You paid the fine, finished probation, and moved on. The record did not. It still shows up on job applications, rental screenings, and license renewals, and for some people it still keeps a rifle out of their hands in hunting season.
Wyoming has three expungement statutes and two paths to restoring rights lost to a felony, each with its own waiting period, fee, and exclusions. You generally get one petition under each. Choosing the right statute is most of the work.
Which statute applies to you
Item
Arrest, no conviction
Misdemeanor
Felony
Statute
§ 7-13-1401
§ 7-13-1501
§ 7-13-1502
Waiting period
180 days
5 years (1 year for status offenses)
10 years
Filing fee
None
$100
$300
Prosecutor objection window
20 days
30 days
90 days
How many times
No statutory limit
Once
Once
Arrests and charges that did not end in conviction (§ 7-13-1401)
Available 180 days after the arrest or dismissal, with no charges pending, where no conviction resulted, no charges were filed, or everything was dismissed. There is no filing fee, and the prosecutor has 20 days to object. Deferrals under § 7-13-301 or § 35-7-1037 are not eligible under this section.
Misdemeanor convictions (§ 7-13-1501)
Five years after the sentence ends, including probation and any court-ordered program; one year for status offenses. File in the convicting court and serve the prosecutor and DCI. The fee is $100, the prosecutor has 30 days to object, and identifiable victims are notified. The court grants relief if you are eligible and do not represent a substantial danger to yourself, any identifiable victim, or society. Misdemeanors involving a firearm, and certain offenses by health care providers against patients, are excluded. You may do this once.
Felony convictions (§ 7-13-1502)
Ten years after the latest of: the end of the sentence including probation, completion of any court-ordered program, and full payment of restitution. You must have no other prior felony beyond those being expunged together, and the felony must not have involved a firearm. The fee is $300, and the prosecutor gets 90 days.
The exclusion list is long: violent felonies as defined in § 6-1-104(a)(xii), aggravated homicide by vehicle, drug-induced homicide, sexual assault offenses, second or later domestic battery, child abuse, aggravated assault on a corrections officer, sexual exploitation of children, incest, endangering children with controlled substances, bribery, disarming a peace officer, escape, weapons offenses, and offenses requiring sex offender registration.
Multiple felonies from the same occurrence may be expunged together. Once only. The provision that makes this worth doing is § 7-13-1502(m): a felony expungement “shall restore any rights removed as a result of the conviction.” The misdemeanor statute has no equivalent.
A trap: completed deferrals
In Lynch v. State, 2026 WY 8, the Wyoming Supreme Court held that a successfully completed felony deferral is not a “conviction,” so there is nothing to expunge under § 7-13-1502.
That is mostly good news. The practical problem is that DCI records sometimes list a completed deferral as “CONVICTED” anyway. The fix is to have the record corrected, not to file an expungement petition. If a background check shows a conviction you do not believe you have, that is a different and usually faster fix.
What expungement does and does not do
Wyoming expungement seals records. It does not destroy them. Sealed records remain available to criminal justice agencies and can matter in a future prosecution. The statutes are also vague about how you may answer questions about an expunged conviction. For an expunged arrest, the guidance is clearer that you may answer as though it did not happen. Anyone promising you a clean slate in every context is overstating what the statute delivers.
Restoring rights after a felony
Under Wyo. Stat. § 6-10-106(a), a felony conviction takes away the right to vote, to serve on a jury, to hold public office, and to use or possess a firearm, until the conviction is reversed, pardoned, or the rights are restored under § 7-13-105.
Voting
The Wyoming Department of Corrections automatically issues a certificate restoring voting rights to a person with a nonviolent felony (or nonviolent felonies from one occurrence), no other felony convictions, and a completed sentence including probation or parole. No application is needed for Wyoming convictions where the sentence was completed on or after January 1, 2010. Earlier Wyoming convictions, and out-of-state or federal nonviolent felonies, require a written request. Restoring voting rights alone does not restore jury service or eligibility for office.
All other rights, including firearms
- Governor’s certificate (§ 7-13-105(a)), on written application.
- Automatic restoration (§ 7-13-105(f), effective July 1, 2023): all other rights lost under § 6-10-106 “shall be restored five (5) years after the person has completed their sentence, including applicable periods of probation or parole,” if there are no other felony convictions outside the same occurrence.
Recent change: the 2026 session amended §§ 6-8-102 and 6-10-106 (2026 HB0039) to recognize firearm rights restored under the law of the state where the conviction was entered. Guidance written before 2026 that says out-of-state convictions can never be restored in Wyoming is out of date on firearms.
The federal caveat, stated plainly
A Wyoming restoration certificate is a matter of Wyoming law. The federal firearms ban in 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) is separate. ATF has advised Wyoming firearms dealers that a person convicted in federal court remains prohibited despite a Wyoming certificate, because federal restoration must come from the convicting jurisdiction.
For a Wyoming state felony, a valid restoration that does not expressly reserve firearms should ordinarily remove the federal prohibition. That is a fact-specific federal question, and anyone who answers it without reviewing your judgment and your certificate is guessing. Get it right before you buy or possess a firearm. Getting it wrong is a new federal felony.
Both chairs
Francis H. McVay has sat on both sides of the courtroom. As a Deputy County and Prosecuting Attorney in Park County, he charged misdemeanors and felonies and handled juvenile and Title 25 matters. As Senior Assistant Appellate Counsel with the Wyoming State Public Defender, he briefed and argued Walker v. State, 2022 WY 158, in which the Wyoming Supreme Court reversed two convictions under plain-error review and ordered a new trial on them. He is a graduate of the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College. He knows how these records are made, and how to read them.
Mr. McVay briefed and argued Walker v. State as Senior Assistant Appellate Counsel for the Wyoming State Public Defender. The matter was not handled by Deep Waters Law, L.L.C. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any other matter.
Frequently asked questions
How long before I can expunge a misdemeanor?
Five years after the sentence ends, including probation and any program, or one year for status offenses. The fee is $100, and you get one misdemeanor expungement.
Can a felony be expunged in Wyoming?
Sometimes. Ten years must have passed since the sentence, any program, and full restitution. You must have no other prior felony, the offense must not have involved a firearm, and a long list of offenses is excluded.
I completed a deferral. Do I need an expungement?
Possibly not. A completed felony deferral is not a conviction. If your record still reports one, the fix is correcting the record.
Does expungement erase my record?
No. It seals records; criminal justice agencies keep access.
How do I get my gun rights back after a Wyoming felony?
Through a Governor’s certificate, automatically five years after completing your sentence, or through a felony expungement. The federal prohibition is a separate analysis and should be reviewed before you possess a firearm.
When do I get my right to vote back?
For a nonviolent Wyoming felony with the sentence completed on or after January 1, 2010, the Department of Corrections issues the certificate automatically. Earlier and out-of-state convictions require a written request.
Talk to a lawyer today
You generally get one petition. Filing under the wrong statute, or before you are eligible, can waste it.
Call (307) 333-7539. Answered 24/7, including weekends. Or request a free consultation.
Related
The law is not settled until it is just.
This page describes Wyoming and federal law in general terms as of September 2026 and is not legal advice. Eligibility depends on your specific record. Contacting Deep Waters Law does not create an attorney-client relationship.