Wyoming Expungement & Court Record Removal: Felony Relief Since 2021

Wyoming's Expungement Framework: A 2021 Milestone

Wyoming Code § 7-13-1501 is the state's primary expungement statute, and for most of its history it covered only a limited set of circumstances - primarily misdemeanor convictions and arrests without conviction. A 2021 legislative amendment changed this significantly, adding nonviolent felony convictions to the expungeable categories for the first time and making Wyoming one of a growing number of states to permit felony expungement under specific conditions. For more information, visit the Wyoming Courts.

Wyoming expungement is a petition-based process. There is no automatic sealing or clean slate mechanism. All expungements require a petition filed with the district court in the county where the arrest or conviction occurred, and a judge must review and approve the petition. If granted, the expungement order directs the relevant agencies - the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the arresting agency, and the court clerk - to seal their records of the matter. Learn more about expungement vs. record sealing on our blog.

Upon successful expungement, the petitioner may legally state in most contexts that the arrest or conviction did not occur. Exceptions apply for certain licensing applications, law enforcement employment, and other contexts where sealed records may still be accessed by authorized entities. Learn more about court record removal on our blog.

What Qualifies for Wyoming Expungement

Arrests Without Conviction and Dismissed Charges

Under § 7-13-1501, a person who was arrested but whose charges were dismissed, who was acquitted, or who was never formally charged may petition for expungement of the arrest record. There is no waiting period for this category - you may petition as soon as the case reaches its final disposition. The court reviews the petition and may grant it if no charges are pending and the interest of justice supports expungement.

Misdemeanor Convictions

Wyoming allows expungement of misdemeanor convictions after a 5-year waiting period from the later of sentence completion, discharge from supervision, or payment of all fines, fees, and restitution. The petitioner must have no subsequent convictions during the 5-year period. DUI/DWUI convictions, domestic violence misdemeanors, and offenses requiring sex offender registration are excluded regardless of time elapsed.

Nonviolent Felony Convictions (2021 Expansion)

The 2021 legislation added this significant new category to Wyoming's expungement framework. To qualify for felony expungement:

• The conviction must be for a nonviolent felony - Wyoming law defines violent offenses and these are categorically excluded
• It must be a first felony offense - prior felony convictions in Wyoming or any other jurisdiction typically disqualify a petitioner
• The offense must not be on the excluded list (see below)
• A 10-year waiting period from sentence completion must have elapsed, including discharge from any supervision and satisfaction of all financial obligations
• No subsequent convictions of any kind during the 10-year period

This category covers a meaningful range of first-offense nonviolent felonies including certain drug felonies, property crime felonies such as theft and fraud, and financial crime felonies. Many Wyomingites who received felony convictions before 2021 and have now served 10 or more years since sentence completion may find themselves newly eligible for expungement that was not previously available.

Excluded Offenses

The following categories are ineligible for Wyoming expungement regardless of time elapsed: For more information, visit the Wyoming Legislature.

• Any violent felony under Wyoming law
• Sex offenses requiring registration on the Wyoming Sex Offender Registry
• Any offense involving a victim under age 18
• DUI or DWUI (driving under the influence / while under the influence) convictions
• Domestic battery or domestic violence offenses (misdemeanor or felony)
• Any offense carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years or more
• Second or subsequent felony convictions

Filing for Wyoming Expungement: Step by Step

1. Obtain your criminal history. Request a record from the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (wdci.state.wy.us) to confirm the details of your record - offense, case number, county, and sentence dates. DCI fingerprint-based records provide the most comprehensive history.
2. Confirm eligibility. Verify that the offense qualifies under § 7-13-1501, that the appropriate waiting period has elapsed, and that there are no disqualifying subsequent convictions. For felony expungements, the 10-year calculation requires careful attention to the discharge date from supervision.
3. Complete the petition form available through the Wyoming Judiciary (courts.state.wy.us). Wyoming provides standardized expungement petition forms for district court filings.
4. File with the district court in the county where the conviction or arrest occurred. Wyoming charges a district court filing fee, typically between $80 and $150 depending on the county and the nature of the matter.
5. Serve the prosecuting attorney. The county attorney's office receives notice of the petition and has the opportunity to review and respond. For felony expungements, the county attorney may request a hearing or submit written objections to the court.
6. Hearing (if required). The court may hold a hearing to evaluate whether expungement is in the interest of justice. Factors considered include the nature of the offense, conduct since conviction, rehabilitation efforts, and any impact on identified victims.
7. Order issued and implemented. Upon grant, the expungement order directs DCI, the arresting agency, and the court clerk to seal their records. DCI updates the Wyoming criminal history database and the court portal is updated accordingly.

Wyoming's Online Court Records and Data Broker Exposure

Wyoming's Supreme Court maintains an online case lookup tool through courts.state.wy.us that provides public access to case information including criminal matters from Wyoming's district courts and circuit courts. This publicly accessible database is a primary source for data brokers and background check companies that scrape state court data on an ongoing basis.

After a successful Wyoming expungement, the court portal is updated and the record removed from public view. DCI updates the criminal history. However, the same follow-up step applies here as in every state: commercial data brokers that previously copied Wyoming court records from the state portal do not automatically update that data when an expungement order is entered. Their databases are updated on their own schedules and are not party to the court order.

This means that a person who successfully expunges a Wyoming record may still find it appearing on sites like Spokeo, BeenVerified, PeopleFinders, Instant Checkmate, and dozens of similar platforms. Each site requires a separate opt-out submission, and the process must be monitored on an ongoing basis because removed records can reappear as brokers re-pull data from other sources that haven't yet been addressed.

Online Removal for Records Outside the Expungement Statute

For Wyomingites with records that do not qualify for expungement - those with violent felony convictions, DUI records, sex offense convictions, or records where the waiting period has not yet elapsed - online removal and suppression is the primary available approach.

Data broker opt-outs address the major commercial background-check platforms. While this doesn't remove records from the original government source, it reduces how easily casual searchers and automated third-party background check services find the information about you.

FCRA disputes address inaccuracies in consumer background check reports used in employment, housing, and credit contexts. If a report contains factually incorrect information about your record - wrong charges, wrong dates, charges that were dismissed listed as convictions - a formal FCRA dispute requires investigation and correction within 30 days.

Search engine suppression - building a positive online presence through optimized professional profiles, social media, business listings, and authored content - can push court record search results lower for your name, reducing their practical visibility to most people who search for you.

Reputation Resolutions has handled records in all 50 states since 2013. We develop customized removal and suppression plans based on what actually appears online for your name, not a generic template applied to every client regardless of their specific situation.

Wyoming Court Records: What Shows Where