Courts in Wyoming

The Circuit Courts are trial courts of limited jurisdiction. This means Circuit Courts have the authority to hear only specific kinds of cases. Wyoming’s Circuit Courts hear cases, such as criminal misdemeanors and civil disputes when someone is asking to be paid less than $50,000. Circuit Courts also hear cases that need to be handled very quickly: protection orders, evictions, and the first phases of felony criminal cases.

Wyoming has at least one Circuit Court in each county, and they are divided into 9 judicial districts.

What types of cases are handled in the Circuit Courts?

Civil Cases

• Protection Orders.
• Small Claims. These are disputes when someone is asking to be paid no more than $6,000.
• Eviction. These are formally called Forcible Entry and Detainer cases.
• Disputes when someone is asking to be paid no more than $50,000.

Criminal Cases

• Low-level crimes (Misdemeanors).
• First phases of serios crimes (felonies), through the preliminary hearing. After the first phases, these cases are sent (“bound over”) to District Court for trial.

Circuit Courts also hear cases for citations that were issued by Wyoming Highway Patrol, Wyoming Game & Fish Department, county sheriffs’ offices, and (in some circumstances) city police departments.

The District Courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction. This means District Courts have the authority to hear all kinds of cases: criminal cases, family law, probate, and so on. Wyoming has 23 District Courts (one in each county), and they are divided into 9 judicial districts.

What types of cases are handled in the District Courts?

Criminal Cases

• Serious criminal cases (Felony criminal charges).

Family Law Cases

• Divorce.
• Child custody.
• Child support.
• Paternity.

Adoption Cases

• Adoption.
• Adoption Confidential Intermediaries. These are cases that help biological families and adoptive families search for each other.
• All adoption cases are confidential.

Juvenile Cases

• Abuse.
• Neglect.
• Delinquency.
• Child in Need of Supervision (CHINS).
• All juvenile cases are confidential.

Probate Cases

• Wills.
• Estates.
• Guardianships.
• Conservatorships.

Other Kinds of Civil Cases

• Disputes when someone is asking to be paid more than $50,000.
• Disputes about real property (such as houses or ranch land).
• Name changes.
• Claims against the government.
• Injunctions (asking for a court order to stop something from happening).

Appeals

• Asking the District Court to look at a decision made by a Circuit Court.
• Asking the District Court to look at a decision made by a Municipal Court.
• Asking the District Court to look at a decision made by a government agency, such as Workers’ Compensation or a licensing board.

The Wyoming Supreme Court hears all appeals from the district and chancery courts. When a case is appealed, the Supreme Court reviews the case record, hears arguments, and issues a written opinion. The Supreme Court is the State’s final authority on disputes under the Wyoming Constitution and laws.

Municipal Courts are trial courts that deal exclusively with cases involving city ordinance violations. Examples are noise restrictions and leash laws.

Information about Municipal Courts can be found on your local city website or by contacting your local city offices.

To learn about other kinds of courts in Wyoming, click a link below.

• U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wyoming
• U.S. District Court in Wyoming
• Wind River Tribal Court

• District Court Information
• Circuit Court Information