Wyoming Landlord-Tenant Law for DIY Landlords (2026)

Security deposits, late fees, entry, the 3-day notice to quit and the forcible entry and detainer timeline in Wyoming, in plain English for landlords who manage their own rentals.

Last updated September 23, 2026

Wyoming keeps its rental rules short. The Residential Rental Property Act runs from Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1201 to § 1-21-1211, and the eviction process sits a few articles earlier at § 1-21-1001 through § 1-21-1017. That is close to the whole of it.

Short law cuts both ways. There is very little red tape, and very little the statute does for you that your lease does not. In Wyoming the lease is the main event. Write it well.

Here is what a small landlord has to get right, with the code section behind each rule.

What the Act covers

The Act applies to a residential rental unit, meaning the renter's principal place of residence, along with the grounds and common areas. Mobile home lots and recreational property rented on an occasional basis are outside it (§ 1-21-1201).

An oral rental agreement counts. The definition of rental agreement takes in any written or oral deal over use and occupancy (§ 1-21-1201).

Security deposits

There is no cap. Wyoming sets no statutory limit on the size of a residential security deposit. Charge what the market will bear and put the number in the lease.

Say in writing if any part is nonrefundable. The rental agreement has to state whether any portion of the deposit is nonrefundable, and you have to give the renter separate written notice of that fact at the time you take the money (§ 1-21-1207). Skip this and you will struggle to keep the nonrefundable part.

You have 30 days, or 15 days after you get a forwarding address, whichever is later. Within that window you mail or deliver the balance of the deposit, any prepaid rent, and a written itemization of what you kept (§ 1-21-1208(a)).

Damage buys you another 30 days. If the unit is damaged, the deadline stretches by 30 more days (§ 1-21-1208(a)).

The renter has to give you an address. The tenant is supposed to tell you a mailing address within 30 days of termination (§ 1-21-1208(a)). No address means your clock may not have started. Keep proof of what you were told and when.

What you can deduct. Accrued rent, damage beyond reasonable wear and tear, the cost of cleaning the unit back to its move-in condition, and other costs your contract provides for (§ 1-21-1208(a)). That last phrase is why a detailed lease matters in Wyoming.

Utility deposits run on their own clock. A deposit identified separately for utilities comes back within 10 days once the renter proves the utility bills are paid. No proof inside 45 days and you may apply it to the utility debt within 15 days, with anything left over refunded 7 days after that (§ 1-21-1208(b)).

The penalty is mild by national standards. An owner who unreasonably fails to follow those rules can be made to hand back the full deposit plus court costs. If you win and the court finds the renter acted unreasonably, you can recover your court costs (§ 1-21-1208(c)). There is no double or treble damages provision.

Late fees

Wyoming's rental statutes set no late fee cap and no grace period. The fee is whatever your lease says, and it is collectable as one of the "other costs provided by any contract" that a deposit can cover (§ 1-21-1208(a)). Keep it reasonable, keep it in writing, and apply it the same way every month.

Rent increases and rent control

Wyoming has no rent control and no statutory ceiling on an increase. Your lease and the market set the number. On a fixed term, raise rent at renewal. On a periodic tenancy, raise it with the notice your lease requires.

Entering the unit

Wyoming sets no statutory notice period for landlord entry. What the statute does say is that a renter may not unreasonably refuse entry for repairs, inspections, or showing the unit to prospective renters or buyers (§ 1-21-1205(a)(iii)).

That right is only as clear as your lease makes it. Write in a 24-hour written notice for non-emergencies and a right of immediate entry for emergencies, then follow your own rule.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

Wyoming's statutes do not fix a notice period for ending a periodic tenancy. The Residential Rental Property Act is silent on it, and the eviction article deals with tenants "holding over their terms" without saying how a term ends (§ 1-21-1002(a)(i)).

So your lease controls. Put a clear termination clause in it, commonly 30 days' written notice from either side on a month-to-month. Without one you are arguing common law in front of a circuit court judge, which is a bad place to start.

When rent isn't paid

You can bring a forcible entry and detainer action against a tenant who has failed to pay rent for three days after it is due (§ 1-21-1002(a)(i)).

Before you file, serve a written notice to quit. It has to go out at least three days before you start the action, by handing a written copy to the tenant or leaving it at their usual home or business if you cannot find them (§ 1-21-1003).

The eviction timeline

Three-day notice to quit. Written, served as above (§ 1-21-1003).
File in circuit court. Circuit courts hear forcible entry and detainer actions (§ 1-21-1001).
Summons and trial date. The judge sets the trial. The summons has to be served not less than 3 and not more than 12 days before that date. Your tenant does not have to file a written answer to take a full part in the trial (§ 1-21-1004).
Trial. If the tenant does not show up, the court tries the case as though they were there, and you still have to put on your complaint and your evidence or the case is dismissed (§ 1-21-1005). Either side can ask for a jury (§ 1-21-1008, § 1-21-1009).
Writ of restitution. On a judgment of restitution the court issues the writ at your request (§ 1-21-1012).
Sheriff executes. With no appeal filed, the officer carries out the writ within two days of receiving it, Sundays excepted, and restores you to possession (§ 1-21-1013).

If the tenant still will not go after the court order, the sheriff may remove their possessions and keep them from coming back without any further court action (§ 1-21-1211(a)).

Damage beyond the deposit is a separate claim. You may pursue it and collect 10 percent annual interest on the unpaid part (§ 1-21-1211(b)).

Leftover belongings have their own procedure. Items you reasonably believe are hazardous, perishable or valueless can go straight out. For anything else, serve written notice describing the property and saying it will be disposed of after 7 days. A tenant who responds inside those 7 days gets another 7 to collect, and you may charge reasonable storage and removal costs first (§ 1-21-1210).

Repairs and habitability

You have to keep the unit reasonably safe, sanitary and fit for human occupancy, and keep the common areas, electrical, plumbing, heating and water systems in working order (§ 1-21-1203(a)).

The renter starts the process in writing, describing the condition and the remedial action they want. You then either begin the repair or dispute the claim in writing within a reasonable time (§ 1-21-1203).

You do not have to fix damage the renter, their family or their guests caused by misusing the property (§ 1-21-1203).

If the repair cost is unreasonable next to the rent, you can decline it and end the agreement instead, with written notice giving the renter no less than 10 and no more than 20 days to find another home. Rent is prorated and the deposit refunded when they leave (§ 1-21-1203).

If you do nothing, the renter can send a certified-mail notice to repair that references the first notice and warns of court action if work does not start within 3 days. After that they can sue in circuit court for damages, a repair order, or termination with a refund of remaining rent and the deposit inside 30 days (§ 1-21-1206). Wyoming caps the downside in one useful way. An owner is not liable under this article for mental suffering or anguish (§ 1-21-1203).

The short version

No deposit cap, and no statutory retaliation claim in the Act
Deposit back within 30 days, or 15 days after you get a forwarding address, whichever is later, plus 30 more days if there is damage
Any nonrefundable portion has to be stated in the lease and noticed in writing
No late fee cap, no grace period, no rent control
No statutory entry notice and no statutory month-to-month notice, so your lease has to supply both
3-day written notice to quit, then file in circuit court
Summons served 3 to 12 days before trial, writ executed within 2 days

Let Taz handle the paperwork

Taz is an AI property manager for landlords who would rather not live in the code books. It tracks deposit deadlines, sends rent reminders, takes maintenance requests day and night, and keeps the written record a Wyoming circuit court judge would ask to see. See how Taz works.

Where this guide says a state has no rule on something, that means we found no statute setting one, which is not the same as none existing. Local ordinances and court practice can add requirements. Confirm anything you plan to rely on.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and your city or county may add rules. Talk to a Wyoming attorney before acting on a specific situation. Last checked September 2026.