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How much does it cost to file for divorce in Wyoming?

Filing a Complaint for Divorce in Wyoming costs a $160 filing fee, the same in every county. The Wyoming Judicial Branch states the figure directly: under Wyoming Statutes §§5-3-206 and 2-2-401, the initial filing fee for a new civil or probate case in district court is $160, of which $40 is for court automation and $10 is for indigent civil legal services. Divorce is a domestic relations case in district court, so the Complaint for Divorce pays that same $160 — there is no separate, higher divorce-only price and no lower price for a case without children.

Wyoming divorce fees at a glance

The Judicial Branch's own frequently-asked-questions page is the clearest statement of the rule: the $160 fee applies to original actions commenced in district court, and to actions reopened after a final decree had previously been entered, and it is paid by the filing party. That reopening rule matters in family cases, because a spouse who later asks the court to reopen a finished divorce for enforcement or modification starts from the same statutory fee language rather than a discounted motion price stated on the statewide page. The $160 is a clerk's fee set by statute, not a county invention, which is why a filer in Cheyenne, Casper or a small rural county starts from the identical number. The national comparison is on the divorce filing costs hub and the wider state picture is on the Wyoming court costs guide.

Residency and where the case is filed

Wyoming divorce cases are heard in district court, which the Judicial Branch describes as the court for domestic relations, civil, probate and real-estate title cases. Wyoming's residency rule is short: a spouse must have lived in Wyoming for 60 days before filing, a requirement stated in Wyo. Stat. §20-2-107 and repeated in the Judicial Branch's free self-help divorce packets. The case is filed with the clerk of district court in the county where either spouse resides, using the Judicial Branch's standardized family-law packets — separate packets cover divorce with and without minor children — rather than forms drafted from scratch. Because the filing fee is statutory and statewide, choosing a county changes the clerk's office and the judge, not the $160 price of opening the case.

What the filing package includes

A Wyoming filing is more than the complaint. The clerk expects a civil cover sheet, the Complaint for Divorce, a summons for the other spouse, and the confidential financial and child-support paperwork the self-help packet specifies when minor children are involved. The Judicial Branch publishes those packets free, which is one reason an agreed Wyoming divorce can stay close to the clerk-side total: the forms themselves cost nothing. What the $160 buys is the opening of the case file, docketing, and certification of one copy of an order, decree or judgment for each party under §5-3-206 — the statute's own description of what the original filing fee covers. Extra copies beyond that are priced by the page in the same statute, at $1 for the first page and $0.50 for each additional page, and a transcript in a case appealed to the Supreme Court is priced separately at $100 including certificates and transmission.

How the case runs

1. Confirm 60 days of Wyoming residency for at least one spouse
2. Complete the Complaint for Divorce, cover sheet and summons from the Judicial Branch self-help packet for your situation, with or without minor children
3. File the packet with the clerk of district court in the county of residence and pay the filing fee $160
4. Serve your spouse, or file their signed acceptance or waiver of service where the packet allows it
5. Exchange the required financial disclosures, complete any parenting paperwork where children are involved, and submit the proposed decree for the judge's signature

What divorce really costs beyond the clerk

The $160 opens the case; it does not finish it. Service of the summons by a sheriff or private process server is charged by the server and is not part of the district court filing fee, so this page does not price it — the clerk or the sheriff's civil process office can quote the current rate in your county. Parenting classes or mediation, where a district requires or orders them, are priced by the provider or the mediator. Attorney fees are market-priced and are normally the largest cost in a contested Wyoming divorce, particularly where property, a ranch or business interests, or a custody dispute must be tried. The clerk-side figure you can predict exactly is the one on this page: $160 to file, the same $160 to reopen a case after a final decree, and per-page copy prices fixed in the same statute. Compare neighbouring structures in Colorado divorce costs, South Dakota divorce costs and Utah divorce costs.

Can't afford the fee?

Wyoming district courts can excuse the filing fee for a filer who cannot pay it, through the court's in forma pauperis process: a sworn statement of income, assets and expenses filed with the complaint, which the court reviews before the case proceeds without the fee. Ask the clerk of district court for the current affidavit form when you collect the divorce packet, and file the request with the complaint rather than afterwards, because the clerk cannot open the case on a promise to pay later. If the request is denied, the $160 must be paid for the case to proceed. The general mechanics of fee waivers, and how courts in other states handle the same request, are explained in the fee waiver guide.

Sources: Wyoming Judicial Branch, Frequently Asked Questions (wyocourts.gov) — initial filing fee for a new civil or probate case $160 under Wyo. Stat. §§5-3-206 and 2-2-401, including $40 court automation and $10 indigent civil legal services, applying to original actions and reopened cases · Wyo. Stat. §5-3-206 (copies $1 first page / $0.50 additional; appeal transcript $100) · Wyo. Stat. §20-2-107 (60-day residency). Last verified: October 2026 — confirm current figures with the clerk of district court.