Wyoming Concealed Carry Laws

The Headline

Wyoming permits two routes to concealed carry: permitless carry under Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104(a)(iv) for any United States citizen 21 or older who can legally possess a firearm, and the optional Wyoming Concealed Firearm Permit (CFP) issued by the Attorney General's Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) under Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104(b) through (g). The CFP is recognized in roughly 36 reciprocating states and serves as an ATF-approved NICS alternative.

Operative statute

Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104 is the central provision. The statute opens with the general prohibition on carrying a concealed deadly weapon, then carves out exemptions for: peace officers; persons on their own premises or place of business; persons in a private automobile or other private means of conveyance for travel; United States citizens 21+ otherwise legally eligible (the permitless-carry exception added in 2011 and expanded in 2021); and CFP holders.

The statute then sets out the CFP qualification, application, and issuance framework at subsections (b) through (q).

Permitless concealed carry (statutory route)

A United States citizen 21 or older (18+ active military), legally allowed to possess a firearm, may carry concealed in Wyoming without a permit. No registration, no notice, no training requirement, no fee. The carry is lawful unless the location is independently prohibited (federal facility, courthouse in session, penal institution, posted private property, etc.). See CONSTITUTIONAL_CARRY for the full eligibility checklist.

Wyoming CFP (optional permit)

The CFP exists for the practical advantages a "permit" carries even where permitless carry is lawful:

• Reciprocity - the Wyoming CFP is recognized by approximately 36 other states under their reciprocity agreements. Permitless-carry status is not portable.
• NICS alternative - ATF has approved the Wyoming CFP as a qualifying alternative to the federal NICS check under 18 U.S.C. 922(t)(3). A CFP holder can purchase a handgun from a federal firearms licensee (FFL) without the standard NICS call.
• Federal Gun-Free School Zone exemption - 18 U.S.C. 922(q)(2)(B)(ii) exempts state-issued permit holders from the federal 1,000-foot school-zone bar, but only if the issuing state required a background check before issuance. The Wyoming CFP qualifies.
• Officer interactions - a permit card simplifies traffic-stop conversations.

CFP eligibility - Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104(b)

The applicant must:

1. Be a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident.
2. Have been a Wyoming resident for at least six months prior to application (or be a permanent resident eligible under the qualified non-resident track for active-duty military or specific reciprocity-only requests).
3. Be 21 years of age or older.
4. Not be a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law.
5. Not have been adjudicated as having a mental illness, mental retardation, or mental incompetency.
6. Not have been committed to a state or federal facility for the abuse of a controlled substance within one year prior to the application.
7. Not have been convicted of a felony.
8. Not chronically and habitually use alcohol to the extent that normal faculties are impaired.
9. Demonstrate familiarity with a firearm by completing one of the approved training pathways (see TRAINING_REQUIREMENTS).

CFP application

Applications are filed with the sheriff of the applicant's county of residence (or the sheriff in any Wyoming county for a qualified non-resident). The sheriff verifies identity, collects fingerprints, and forwards the application to DCI. DCI performs the criminal-history and prohibited-person checks and issues or denies. The processing window is up to 60 days from receipt by DCI under statute, with most permits issued in 45 to 90 days from sheriff submission. See APPLICATION_PROCESS.

CFP duration and renewal

Five years. Renewable. Renewal application may be filed up to six months before the expiration date and no later than six months after; an expired permit older than six months requires reapplication as a new applicant. See RENEWAL_PROCESS.

CFP fees

• New permit: $50 plus a separate sheriff processing fee and FBI fingerprint card processing fee. Total typically $74 to $84 depending on county.
• Renewal: $45 if renewed before expiration; $55 if renewed within the six-month grace window after expiration.
• Duplicate permit: $5 with notarized statement, under Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104(p).

See FEES_COSTS for the per-county breakdown.

Method of concealment

Wyoming does not impose specific concealment standards. A handgun is concealed if it is not openly displayed. Brief, incidental exposure (e.g., wind lifts a shirt, the holster prints) is not unlawful unless the carrier deliberately displays the firearm in a manner that would qualify as brandishing or aggravated assault. See USE_OF_FORCE for the brandishing analysis.

Method of carry

• On-body holster, pocket holster, ankle holster, belly band, off-body in a closed bag.
• Glove compartment, console, under a seat, in a closed container in the vehicle - all lawful under Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104 for an eligible carrier.
• Loaded chamber is lawful. Wyoming has no prohibition on loaded carry.

Where you cannot carry concealed

See PROHIBITED_PLACES for the post-HB-125 (2024) prohibited locations. The short list: federal facilities and federal property (18 U.S.C. 930); federal courthouses; federal Gun-Free School Zones for non-permit holders (18 U.S.C. 922(q)); state penal institutions and detention facilities (Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-5-209); courtrooms in active session at judicial order; posted private property; and a narrow set of remaining state-law-prohibited zones not repealed by HB 125.

Out-of-state visitors

Wyoming honors every state's concealed-carry permit (Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104(a)(iv)). A visitor with a valid permit from any state may carry concealed in Wyoming under that permit. A visiting United States citizen 21+ without a permit may also carry under permitless-carry status. See RECIPROCITY.

Penalties for unlawful concealed carry

Carrying a concealed deadly weapon in violation of Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104 is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months imprisonment, a fine of up to $750, or both. A second or subsequent conviction is a felony with up to two years and a fine of up to $2,000.

Recent changes

• HB 21 (2021) expanded permitless carry to all United States citizens, effective July 1, 2021.
• HB 125 (2024) repealed prior gun-free zone language in Wyo. Stat. Sec. 6-8-104(t), shifting most state-imposed prohibited-places into the new Sec. 6-8-105 framework, effective July 1, 2024.

Current as of May 2026.