Casewell
The law in plain words
Under section 20-2-201, "In determining custody a court shall not favor or disfavor any form of custody." Custody can combine joint, shared or sole arrangements, built around the child's best interests.
For the statute itself, including the custody factors, moving rules and how to file, see our guide to Wyoming custody laws.
No custody type comes first
Wyoming does not start from shared custody or from sole custody. The judge weighs the factors in section 20-2-201 and builds the order around the child.
A 2025 bill, Senate File 117, would have created a shared-custody presumption. It died in committee and never became law.
What the judge weighs
The factors include each parent's care, fitness and willingness to take and hand over care at set times. Distance between homes and respect for the other parent count too.
Evidence of spousal or child abuse counts against a parent. Since 2025, a registered sex offender conviction is a listed factor as well.
Changing an existing order
To change an order, a parent must show a material change in circumstances and that the change helps the child. That rule is in section 20-2-204.
Repeatedly blocking court-ordered visits can count as a material change.
What the numbers do not show
The figures above show where Wyoming children live, not what a court ordered. Use them as background only.
Your evidence and the child's needs decide the case.
Building the record
Note the care you give and your time with the child, each with a date and any papers behind it. Record how you take and hand over care at the set times, since the court weighs that.
Casewell keeps those notes and files together. A lawyer can then read a clear timeline.
A clearer way to prepare
Come to court ready, not stressed.
Turn messages, receipts and everyday notes into a clear attorney-ready record.
New record
Late pickup
Pickup was scheduled for 5:00pm. The other parent arrived at 5:42pm.
Report ready
Your report is ready
Ready for your attorney or lawyer to review.
No age at which a child chooses
Wyoming sets no age at which a child picks a home. Section 20-2-201 lists what the court weighs, including the quality of the child's relationship with each parent and how the parents and child interact. A child's view sits inside that, without a fixed age attached.
What a judge watches for is whether the view is the child's own. A preference that appears after one parent has been talking usually carries less, not more.
Children are rarely asked to give evidence in open court. Wyoming law sets no rule on how a child's view reaches the judge.
The first few weeks set the pattern
Whatever routine runs while a case is pending often becomes the shape of the final order. Judges are careful about disturbing an arrangement a child has settled into.
So keep your parenting time going, in full and on time. If you are leaving the family home, work out where the children will be first, and get that written down.
Temporary orders exist for this. They fix the schedule while the case runs, and they are far easier to build on than to undo later.
Before you file in Wyoming
Save any existing order, track your time with the child for a few weeks, and write down the arrangement you want.
A Wyoming family-law lawyer can weigh your plan against the section 20-2-201 factors.
Wyoming custody preparation checklist
Use this before asking a lawyer or adviser to assess a pattern.
Prepare before professional costs rise
Casewell organizes parenting time, communication, handovers, expenses and attachments into a dated chronology. Export the relevant period for review so a lawyer can focus on the real custody questions and any supported pattern of abuse or non-cooperation. Start your Casewell record today.
At what age can a child choose which parent to live with in Wyoming?
No age is set. The child's view is one part of what section 20-2-201 asks a judge to weigh. Its weight depends on the child's maturity and whether the view looks like their own.
Do temporary orders matter in Wyoming?
Yes, more than most parents expect. The routine that runs while a case is pending often becomes the final schedule. So a temporary order is worth getting right, not treating as a formality.
Is Wyoming a 50/50 custody state now?
No. Wyoming has no 50/50 presumption. The law tells judges not to favor or disfavor any form of custody. Shared-custody bills failed in 2025 and 2026.
Did Wyoming pass a shared custody law?
No. Senate File 117 died in committee in 2025, and Senate File 93 failed introduction in 2026. A 2026 resolution named April 26 Shared Parenting Day but changed no law.
Does Wyoming publish a full-custody success rate?
No. Public data does not provide a complete percentage of Wyoming cases in which mothers or fathers receive sole legal and physical custody. Household statistics describe where children live, not court outcomes.
Do these statistics show that mothers get custody more often in Wyoming?
They show the sex of the household householder in a living-arrangement table. They do not show legal custody, parenting-time percentages, the reason for the arrangement, or whether a court was involved.
Can documentation improve my chances of custody?
Yes. Good records can definitely improve your chances. They help you arrive prepared with clear, dated evidence in the right format. They give your lawyer a head start, saving time and fees. They cannot guarantee an outcome, but they can strengthen your case.
What should I record first?
Start with the current arrangement. Then log each important change: the date, what was expected, what you saw, the source, the effect on the child, your response and the outcome. Use Casewell to keep the entry and supporting file together.
Sources
Statistics are 2024 ACS 5-year estimates from Census table B09005. The values are checked against the official Census table-based data file. The table measures children's household living arrangements, not legal custody or court outcomes; the Census table, data file, and secondary machine-readable mirror are linked so the calculation can be reproduced.
- W.S. 20-2-201 — custody disposition and best-interest factors checked
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year table B09005 for Wyoming checked
- U.S. Census Bureau, official 2024 ACS 5-year table-based B09005 data file checked
- Machine-readable ACS 2024 5-year B09005 values (Census Reporter mirror) checked
- U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 checked