Wyoming divorce records are maintained by the Clerks of District Courts, the Wyoming Vital Statistics Services, and the Wyoming State Archives. The place to look will depend mostly on how old of a divorce record you are looking for, and how much detail you are interested in.
Clerk of District Court
The Clerk of District Court for each Wyoming county has kept their divorce records since the Court was established.
Your own divorce records
If you are looking for your own divorce records, this is the place to go. As one of the parties to the divorce, you can access the entire file that is in the courthouse.
You might need these records if you want to modify the existing orders, but somehow lost your papers in the move. Or they are in storage, and you don’t know which box they are in.
Anyway, you can always get copies of your own divorce records from the Clerk of Court, even if they have been sent to archives. You see, most Clerks keep court records on microfilm after they are archived. Nonetheless, each Clerk of Court sort of makes their own rules as to who they allow to access those records. Best practice? Be nice to the deputy clerks.
You should be aware that most Clerks charge a fee for copying your records. These fees vary, and so you should call ahead to get an idea of the amount you might need, and to find out what method of payment is accepted.
The Wyoming State Archives
The State of Wyoming has issued Certificates of Divorce only since 1941. After 50 years, the certificates become open public records. Anyone can get these records and they are available for research at the Archives. Certificates are released at the beginning of the next calendar year (i.e.: 1965 certificates become available in 2016).
Many District Courts transfer their inactive cases to the Archives, but they retain the indexes. You will need to know the County and the docket number (case number) to access the cases stored in the Archives.
Prior to 1941 – No certificates issued, but the District Court may have transferred their court files to the archives. Contact Clerk of District Court in the county in which the divorce was granted to find out. If the case has been archived, then get the docket number so you can make a search request at the the Archives.
1941-1962 – State issued certificates are public records. Certificates and index available on microfilm at the Wyoming State Archives. Contact county district court of origin for case or docket number if case transferred to the Archives
Wyoming Vital Statistics Services
Divorce records since May of 1941 are maintained by the Vital Statistics office, but access to them is limited. Only the husband or wife named on the divorce, or an attorney, can request those records.
Information Needed
A person requesting the records must provide the following information:
- Full names of husband and wife, including the wife’s maiden name
- Date of divorce
- City or county of divorce
- Signature of husband or wife named on certificate
- A Mailing address where the record is to be mailed
Identification
In addition, the requestor must include a photocopy of their driver’s license, State ID card, or passport. Be sure to enlarge the copy of these documents, so that they can be read easily. If you do not want to send a copy of such identification, the office will also accept a notarized signature of the person making the request.
Fees
- The fee for obtaining divorce certificates is $13.
- If the divorce record is not located, the $13 fee will be retained as a searching fee.
To make your request, complete and print the divorce records application, and mail it with the photocopy of your ID, and a $13 check or money order, to Vital Statistics Services, Hathaway Building, Cheyenne, WY 82002
By Steve Harton