State records guide
Title research in Wyoming
Facts below are taken from Wyoming statutes and official sources, each linked, each checked on the date shown. General information, not legal advice.
A Wyoming title search runs through the county clerk of one of 23 counties. A mortgage with a power of sale can be foreclosed by advertisement, with three months to redeem after the sale, or twelve for agricultural real estate. Tax liens are sold as certificates of purchase, redeemable until a tax deed application is accepted.
What a Wyoming title search has to account for
| Where deeds are recorded | The Albany County Clerk's page linked here describes its Real Estate department as a recording depository and lists recordings that pertain to real property within the county, including deeds, mortgages, contracts for deed, mining claims, plat maps and surveys. Source: Albany County Clerk, Real Estate recording, checked 2026-11-06. |
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| Recording jurisdictions | Wyoming has 23 counties, each a functioning governmental unit governed by a board of commissioners. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Wyoming State and Local Geography Guide, checked 2026-11-06. |
| Mortgage foreclosure process | Wyoming's power-of-sale foreclosure statutes are called foreclosure by advertisement. The Wyoming Judicial Branch explains that a power-of-sale clause in the mortgage instrument is required for nonjudicial foreclosures, and that a lender is not statutorily required to give the borrower an opportunity to cure the default. Source: Wyoming Judicial Branch, Foreclosure, checked 2026-11-06. |
| Redemption after a mortgage foreclosure sale | A Wyoming borrower has a statutory right of redemption for three months from the date of the foreclosure sale, exercised by paying the purchase price with interest at 10% per year from the sale plus the purchaser's other expenses with interest. Source: Wyoming Judicial Branch, Foreclosure, checked 2026-11-06. |
| Delinquent property tax sales | Campbell County's treasurer page linked here states that the county sells its tax lien on real property and issues a certificate of purchase to the purchaser. An application for a tax deed can be made no earlier than four years from the sale, after complying with the notice requirements set forth in Wyoming Statute 39-13-108. The treasurer cannot issue a tax deed once six years have passed since the sale. Source: Campbell County Treasurer, Tax Sale Information (W.S. 39-13-108), checked 2026-11-06. |
| Redemption after a tax sale | Campbell County's treasurer page states that the legal owner may redeem taxes sold at the tax sale by paying the treasurer the amount sold, a 3% penalty, 15% simple interest and a redemption fee, plus any later taxes the certificate holder paid, with interest. If the owner or a mortgagee does not redeem within four years from the sale, the certificate holder may apply for a tax deed. Source: Campbell County Treasurer, Tax Sale Information (W.S. 39-13-108), checked 2026-11-06. |
| Transfer-on-death deed | The Wyoming Legislature's summary of its transfer on death deed law explains that an owner may transfer real property by a deed that does not take effect until the owner dies, and that after the death the transfer is completed by filing an affidavit and a Department of Health certificate of clearance with the county clerk where the property is located. Source: Wyoming Legislature, 2014 HB0175 summary (transfer on death deed), checked 2026-11-06. |
| Marital property system | The Wyoming Judicial Branch describes Wyoming as an equitable distribution state in which the court divides property in a way that is fair considering several factors, which in some cases is an equal division and in others is not. Community property in Wyoming: equitable division, homestead deeds and property from other states, section by section. Source: Wyoming Judicial Branch, Divorce: Property and Debt Distribution, checked 2026-11-06. |
Where are Wyoming land records kept?
The state has 23 counties, and a search is run in the recorded documents of the county where the parcel sits. In Albany County, whose clerk's page is linked above, the County Clerk's Office records the documents that pertain to real property within the county, including deeds, mortgages, contracts for deed, mining claims, plats and surveys.
Albany County's page also states that each deed or contract for deed filed must be accompanied by a Wyoming Statement of Consideration, a confidential document used by the County Assessor's office that does not become public record, so a sale price is not read from it. The report traces the chain of title as far back as the county's records go, with document images of the key instruments, and verifies findings with the assessor, tax office, recorder and courts.
How does foreclosure by advertisement work in Wyoming?
The nonjudicial route is called foreclosure by advertisement. According to the Wyoming Judicial Branch page linked above, a power-of-sale clause in the mortgage instrument is required for nonjudicial foreclosures, and the manner of foreclosure is determined by the mortgage instrument and state statutes. The page adds that a lender is not statutorily required to give the borrower an opportunity to cure the default, and that state law allows deficiency judgments.
Section 1-18-103 lets a person whose real property was sold by execution, decree of foreclosure or foreclosure by advertisement and sale redeem within three months from the date of sale, by paying the purchase price with interest at 10% a year plus the other amounts the section lists; for agricultural real estate the period is twelve months. If the owner does not redeem, section 1-18-104 lets the creditors, grantees, mortgagees and lienholders it lists redeem until the thirtieth day after the applicable period ends. An auction title report reports the foreclosing lien's position and the liens that would survive, in dollars, for the bidder's attorney.
What happens at a Wyoming tax sale?
In Campbell County, whose treasurer's page is linked above, the county sells its tax lien on real property. Under that description, delinquent parcels are announced by owner name and amount, a number is drawn, and the matching bidder may buy the lien or pass. The buyer receives a certificate of purchase, and later taxes the holder pays attach to the same lien.
Section 39-13-109 lets the legal owner redeem after the sale but before a valid tax deed application has been filed and accepted by the county treasurer. The payment, as the county's page lists it, is the amount sold at the sale, a 3% penalty, 15% simple interest and a redemption fee, together with any later taxes the certificate holder paid, with interest. The treasurer accepts applications and issues tax deeds to purchasers not less than four nor more than six years from the original sale, on proof of compliance with the notice requirements of section 39-13-108. The report verifies tax sales and redemptions with the tax office and states the surviving liens, taxes and assessments in dollars.
Does Wyoming have a transfer on death deed?
Yes. The Legislature's summary linked above explains that Wyoming created the transfer on death deed in 2013. An owner may transfer real property to a designated person by a deed that does not become effective until the owner dies, and the summary adds that the owner, in general, retains all the rights of ownership and may change the designated beneficiary.
The deed must be on record in time. Section 2-18-103 makes it valid only if executed and recorded in the office of the county clerk of the county where the property is situated before the death of the owner or the last surviving owner, and a revocation is effective only if recorded the same way before the death of the owner who executes it. After the death, the change of ownership is accomplished by filing an affidavit identifying the property, together with a certificate of clearance issued by the Wyoming Department of Health, in the office of the county clerk where the property is located. A probate title search finds the decedent's property by name and reports vesting at death, how title passes, including joint tenancy, a transfer on death deed, a trust or a life estate, and the liens to pay.
How does Wyoming divide property in a divorce?
The Wyoming Judicial Branch page linked above describes an equitable distribution state, in which the court divides property in a way that is fair after weighing several factors; in some cases a fair division is an equal one, and in others the judge awards one spouse a greater share. The page also notes that everything purchased during the marriage is subject to division and that whose name or money was used to buy the property is not controlling.
The report states the recorded decree or deed it finds, and an attorney reads the effect.
Which package fits a Wyoming property?
Every package covers Wyoming property wherever it is recorded. Pick by situation:
- Probate law firm: Find every property a decedent held, how it was vested and what has to be paid before it passes. $595 per estate.
- Real estate law firm: A preliminary report with schedule-style exceptions and print-ready exhibits for your matter. $695 per property.
- Builders and developers: Multi-parcel research on access, easements, restrictions, mineral reservations and entity ownership. $995 first parcel.
- Auction buyer: Know the total cost to own, which liens survive the sale and whether to bid at all. $395 for 1 property.
- Home buyer: Confirm the seller owns the home and learn what has to be cleared before you pay. $449 per property.
- Home seller: Find the old mortgage, judgment or name mismatch before a buyer's title company does. $449 per property.
Questions about Wyoming title research
Which office records deeds in Wyoming?
The county clerk of the county where the parcel sits. In Albany County, whose clerk's page is cited here, the County Clerk's Office records the documents that pertain to real property within the county, including deeds, mortgages, contracts for deed, mining claims, plats and surveys. The state has 23 counties, and a title search is run in the recorded documents of the parcel's county.
Can a Wyoming borrower redeem after a foreclosure sale?
Yes. Section 1-18-103 allows redemption within three months from the date of a sale by execution, decree of foreclosure or foreclosure by advertisement, or twelve months for agricultural real estate, by paying the purchase price with interest at 10% a year plus the other amounts it lists. The creditors, mortgagees and lienholders listed in section 1-18-104 may then redeem until the thirtieth day after that period ends.
How long does a Wyoming owner have to redeem after a tax sale?
Until a valid tax deed application has been filed and accepted by the county treasurer, under section 39-13-109. The treasurer accepts applications and issues tax deeds to purchasers not less than four nor more than six years from the original sale. The payment, per the county's page, is the amount sold, a 3% penalty, 15% simple interest and a redemption fee, plus later taxes the holder paid, with interest.
What does a Wyoming county sell at a tax sale?
In Campbell County, whose treasurer's page is cited here, the county sells its tax lien on real property and issues a certificate of purchase, drawing numbers to decide which bidder may take each lien. A tax deed follows only if the property is not redeemed and the certificate holder applies with proof of compliance with the statutory notice requirements. The report verifies tax sales and redemptions with the tax office and states the surviving liens in dollars.
Does Wyoming allow a transfer on death deed?
Yes. An owner may transfer real property to a designated person by a deed that does not become effective until the owner dies. Section 2-18-103 makes the deed valid only if executed and recorded with the county clerk where the property is situated before the death of the owner or last surviving owner, and after the death the transfer is completed by filing an affidavit and a Department of Health certificate of clearance with that clerk.
How does Wyoming divide marital property in a divorce?
The Wyoming Judicial Branch describes an equitable distribution state, in which the court divides property in a way that is fair after considering several factors; the division may be equal or may favor one spouse. Whose name or money bought the property is not controlling. The report states the recorded decree or deed it finds, and an attorney reads the effect.