Wyoming title and registration, step by step

Which forms, which fees and which deadlines. For a car bought in the state and for one you bring from another.

In Wyoming the title is issued by Wyoming Department of Transportation — Motor Vehicle Services (WYDOT). Today the title is paper. The seller signs the transfer on the title in front of a notary and hands it to you with the car. Wyoming will have an electronic title and lien system starting July 1, 2027; private owners can still ask for a paper title.

Where it happens. You apply for the title with the County Clerk at the county seat of your county of residence. Plates, registration and sales tax are paid to the County Treasurer of the same county. It is not done at a WYDOT office. The deadline depends on who sold you the car: 45 days in a private sale, and 60 days if you bought from a Wyoming dealer with a temporary permit, from an out-of-state dealer, or on a bill of sale because a bank holds the title (W.S. 31-2-201(a)(ii) and 31-2-104(a)). Confirm the deadline and the event that starts it for your transaction: a purchase, receipt of the signed title or a move into the state can have different rules. Late-fee information in the state sources: $25.00.

Case 1: you bought a car in Wyoming (private seller)

What the seller hands you

• The title with the transfer section completed: your name and address, sale price, date, odometer reading and the seller's signature (both owners if two names are joined by "and").
• If there was a loan: a lien release from the bank, or the lien already removed from the title.
• A bill of sale with VIN, price and signatures. You need it for the sales tax.

What you bring to the office

• The state forms (below), completed.
• The signed title and the bill of sale.
• Applicable insurance or financial-responsibility documents: 25/50/20: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injuries, and $20,000 for property damage (W.S. 31-9-405(b)). Liability only; the law does not require PIP. A bond for the same amounts is accepted instead of a policy (W.S. 31-9-102(a)(xi)). Driving without coverage is a misdemeanor: a $500 to $1,500 fine, up to 6 months, or both; on a second offense the judge orders your plates and registration turned in to the County Treasurer until you comply (W.S. 31-4-103(a)).
• Valid photo ID.
• Payment: title, registration, plate and sales tax if not paid yet.

Case 2: you bring a car from another state

• Everything above, plus: Yes. A car with an out-of-state title or registration needs a physical VIN inspection on form MV-300A, done in Wyoming by a Wyoming law enforcement officer (or by a licensed Wyoming dealer, only for cars in its inventory). It costs $10.00. If the car is outside Wyoming, a law enforcement officer there can do it.
• The original out-of-state title (or the bank's letter if it holds it for the loan).
• Tax: 4% state plus your county and city local taxes (the county can add up to 3% and the city up to 1%). You pay the rate of the county where you live, per your driver's license. Even if you buy from a dealer, the County Treasurer collects the tax before the first registration, not the dealer. On a trade-in in the same deal, the trade-in value is subtracted from the price. Sales tax paid to another state is credited. You have 65 days; after that, interest and a civil fee apply.

Forms

• MV-300A — Application for Certificate of Title and VIN/HIN Inspection Form
• MV-602 — Branded Title Disclosure Statement (seller and buyer sign)
• MV-600 — Application for Rebuilt Salvage Vehicle Decal
• MV-220 — Vehicle Record Request (title search)

Fees — confirm current amounts (WYDOT)

Amounts come from the linked state sources and can change. This guide distinguishes source checkpoints from narrow claim reviews; confirm the total for your transaction before you go. A dash means an amount has not been confirmed here.

Sales tax

4% state plus your county and city local taxes (the county can add up to 3% and the city up to 1%). You pay the rate of the county where you live, per your driver's license. Even if you buy from a dealer, the County Treasurer collects the tax before the first registration, not the dealer. On a trade-in in the same deal, the trade-in value is subtracted from the price. Sales tax paid to another state is credited. You have 65 days; after that, interest and a civil fee apply.

If you sell: protect yourself

Confirm which sale notice, plate return or registration cancellation applies to your situation; keep written proof of the handover. When the car is sold, the registration expires and the seller removes the plates right away. The seller can move them to another car of theirs within 60 days (W.S. 31-2-214(a)). The buyer can drive up to 45 days without plates with the title properly signed and notarized over to them, or get a temporary registration permit from the County Treasurer, good for up to 90 days at a fraction of the annual registration fee (W.S. 31-2-201(a)(ii)(D) and (k)). If the seller's bank holds the title, the seller may hand you a bill of sale in the exact form the statute sets out and must get you the title within 30 days; in that case you have 60 days to register and may drive on the bill of sale (W.S. 31-2-104(h) and 31-2-201(a)(ii)(C)). Between close family (spouse, children, parents, siblings) and between joint owners, the plates can stay with the car and the new registration costs $4.00 (W.S. 31-2-214(b) and 31-3-102(a)(xii)). Keep copies of the title, filed notices and handover date to answer later registration, toll or ownership questions.

Mistakes that cost

• Missing the deadline. Check the deadline and consequence for your transaction; filing periods and penalties do not all start from the same event.
• Title with cross-outs or correction fluid. Ask the issuing agency which correction or replacement document it accepts before using it.
• Buying with an "open" title (signed by a previous owner, not the person selling to you). Confirm the ownership chain and the documents the agency requires before paying.
• Showing up without in-state insurance. Confirm the insurance or financial-responsibility documents required for your situation.