Petition for order of protection; contents; prerequisites; appointment of an attorney; award of costs and fees; remote appearance at hearings.
Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 35-21-103
in effect(a) The following persons may petition the court under this act by filing a petition with the circuit court clerk for an order of protection:
(i) The victim;
(ii) If the victim consents, the district attorney on behalf of the victim; or
(iii) Any person with legal authority to act on behalf of the victim if the victim is:
(A) A minor;
(B) A vulnerable adult as defined in W.S. 35-20-102(a)(xviii);
(C) Any other adult who, because of age, disability, health or inaccessibility, cannot file the petition.
(b) The petition shall be made under oath or be accompanied by a sworn affidavit setting out specific facts showing the alleged domestic abuse.
(c) No petitioner is required to file for annulment, separation or divorce as a prerequisite to obtaining an order of protection nor is a person's right to petition for relief affected by that person's leaving the residence or household to avoid domestic abuse.
(d) No filing fee or other court costs or fees shall be assessed or charged to a petitioner seeking an order of protection under this act.
(e) The clerk of the court shall make available standard petition forms with instructions for completion to be used by a petitioner. Forms are to be prepared by the victim services division within the office of the attorney general. Upon receipt of the initial petition by the clerk of the court, the clerk shall refer the matter to the court. The court may appoint an attorney to represent the victim in the action. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent the victim from hiring an attorney or filing a petition pro se.
(f) The court shall not deny a petitioner relief requested pursuant to this act solely because of a lapse of time between an act of domestic abuse and the filing of the petition for an order of protection.
(g) It shall not be a bar to filing a petition or receiving an order of protection under this act that:
(i) A criminal or civil order is entered in a case pending against the respondent or between the petitioner and respondent;
(ii) The petitioner has petitioned for or received orders of protection in the past or that the petitioner has withdrawn a petition or asked to have orders rescinded; or
(iii) There is evidence of some domestic abuse on the part of the petitioner.
(h) The court may require the respondent to pay costs and fees incurred in bringing an action pursuant to this act including reasonable attorney's fees whether the attorney is court appointed or retained by petitioner.
(j) For any hearing required or authorized for proceedings under this act, the petitioner or other party to the hearing may petition the court to appear at the hearing by remote means. The court may, in its discretion, grant the petition for remote appearance at the hearing, provided that the court is equipped with appropriate audio or video technology to allow the petitioner or other party to fully participate in the hearing.
Source: WY Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title35.pdfFetched: 10/4/2026
Source: Public.Resource.Org WY StatutesURL: https://unicourt.github.io/cic-code-wy/transforms/wy/ocwy/r78/gov.wy.code.title.35.htmlFetched: 6/28/2026