Reviewed July 2026
Filing for Divorce in Wyoming
A plain-language look at how divorce works under Wyoming law: who can file, how long it takes, what it costs, and where Wyoming's own court forms and self-help resources are.
Virdix's document-preparation product currently prepares divorce paperwork for California cases only. This page explains how the process works under Wyoming law, using Wyoming's own court forms and self-help resources, for people researching before they file. It is not legal advice, and Virdix does not prepare or file Wyoming divorce paperwork. See how Virdix works for California divorces.
Wyoming's residency rule is genuinely on the shorter end nationally at 60 days (versus 6 months to a year in many states), and the reviewed divorce statutes (Title 20, Chapter 2, Article 1) contain no separate mandatory waiting period between filing and final decree the way many other states do, those two facts together are the actual basis for Wyoming's "quick divorce" reputation, rather than a specific named fast-track procedure, which does not appear to exist as a distinct statutory mechanism. Wyoming also uses "Complaint" rather than "Petition" as the initiating pleading's name (Form DIVCP-06, "Complaint for Divorce"), reflecting that a divorce is formally conducted as an ordinary civil action in district court rather than through a distinct family-court petition process, there is no separate family court in Wyoming.
Grounds for divorce in Wyoming
No-fault grounds
- Irreconcilable differences in the marital relationship (Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-104)
- Incurable insanity, when either party has been incurably insane and confined to a mental hospital for at least two years immediately preceding the action (§ 20-2-105)
Wyoming does not retain the traditional fault grounds (adultery, cruelty, desertion, etc.) found in some other states.
Source: wyoleg.gov
Who can file: residency rules
At least one party must have resided in Wyoming for 60 days immediately preceding the filing of the complaint, OR the marriage was solemnized (took place) in Wyoming and one of the parties has resided in Wyoming continuously from the marriage until filing. A married person who resides in Wyoming at the time of filing is considered a resident even if their spouse lives elsewhere.
Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-107
Source: wyoleg.gov
How long it takes
No mandatory statutory waiting/cooling-off period between filing and final decree was found in Wyoming's divorce statutes (Wyo. Stat. Title 20, Chapter 2, Article 1). Unlike states with an explicit 60-, 90-, or 120-day statutory wait, the reviewed Wyoming divorce statutes impose no such fixed delay; actual case timelines depend on service, response deadlines, and court scheduling rather than a statutory minimum. This should be treated as a genuine structural difference from states like Washington or Wisconsin, not an oversight in this research.
No statutory waiting-period provision found in Wyo. Stat. Title 20, Ch. 2, Art. 1 (reviewed in full text)
Source: wyoleg.gov
That figure is the statutory floor, not a promise. Service, exchanging financial disclosures, and the court's own hearing calendar routinely add time on top of it, and a contested case takes longer than an uncontested one regardless of the minimum. California, by comparison, requires a mandatory six month waiting period from the date of service.
Cost and filing fees
Varies by county; not a single statewide amount. Wyoming's official Judicial Branch divorce guidance states plainly that filers "will have to pay a filing fee at the Clerk of District Court in the county where you file" and directs filers to that county's District Court Clerk for the current amount, along with any separate fee for serving the other spouse. No statewide fee schedule was located from a primary source in this research pass, confirm the current fee directly with the filing county's Clerk of District Court.
Source: wyocourts.gov
California's own statewide filing fee is generally $435 to $450 statewide, with a fee waiver available for those who qualify.
Divorce forms and papers
The petition
Wyoming publishes standardized, numbered statewide forms organized into self-help packets by party role and whether minor children are involved: Packet 1 (Divorce with Minor Children, Plaintiff), Packet 2 (Divorce with Minor Children, Defendant), Packet 3 (Divorce with No Children, Plaintiff), and Packet 4 (Divorce with No Children, Defendant). Within these packets, the initiating pleading is Form DIVCP-06, "Complaint for Divorce" (Wyoming uses "Complaint," not "Petition," reflecting its status as a civil action), with the final judgment form numbered DIVCP-23, "Decree."
Source: wyocourts.gov
Fee waiver
Form MISC-11, "Affidavit of Indigency and Request for Waiver of Fees and Costs," filed in the district court where the case is pending; there is no fee to file the affidavit itself. Companion instructions are published as Form MISC-10.
Source: wyocourts.gov
Wyoming publishes fillable forms for this process.
California uses standardized Judicial Council forms, starting with the Petition (Form FL-100), across every county. See California's own divorce forms.
Filing online
A statewide e-filing system exists for Wyoming's trial courts (district courts), with registered users needing to pass a single proficiency exam to file across the state rather than register separately per county. However, Wyoming's own e-filing documentation defines "Traditional Filing", paper documents filed directly at the Clerk's office, as covering "Pro Se filings/over the counter filings," indicating self-represented litigants generally file on paper rather than through the attorney-oriented e-filing/proficiency-exam system. Confirm current pro se e-filing options with the specific district court clerk.
Source: wyocourts.gov
Uncontested and simplified divorce
Wyoming does not have a separate statutory simplified or summary divorce track. An uncontested case still uses the standard process, it just moves faster because there is nothing to litigate.
No distinct statutory "summary dissolution" track was found. Wyoming's official self-help materials note that couples who agree on all terms "may be able to complete much of the divorce paperwork" themselves using the standard packets, but this is a matter of the case being uncontested and moving through the ordinary process faster, not a separate simplified legal procedure with its own eligibility thresholds (e.g., no marriage-length or asset-value caps were found).
California's equivalent is uncontested divorce in California, which uses the same statewide forms as any other case but moves faster once both spouses agree on every term.
Filing without a lawyer
Wyoming allows self-represented filers, and most divorces filed in the state proceed this way. Because Virdix prepares paperwork for California cases only, a Wyoming filer handling their own case works directly from Wyoming's own forms and self-help materials rather than a Virdix-prepared packet. Wyoming's official self-help resources are the direct source for the current forms and instructions.
For how self-representation works in the state Virdix does serve, see divorce without a lawyer in California and DIY divorce vs. hiring a lawyer.
More about divorce in Wyoming
How property is divided
Equitable distribution (not community property). Under Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-114(a), the court divides marital property based on what is "just and equitable," considering the respective merits of the parties, the condition each will be left in after divorce, who acquired the property, and burdens imposed on the property for the benefit of either party or the children, a discretionary, factor-based standard rather than a presumptive 50/50 split.
Source: wyoleg.gov
Court structure
Divorce actions are filed with, and heard by, the district court of the county where either party resides (Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-104), Wyoming does not have a separate family court; divorce is one docket among the district court's general civil jurisdiction, and divorce actions are conducted as civil actions under § 20-2-108.
Source: wyoleg.gov
Child support guideline
A presumptive guideline based on the parents' combined net income, calculated under Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-304 and applied as a rebuttable presumption under § 20-2-307 (courts may deviate only on specific findings). This combined-income structure is consistent with an Income Shares-style model; the department of family services is statutorily required to review the guideline figures at least every four years.
Source: wyoleg.gov
Parenting class requirement
Not required by statute statewide.
Not automatically mandatory in every case, but courts have express authority to order it: under Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-201(f), "at any time the court may require parents to attend appropriate parenting classes, including but not limited to, parenting classes to lessen the effects of divorce on children." This is discretionary court-ordered, not a universal statutory prerequisite to obtaining a decree.
Source: wyoleg.gov
California is the only state on this site with a full county-by-county breakdown. See how California's divorce process compares across its 58 counties.
This page is general information about Wyoming divorce procedure, not legal advice for your situation. Laws, fees, and forms change over time; confirm current details with Wyoming's own courts before relying on anything here. Virdix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law in Wyoming, and does not prepare or file Wyoming divorce paperwork. It is not a substitute for an attorney licensed in Wyoming.