Open Records

Wyoming’s public records law is the Wyoming Public Records Act, Wyo. Stat. § 16-4-201 et seq. – sometimes also referred to informally as Wyoming’s “Sunshine Law.” All public records are open for inspection by any person at reasonable times during business hours, except as specifically exempted.

Who can request records

Any person may request public records – Wyoming doesn’t require state residency, and no statement of purpose is required.

What’s covered

Records held by state entities and political subdivisions. The custodian of records can establish reasonable rules for inspection, aimed at protecting the records and preventing unnecessary interference with the office’s regular duties.

How to request

Submit a request to the relevant governmental entity’s designated public records contact – procedures for how to submit and what it will cost can vary by agency, and some requesters have found information about the process sparse on certain local government websites.

Response timeline

Wyoming’s structure has two distinct timing markers. If requested records aren’t immediately available (in active use or storage), the custodian must notify the requester of that situation within 7 business days of acknowledged receipt. Records generally must then be released within 30 calendar days of that acknowledged receipt, unless “good cause” exists to extend the timeline – good cause considers whether the records are privileged/confidential, or whether releasing them would impair the entity’s ability to carry out its other duties (e.g., understaffing, unusually high request volume, or the sheer size of the request).

Fees

– Reasonable fees may be charged for copies, printouts, or photographs – but a fee cannot be charged simply as a condition of making a record available for inspection. – If a fee will be charged, some agencies won’t begin compiling/reviewing records until the fee is paid, which can add to the overall timeline. – Labor/staff time generally is not charged in many cases – some sources describe fees as generally limited to the actual cost of materials, though practices vary by entity, since there’s no single statewide fee schedule.

Exemptions

Common exemptions include certain law enforcement investigation records and other statutorily protected categories.

If your request is denied

A written denial must state the reason(s) under the Wyoming Public Records Act. Wyoming has a Public Records Ombudsman who can review complaints, mediate disputes, examine records in camera to determine if redaction would permit release, prescribe timelines for release, and waive fees – a genuinely useful informal option before resorting to litigation, since Wyoming’s law otherwise offers no formal administrative appeals process. Beyond the ombudsman, the only enforcement mechanism is a lawsuit; Wyoming courts that have ruled on public records disputes have generally favored openness, though case law remains limited given the state’s small population and comparatively low request volume.

Recent developments to watch

As of 2025-2026, a legislative task force led by the Public Records Ombudsman has been actively discussing reforms to the Act – including possibly shortening response timelines, standardizing fee schedules statewide, and addressing burdensome out-of-state data-mining requests. No changes have been finalized as of this writing; worth checking current status periodically.

A note on terminology

Wyoming’s law is officially the “Wyoming Public Records Act” – also informally called a “Sunshine Law” by some sources – the same basic type of law that other states call an “Open Records Act,” “FOIA Laws” (South Carolina), or “Public Records Laws” (Tennessee).