How to modify child custody and visitation in Wyoming

Sources last checked 7 November 2026. Information only, not legal advice. This page rests on the text of Wyoming Statutes 20-2-201 to 20-2-204, from the Wyoming Legislature’s Title 20 compilation on wyoleg.gov (a PDF whose file date is May 2026). Wyoming’s statutes say “custody” and “visitation”. Read what we could not confirm below.

Wyoming divorce kitChild custody in WyomingModifying child support and spousal support in WyomingAfter your divorce: changing a support or custody order

The short version

Wyoming’s rule is in one sentence of W.S. 20-2-204(c). A court “may modify an order concerning the care, custody and visitation of the children if there is a showing by either parent of a material change in circumstances since the entry of the order in question” and that “the modification would be in the best interests of the children”. The same test covers custody and visitation. Either parent may petition. For support, see modifying child support and spousal support in Wyoming.

What you must show, W.S. 20-2-204

  • Who may ask. “Either parent may petition to enforce or modify” a custody and visitation order.
  • Two parts. A material change in circumstances since the order, and a modification in the children’s best interests under the factors in 20-2-201(a).
  • Blocked visitation. In a modification proceeding, “proof of repeated, unreasonable failure by the custodial parent to allow visitation” in violation of an order may be considered as evidence of a material change.
  • Military. Any modification is subject to the limits in W.S. 20-2-205 on temporary military duty, which we did not read in full.

Best interests, W.S. 20-2-201(a)

  • Factors. They include the quality of each child’s relationship with each parent; each parent’s ability to provide care; relative competency and fitness; willingness to accept parenting responsibilities; how the parents and children interact and communicate; each parent’s willingness to let the other provide care without intrusion; “Geographic distance between the parents’ residences”; each parent’s current physical and mental ability; and any sex offender registration conviction.
  • Form of custody. The court “shall not favor or disfavor any form of custody”. Orders may be joint, shared or sole, in any combination, and must be in well-defined terms.
  • No gender preference. The court may not prefer a parent solely because of gender.
  • Abuse. Evidence of spousal abuse or child abuse is treated as contrary to the children’s best interests, and if family violence is found the court arranges visitation that protects the children and the abused spouse.
  • Parenting classes. At any time the court may require parents to attend appropriate parenting classes.

Visitation and moving, W.S. 20-2-202

  • Notice of a move. The court shall require a parent who plans to change their home city or state to give written notice “thirty (30) days prior to the move” to the other parent and to the clerk of district court, stating the date and destination. Confidential addresses of domestic abuse victims stay confidential.
  • Transport costs. The court allocates the costs of transporting each child for visitation.
  • Sex offender registrants. There is a rebuttable presumption against unsupervised visitation for a parent required to register as a sex offender.

Where and how to file, W.S. 20-2-203

  • Continuing jurisdiction. The court that entered the custody order keeps jurisdiction to modify it, subject to the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, and may decline if it is an “inconvenient forum” and the original court is more appropriate.
  • Certified copy. A party seeking to modify must “attach a certified copy of the custody order” to the petition.
  • Service. Notice and pleadings are served as the Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure provide.

Forms and filing

  • Form. We did not read a Wyoming Judicial Branch form for a petition to modify custody or visitation. Ask the clerk of district court for current forms and fees.
  • More. See child custody in Wyoming.

What we could not confirm

  • Case law. We read no Wyoming Supreme Court decision, so we cannot say how courts apply “material change”, whether a child’s changing needs or a parent’s move qualifies, or how courts treat relocation.
  • Statute currency. The compilation is a PDF dated May 2026. We did not check for later session laws.
  • Other rules. We did not read 20-2-205 on military duty, mediation requirements, fee provisions, filing fees, fee waivers or local rules.

Spot something out of date? See our corrections or email hello@thecusp.app.

Sources