Wyoming: Adult Legal Name Change Requirements

Requirements one by one

File a sworn petition after six months in Wyoming

Under §§ 1-25-101 and 1-25-102, an adult files in the district court for the
county where the adult currently lives after at least six continuous months as
a bona fide Wyoming resident. The county itself has no six-month requirement;
the petition reports how long the adult has lived there.

The petition states the current and desired full names, a concise reason, place
of birth, residence, and county-residence length. Current NCA-06 adds birth-
record choices, state-residence length, and the domestic-abuse confidentiality
choice. The adult signs under oath before a clerk or notarial officer.

Publish once a week for four consecutive weeks

Under § 1-25-103 and W.R.C.P. 4(m)-(n), the clerk-issued notice runs for
four consecutive weeks in a newspaper published in the filing county. If none
is published there, use a Wyoming newspaper of general circulation in that
county. One insertion per week is enough in a daily newspaper.

The newspaper supplies an affidavit of publication for filing. The current
notice gives interested persons 30 days after the final publication to object.
The fee-waiver guidance warns that publication expense is typically not waived.

A hearing depends on objections and the judge

The current packet says an objection requires a hearing and a judge may also
require one without an objection. A judge may instead issue the order without
a hearing after the publication and objection period. Under § 1-25-101, the
court must order the change once satisfied that it is proper and not detrimental
to another person's interests.

Chapter 25 and current NCA-06 require no fingerprints, criminal-history report,
conviction disclosure, registry disclosure, or corrections clearance. They
also state no categorical criminal-record restriction.

Domestic-abuse confidentiality removes publication

Under § 35-21-112, the court must protect the residence-identifying
information of a domestic-abuse victim who has a still-effective protection
order. The same result follows if the court finds by a preponderance of the
evidence that the person is a victim and may face additional abuse without
confidentiality.

Sections 1-25-101 and 1-25-103 preserve that confidentiality in the name-
change case and remove publication. The protection covers the address, city,
state, and other residence-identifying information; it does not automatically
seal every case record.

The filing fee is $160 and may be waived

Under § 5-3-206(a)(i), the original district-court filing fee is $160
and includes certification of one copy of the filed order for each party. A
person unable to afford the fee may file the statewide Affidavit of Indigency
and Request for Waiver of Fees and Costs; the judge decides the request.

The signed order changes the legal name and is recorded in the court record.
For a person born in Wyoming, § 35-1-424(c) permits a separate request to
amend the birth certificate after Vital Records receives a certified order.

What trips people up

• The six-month rule is statewide, not countywide. File in the county where
  you live now and report the actual county-residence length.
• The clock continues after the fourth publication. File the publisher's
  affidavit and allow the 30-day objection period to expire.
• Confidentiality must come before public notice. A domestic-abuse victim
  seeking protection should use the confidentiality forms before publishing
  current and proposed names.
• Do not add criminal disclosures from an unofficial template. Current
  NCA-06 does not ask for a criminal record, registry status, judgments, liens,
  or other legal obligations.

Common questions

Is a hearing always required?

No. An objection requires a hearing, and a judge may order one, but the current
packet also permits the judge to issue the order without a hearing.

Can publication be avoided for safety?

Yes. A qualifying domestic-abuse confidentiality order removes the publication
requirement and protects residence-identifying information.

Does Wyoming require fingerprints?

No fingerprint card or criminal-history report appears in Chapter 25 or current
NCA-06.

Statutes and sources

• Wyo. Stat. §§ 1-25-101 to -103 — district court, petition, residence,
  grant standard, record, publication, and confidentiality exception. Official
  Title 1 PDF (accessed July
  26, 2026).
• Wyo. R. Civ. P. 4(m)-(n) — newspaper, four-week schedule, notice content,
  completion, and affidavit proof. Official current civil-rules
  PDF
  (accessed July 26, 2026).
• Wyo. Stat. §§ 35-21-112, 5-3-206, and 35-1-424 — domestic-abuse
  confidentiality, $160 filing fee, and optional birth-record amendment.
  Official Title 35 PDF and
  official Title 5 PDF
  (accessed July 26, 2026).
• Wyoming Judicial Branch adult packet and fee-waiver instructions — current
  official forms, publication and objection timing, hearing practice, order,
  and indigency procedure. Adult packet
  and waiver instructions
  (accessed July 26, 2026).