Wyoming: Homestead Exemption Amounts

Requirements one by one

Governing law

Wyoming's homestead exemption is in Title 1 (Code of Civil Procedure), Chapter 20, "Property Exempt From Execution or Attachment." Section 1-20-101 creates the right and sets the amount; § 1-20-102 says when it operates and how joint owners are treated; § 1-20-104 describes what property can qualify; and § 1-20-108 states the purchase-money exception and the residency requirement. Sections 1-20-103 and 1-20-107 carry the exemption over to a deceased homesteader's family.

Exemption amount

$100,000 in value, per person. Section 1-20-101 entitles "every resident of the state" to a homestead "not exceeding one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) in value." This is the current figure: 2023 House Bill 174 (Chapter 84) raised the cap from its long-standing $20,000 to $100,000. The amount is a limit on protected equity, not on the home's total value, a more valuable home is still protected up to $100,000 of the owner's interest. Bankruptcy filers should note that the federal cap in 11 U.S.C. § 522(p) can independently limit the exemption on a home acquired shortly before filing.

Size or acreage limit

None. Section 1-20-104 says the homestead "may consist of a house on a lot or lots or other lands of any number of acres, or a house trailer or other movable home", expressly "any number of acres." Wyoming caps the exemption by dollar value only, and it covers mobile and manufactured homes as well as conventional houses.

Automatic, or do you have to file something?

Automatic. Section 1-20-102(a) makes the homestead exempt "while occupied as such by the owner or the person entitled thereto, or his or her family." There is no recording requirement and no declaration you must file to obtain the protection, occupancy as a residence is what triggers it. (A recorded declaration of homestead is optional and, at most, evidentiary; it is not required for the exemption to apply against creditors.)

Who qualifies, and can spouses double it?

Two requirements: you must occupy the home as a residence (§ 1-20-102(a)), and you must be "a bona fide resident of this state" (§ 1-20-108(b)). Wyoming is one of the states that clearly allows doubling: § 1-20-102(b) provides that "when two (2) or more persons jointly own and occupy the same residence, each shall be entitled to the homestead exemption." So a married couple, or any co-owners who both live there, can each claim $100,000, protecting up to $200,000 of combined equity.

What it actually protects you from

Section 1-20-101 makes the homestead "exempt from execution and attachment arising from any debt, contract or civil obligation entered into or incurred." A judgment creditor therefore cannot force a sale of the protected $100,000 of equity to collect an ordinary money judgment. As with every state's exemption, this protects the home's value from that creditor; it does not cancel the debt or protect the owner's non-exempt property.

Debts that can still reach your home

The clearest exception is purchase money: under § 1-20-108(a), property claimed as exempt is not exempt "from attachment or sale upon execution for the purchase money of the property", the debt used to buy the home is not blocked by the exemption. A mortgage or deed of trust the owner granted is likewise enforceable against the property through the lender's own security interest. And the residency requirement in § 1-20-108(b) is itself a gate: someone who is not a bona fide Wyoming resident cannot claim the exemption at all.

Protection for sale proceeds

None stated. Chapter 20 exempts the homestead itself but contains no provision protecting the cash proceeds after a sale, and sets no fixed number of months during which sale money stays exempt. A homeowner planning to sell while a judgment or lawsuit is pending should not assume the proceeds carry the same protection the home had.

What trips people up

The single biggest trap is the amount. Wyoming's homestead exemption sat at $20,000 for decades, and a great deal of online material, and even the fill-in cap on some form documents, still lists $20,000 (single) or $40,000 (married). The current figure is $100,000 per person, effective since the 2023 increase. Second, "homestead" in Wyoming also refers to a separate property-tax break for primary residences that lawmakers added more recently; that tax program is unrelated to protecting the home from a creditor. Third, the doubling rule depends on both co-owners actually occupying the home, a co-owner who does not live there is not "entitled" under § 1-20-102. Finally, the exemption gives you no defense against the loan that financed the home: purchase money and consensual mortgages come first.

Common questions

How much home equity does Wyoming protect now? Up to $100,000 per person, raised from $20,000 by a 2023 law. Two joint owner-occupants can each claim it, for up to $200,000.

Do I need to record a declaration to get the exemption? No. It is automatic once you occupy the home as your residence and are a Wyoming resident. Recording a declaration is optional and only evidentiary.

Can the bank that gave me my mortgage still foreclose? Yes. The exemption does not defeat purchase-money debt or a mortgage/deed of trust; those are enforced under the lender's own lien.

Statutes and sources

• Wyo. Stat. § 1-20-101, https://law.justia.com/codes/wyoming/title-1/chapter-20/section-1-20-101/ (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Wyo. Stat. § 1-20-102, https://law.justia.com/codes/wyoming/title-1/chapter-20/section-1-20-102/ (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Wyo. Stat. § 1-20-104, https://law.justia.com/codes/wyoming/title-1/chapter-20/section-1-20-104/ (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Wyo. Stat. § 1-20-108, https://law.justia.com/codes/wyoming/title-1/chapter-20/section-1-20-108/ (accessed 2026-07-10)