Weston

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Courts in Wyoming