Debt Collection Laws in Wyoming

If you're dealing with debt collection in Wyoming, here's what actually protects you: a cap on how much of your paycheck can be garnished, a base amount of home equity and bank funds creditors can't touch, and a deadline after which a debt lawsuit generally can't succeed. Current as ofJuly 2026 — sourcing for each section is linked below.

How much of my paycheck can be garnished in Wyoming?

Wyoming caps wage garnishment at 25% of your disposable earnings for the week — or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less, same as the federal floor.

Wyoming didn't write its own, more protective garnishment formula — Wyo. Stat. § 1-15-408(b) just adopts the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act limits. A creditor can take the lesser of 25% of your disposable earnings for that week, or the amount by which your weekly disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage ($7.25, so $217.50/week is protected outright). Disposable earnings means what's left after legally required deductions like taxes and Social Security — not after voluntary deductions like 401(k) contributions or health insurance.

Multiple garnishments get stacked by priority: whichever writ is served first gets paid first, and later writs wait their turn rather than splitting the pot simultaneously. Child support garnishments run under a separate, higher-percentage framework and aren't capped by this section.

• Wyo. Stat. § 1-15-408 — Garnishment of earnings for personal services

Can a creditor take money from my bank account in Wyoming?

Wyoming has no bank-account-specific exemption — money in your account is protected only to the extent it falls under the state's general personal-property exemptions, most of which top out at $4,000.

Unlike some states, Wyoming doesn't shield a flat dollar amount sitting in a checking or savings account from a judgment creditor's garnishment. Instead, funds are only exempt if they trace back to a category the legislature specifically protected — for example, wages that already had the § 1-15-408 garnishment limits applied, or proceeds that fall within the $4,000 'furniture, bedding, provisions and other household articles' exemption under Wyo. Stat. § 1-20-106, or the $4,000 tools-of-the-trade exemption in the same section. Wearing apparel is separately exempt up to $2,000 under § 1-20-105.

In practice this means a Wyoming bank account itself is a soft target for a writ of garnishment once a creditor has a judgment — there's no automatic 'this much of your bank balance is off-limits' rule the way there is for wages. Debtors who believe funds in an account are exempt (e.g., traceable Social Security or exempt wages) generally have to file a claim of exemption with the court and prove the source.

• Wyo. Stat. § 1-20-106 — Exemption of other personal property
• Wyo. Stat. § 1-20-105 — Wearing apparel

Is my home protected from creditors in Wyoming?

Wyoming's homestead exemption protects up to $100,000 in home equity per resident, a figure that jumped from a decades-old $20,000 cap when the legislature raised it effective July 1, 2023.

Wyo. Stat. § 1-20-101 gives every state resident a homestead exemption 'not exceeding one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) in value,' shielding that equity from execution or attachment tied to a debt, contract, or civil obligation. It applies to a house and the land it sits on (or, for someone without a house, personal property up to the same value), and under § 1-20-102 the protection only lasts while the property is actually occupied as a home by the owner or their family — it doesn't follow you to a vacant second property. When two or more people jointly own and occupy the same residence, each co-owner is entitled to their own $100,000 exemption, effectively doubling the protection to $200,000 for married couples who hold title jointly.

The homestead exemption doesn't defeat a purchase-money mortgage, mechanic's lien, or tax lien on the property — it only blocks general unsecured judgment creditors from forcing a sale.

• Wyo. Stat. § 1-20-101 — Homestead exemption; right and amount

How long can a debt collector sue me in Wyoming?

Wyoming gives creditors 10 years to sue on a written contract and 8 years on an unwritten one — among the longest windows in the country, so don't assume an old debt is automatically dead.

Wyo. Stat. § 1-3-105(a)(i) sets the 10-year period for 'a specialty or any contract, agreement or promise in writing' — this covers most credit card agreements and signed loan documents, since the account terms are in writing even if you never signed a single physical page.

Section 1-3-105(a)(ii) sets 8 years for 'a contract not in writing, either express or implied,' which is where genuinely oral agreements and some open-account claims fall.

A partial payment or written acknowledgment of the debt after the clock starts can restart the limitations period in Wyoming, so making a payment on a time-barred debt can revive a collector's ability to sue. The clock generally starts running from the date of last activity or default, not the original account-opening date.

• Wyo. Stat. § 1-3-105 — Actions other than recovery of real property

Does Wyoming have its own debt collection law beyond the federal FDCPA?

Wyoming doesn't have a standalone mini-FDCPA with its own list of prohibited collector tactics — instead it regulates collectors through a licensing statute (Wyo. Stat. §§ 33-11-101 to 33-11-123) and lets the general Consumer Protection Act catch deceptive conduct.

The Collection Agency Act requires anyone conducting collection business in Wyoming — agencies, and the individual debt collectors and solicitors who work for them — to hold a license issued by the Collection Agency Board, per Wyo. Stat. § 33-11-102. The Board (created under § 33-11-103) can investigate consumer complaints, and under § 33-11-112 it can suspend or revoke a license, or impose a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation, if a licensee violates the Act or Board rules or engages in conduct showing they're unfit to hold a license. Operating as an unlicensed collection agency in Wyoming is itself a misdemeanor. This licensing framework doesn't hand consumers a private right to sue a collector directly for a licensing violation the way FDCPA-style statutes in other states do — its teeth are administrative, aimed at the collector's license, not a private damages claim.

For deceptive or unfair conduct — false statements about a debt, misrepresenting amounts owed, and similar tactics — Wyoming consumers can also invoke the state's general Consumer Protection Act, Wyo. Stat. §§ 40-12-101 to 40-12-114, which does allow a private lawsuit, but only where the business 'knowingly' engaged in an unlawful deceptive trade practice and the consumer suffered actual harm. That statute requires written notice to the alleged violator within one year of discovering the practice (or two years of the transaction, whichever is first) before suing. Federal FDCPA protections and remedies — including the $1,000 statutory-damages ceiling and fee-shifting — still apply in full to any collector who counts as a 'debt collector' under federal law; Wyoming's state-level rules layer on top rather than replace them.

• Wyo. Stat. § 33-11-102 — Licenses required
• Wyo. Stat. § 33-11-112 — Action upon complaints; records of proceedings
• Wyo. Stat. §§ 40-12-101 to 40-12-114 — Consumer Protection Act

Where can I find free or low-cost legal help in Wyoming?

If you're dealing with a debt lawsuit, garnishment, or collector dispute in Wyoming, a good starting point is the state bar's lawyer referral service or one of the legal aid organizations below — both can point you to self-help court resources even if you don't qualify for free representation.

• Wyoming State Bar — Lawyer Search & Referral Service
• Legal Aid of Wyoming — Apply Online