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WY · District Court

Wyoming

Small-estate-affidavit threshold and procedure under § Wyo. Stat. § 2-1-205.
Verified 2026-05-04Threshold band: permissive

Aggregate (personal + real)

$400,000

statutory cap

30-day wait

Raised from $200K by 2025 SF0104 / Enrolled Act 85, eff Jul 1 2025. Includes real property and mineral interests.

01

Who is eligible to file

  • Surviving spouse or registered domestic partner
  • Adult children, equally if more than one
  • Parents of the decedent, if no spouse or descendants
  • The named executor under the will, if one exists
  • An heir at law under Wyoming's intestate-succession statute, in the absence of the above
02

What counts toward the threshold

The threshold counts only assets that pass through probate. The following do not count against the cap:

Joint tenancy property

Passes by right of survivorship.

Community property w/ ROS

Vests in surviving spouse.

Beneficiary-designated

Life insurance, IRAs, 401(k)s.

TOD / POD accounts

Bank, brokerage, vehicle titles.

Living trust assets

Distributed by the trust, not the will.

Wages owed to surviving spouse

Often a separate path.

State note: Raised from $200K by 2025 SF0104 / Enrolled Act 85, eff Jul 1 2025. Includes real property and mineral interests.

Waiting period
State requires 30 days to elapse from date of death before filing.

Real property

Eligible — included in calculation

Wyoming summary procedure under § 2-1-205 explicitly covers real property, including mineral interests.

03

Where to file

File with the District Court in the county where the decedent resided at death.

We do not maintain a county-by-county directory. The Wyoming judicial system operates an authoritative court locator.

Find your county’s District Court via the Wyoming judicial council website. Search for “Wyoming District Court county locator” or visit the state government court directory.

Note: in Wyoming, the small-estate affidavit is generally presented to the property holder (bank, brokerage, registrar) rather than filed with the court. The court named above is the venue for related probate matters and any contested questions.

04

Form & statute

Form

  • Distribution by Affidavit

Statute

§ Wyo. Stat. § 2-1-205
https://wyoleg.gov/StateStatutes/StatutesDownload
summary procedure