Property Line Laws in Wyoming

Wyoming property line laws are shaped by the state's open range heritage, vast ranch properties, and rugged mountain terrain. As one of the few remaining fully open range states, Wyoming's fence laws mean that fences have no inherent connection to legal property boundaries — livestock roam freely, and it is the landowner's responsibility to fence animals out. The 10-year adverse possession period requires tax payment, and the state's enormous properties with widely spaced survey markers make boundary identification a significant challenge.

Fence Laws in Wyoming

Fence laws determine who is responsible for building and maintaining boundary fences between neighboring properties. In Wyoming, understanding these rules can prevent costly disputes with neighbors.

General Fence Law

Wyoming follows: open range statewide

Wyoming is an open range state under Wyo. Stat. § 11-28-101 et seq. Livestock owners are not required to fence their animals in, and property owners who want to keep livestock out must build their own fences. Wyoming's herd district law allows specific areas to adopt closed-range rules by petition. Partition fence costs in herd districts are shared between adjoining landowners.

Notification Requirements

In Wyoming's open range system, there is no general obligation to notify neighbors before building a fence. Within herd districts, local rules may apply regarding fence construction and maintenance responsibilities.

Spite Fence Rules

Wyoming does not have a specific spite fence statute. Given the state's vast open spaces and sparse population, spite fence disputes are rare. General nuisance principles could theoretically apply in extreme cases.

Adverse Possession in Wyoming

Adverse possession is a legal doctrine that allows someone to claim ownership of land they have occupied openly and continuously for a certain number of years. Understanding these rules is important for protecting your property rights.

Statute of Limitations: 10 years in Wyoming

Requirements for an Adverse Possession Claim

Claimant must demonstrate actual, open, notorious, continuous, exclusive, and hostile possession for 10 years under Wyo. Stat. § 1-3-103. Wyoming also requires that the claimant have paid taxes on the land during the statutory period, and possession must be under a claim of right or color of title.

If you are a property owner in Wyoming, knowing the adverse possession period helps you understand the importance of monitoring your boundaries and addressing encroachments promptly. Regular boundary checks can help protect your ownership rights.

Timber Trespass Laws in Wyoming

Timber trespass occurs when someone cuts, removes, or damages trees on another person's property without permission. Wyoming law provides significant penalties to deter this behavior and compensate affected property owners.

Penalty: triple damages

Statute Reference

Wyo. Stat. § 6-3-410 addresses criminal timber trespass, while civil remedies allow recovery of treble damages for willful cutting or destruction of timber on another person's land.

To avoid accidental timber trespass, always verify your property boundaries before clearing trees or brush near boundary lines. Even unintentional cutting on a neighbor's land can result in significant liability.

Resolving Boundary Disputes in Wyoming

Boundary disputes between neighbors are common and can arise from unclear property lines, encroaching structures, or conflicting surveys. Wyoming offers several paths to resolve these disagreements.

Resolution Options

Boundary disputes in Wyoming are resolved through district court. Courts consider survey evidence, deed descriptions, and long-standing acquiescence. Given the enormous size of many ranch properties, boundary disputes often involve fence lines that have been in place for generations.

Quiet Title Actions

A quiet title action is filed in district court in the county where the property is located under Wyo. Stat. § 1-32-201 et seq. All known claimants must be served, and publication notice is required for unknown parties.

The best way to prevent boundary disputes is to know exactly where your property lines are. Having a clear understanding of your boundaries before issues arise saves time, money, and relationships with neighbors.

Property Easements in Wyoming

An easement grants someone the legal right to use a portion of your property for a specific purpose. Understanding the easements that affect your land is essential for knowing your full property rights.

Common Easement Types

Common easements in Wyoming include utility easements, ranch access roads, livestock trailing easements, and oil and gas pipeline easements. Stock driveways — easements allowing ranchers to move cattle across other properties — are a distinctly Wyoming easement type with deep historical roots.

Prescriptive Easements

Prescriptive Easement Period: 10 years in Wyoming

A prescriptive easement can be established when someone uses a portion of your property openly and continuously for the statutory period without your permission. Like adverse possession, monitoring your property boundaries regularly can help prevent prescriptive easement claims.

How to Determine Your Property Boundaries

Knowing your exact property lines is the foundation of protecting your rights under Wyoming law. Here are the most common ways to determine where your boundaries are:

Check county records — Wyoming has 23 counties, many of which provide online GIS or parcel viewer tools where you can look up property boundaries by address.
Review your deed — Your property deed contains a legal description of your land with metes and bounds measurements or lot and block references.
Look for physical markers — Iron pins, concrete monuments, or survey stakes may mark your boundary corners from a previous survey.
Hire a licensed surveyor — The Wyoming Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors regulates land surveyors in Wyoming. A professional survey provides a legally binding boundary determination.
Use ParcelVision AR — See your property lines overlaid on the real world through your iPhone camera for an instant visual understanding of your boundaries.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long does adverse possession take in Wyoming?

Wyoming requires 10 years of actual, open, notorious, continuous, exclusive, and hostile possession. The claimant must also have paid property taxes on the land during the entire statutory period and possess the land under a claim of right or color of title.

What does open range mean in Wyoming?

Wyoming is an open range state, meaning livestock can roam freely across unfenced land. If you want to keep cattle or other livestock off your property, you must build and maintain your own fences. Livestock owners are not liable for animals entering unfenced property.

What is a stock driveway easement in Wyoming?

A stock driveway is a legally established easement that allows ranchers to move livestock across another person's property, typically to reach public grazing land or move between seasonal pastures. These easements have deep historical roots in Wyoming ranching and remain legally significant today.