Wyoming · Public Records Act

The Wyoming Public Records Act — immediately, within seven days, and within thirty

AccessPoint manages Public Records Act requests under Wyo. Stat. §§ 16-4-201 to 16-4-205 — immediate release of readily available records, the seven-business-day notices, the thirty-calendar-day limit, the § 16-4-203 may-deny and shall-deny tiers, and the Public Records Ombudsman — pre-configured for Wyoming and running inside your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

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Wyoming at a glance

Response standard
Readily available records released immediately; notice within 7 business days of acknowledged receipt where records are in active use, in storage, or held by another entity; all records released within 30 calendar days unless good cause exists (§ 16-4-202)
Enforcement
Complaint to the ombudsman at any time, or a district-court order to show cause (§§ 16-4-202(c)(v), 16-4-203(f))
Exemptions
Two tiers — may deny where contrary to the public interest (§ 16-4-203(b)) and shall deny (§ 16-4-203(d)) — with a written statement of grounds on request (§ 16-4-203(e))
Charges
Inspection is free; copies, printouts, and photographs at a reasonable fee set by the custodian and authorized by statute, rule, resolution, or ordinance (§ 16-4-204)
Oversight
Public Records Ombudsman — mediation, timelines, and fee waivers, with no penalty power; district courts, with a civil penalty up to $750 for knowing or intentional violations (§ 16-4-205)
Languages
English

Built for Wyoming

One platform for the whole access-and-privacy mandate, pre-configured for this regime and running in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

Public Records Act request lifecycle

Intake to release under Wyo. Stat. §§ 16-4-201 to 16-4-205 — the application to the designated public records person, the seven-day notices, and inspection or copies — all on Microsoft 365.

Three clocks, not one

Release a readily available record immediately. Within seven business days of acknowledged receipt, notify the applicant if the record is in active use, in storage, or held by another entity. Release everything within thirty calendar days unless good cause exists — and then on a date agreed with the applicant (§ 16-4-202). AccessPoint runs all three.

May deny, shall deny

Section 16-4-203 sorts every withholding into a discretionary tier the custodian may deny where disclosure would be contrary to the public interest (§ 203(b)) and a mandatory tier the custodian shall deny (§ 203(d)). AccessPoint tags each record to its tier, redacts on a colour-coded, audit-trailed record, and drafts the written statement of grounds § 203(e) lets the applicant demand.

The ombudsman

An applicant may complain to the governor-designated ombudsman at any time. The ombudsman mediates, may prescribe timelines for release, and may waive fees — but cannot penalize. AccessPoint keeps the file that mediation, an ombudsman timeline, or a later show-cause application will turn on.

Free inspection, authorized fees

No fee may be charged as a condition of inspection. Copies, printouts, and photographs carry a reasonable fee set by the custodian — and since 2003 every fee must first be authorized by statute, rule, resolution, ordinance, or like authority (§ 16-4-204). AccessPoint applies your published schedule.

In your own tenant

Every request and record stays inside your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant — no third-party cloud, no cross-border transfers, and no per-user fees.

Immediately, seven days, thirty days

In Wyoming, a readily available record goes out on the spot — and every record is out within thirty days.

Most records laws set a single deadline. Wyoming's § 16-4-202 sets three. If a public record is readily available, it shall be released immediately, so long as release does not impair the entity's other duties. If the record is in active use or in storage — or is held by a different governmental entity altogether — the designated public records person must tell the applicant so within seven business days of acknowledged receipt. And whatever the circumstances, all public records shall be released not later than thirty calendar days from acknowledged receipt unless good cause prevents it, in which case release happens on a date the applicant and the entity agree. If no date can be agreed, the applicant may complain to the ombudsman at any time or petition the district court on whether good cause was shown. AccessPoint computes all three points from the acknowledged receipt and drafts each notice.

Immediately (§ 16-4-202(c)(ii)) A readily available record is released at once, unless release would impair other duties.
Seven business days (§ 16-4-202(b), (c)(i)) Notice when the record is held elsewhere, in active use, or in storage.
Thirty calendar days (§ 16-4-202(c)(iii)–(iv)) Released within thirty days of acknowledged receipt unless good cause — then on a mutually agreed date.

Configured out of the box

Installing the us-wy-pra jurisdiction pack seeds your tenant with everything this regime needs — a starting point you can adjust, not a lock-in.

Pack content last reviewed: 2026-09-03

Related guide: FOI Workflow Quick Check
  • The Wyoming Public Records Act (Wyo. Stat. §§ 16-4-201 to 16-4-205) as the legal-authority and citation spine
  • The Wyoming state-holiday calendar and the immediate, seven-business-day, and thirty-calendar-day release rules under § 16-4-202, all keyed to acknowledged receipt
  • The § 16-4-203 grounds for denial mapped to their tiers — may deny (§ 203(b)) and shall deny (§ 203(d)) — and colour-coded for redaction
  • The written statement of grounds under § 16-4-203(e), citing the law or regulation relied on
  • Free inspection and authorized copy fees under § 16-4-204, applied from your published schedule
  • The ombudsman and district-court workflow — complaints at any time, mediation and ombudsman timelines, and the § 16-4-203(f) show-cause application
  • Designated-public-records-person assignment on every application, as § 16-4-202(e) requires
  • Public Records Act correspondence templates with statutory wording — the seven-day notices, the good-cause release date, and the denial
A jurisdiction pack's detail panel in AccessPoint settings, showing the pack description, version, what's new, and the checklist of items it imports: legal authorities, calendars, request statuses, request types, extension reasons, requestor categories and consultation types Click to enlarge
What a pack looks like in Settings (the Ontario municipal pack shown): the description, the version and what changed in it, and every item it imports with its statutory basis. Anything you have customized is never overwritten on update.

Wyoming Questions

When must a Wyoming governmental entity release records?
Immediately, if the record is readily available and release does not impair the entity's other duties. If the record is in active use or in storage, or is held by another governmental entity, the designated public records person must notify the applicant within seven business days of acknowledged receipt. All records must be released within thirty calendar days of acknowledged receipt unless good cause exists, in which case release is on a date mutually agreed with the applicant (§ 16-4-202). AccessPoint computes all three points and drafts each notice.

What makes Wyoming different — the ombudsman?
Wyoming's Public Records Ombudsman is designated by the Governor under § 16-4-201(c). An applicant may file a complaint at any time; the ombudsman mediates at either party's request, may prescribe timelines for release, and may waive fees — but has no penalty power. Where an agreed release date or an ombudsman order is not honoured, the applicant may apply to the district court for an order directing the custodian to show cause why inspection should not be permitted (§ 16-4-203(f)). AccessPoint keeps the dated, cited file both forums rely on.

How do the may-deny and shall-deny tiers work?
Section 16-4-203 has two tiers. Under § 203(b) the custodian may deny inspection of listed records — investigation files, examination data, interagency memoranda, security information, and others — only on the ground that disclosure would be contrary to the public interest. Under § 203(d) the custodian shall deny inspection of enumerated records — medical data, adoption and welfare records, personnel files, trade secrets, and others — unless another law provides otherwise. On request, the applicant receives a written statement citing the law or regulation relied on (§ 203(e)). AccessPoint tags each record to its tier so the right test is applied.

Where does data reside?
Entirely within your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant. Requests, documents, and audit history never leave your control — no third-party cloud, no vendor access, and no cross-border data transfers.

Go deeper

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Flat annual pricing, published in full. Every feature in every size — access requests, privacy impact assessments, breach response, complaints, video & audio redaction, and AI Assist. No per-user or per-module fees.

  • Under 500 employees$2,990/yr
  • 500–2,000 employees$7,990/yr
  • Over 2,000 employees$14,990/yr

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Run the Wyoming Public Records Act in One Platform

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