Adult Legal Name Change Requirements in Wyoming

At a glance

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).