What to Do When Someone Dies in Platte County, Wyoming

How probate works in Platte County: the District Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.

What probate costsHow to fileDeath certificatesTransferring propertyLocal attorneys

Probate Court Record

Platte County District Court

Platte County · 8th Judicial District

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM

Office

800 9th Street, Wheatland, WY 82201

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

Court forms packet

Open in Google Maps

E-filing

Required for attorneysWyoming-licensed attorneys must e-file through File & ServeXpress after completing training and a proficiency exam. Self-represented filers who are not Wyoming attorneys may not e-file in district court unless the court orders otherwise, and file with the clerk's office instead. An original will filed for the first time is always filed on paper. On paper: Original wills filed for the first time in a matter; Requests for waiver of filing fees in civil cases; Non-paper or oversized exhibits.

Self-represented filing

AllowedWyoming's statewide self-help forms cover small estates: affidavits for collecting personal property, which are filed with the county clerk, and the application and decree for summary distribution, which are filed with this court. A self-represented filer who is not a Wyoming attorney cannot use the e-filing system. The clerk keeps the original of each filing, so the filer brings copies for their own records and for service.

Accepted payment

  • At the counterCash, Check, Money order, Credit card.Fees are paid by cash, local check, money order, cashier's check or credit card. Checks are payable to "Clerk of District Court."

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

How Probate Works in Platte County

Probate is the court-supervised process of settling someone's estate after they die — validating the will, paying debts and taxes, and transferring what's left to the heirs. In Platte County, probate runs through the District Court at 800 9th Street, Wheatland. The court sits in the 8th Judicial District. The same 8th Judicial District also serves Converse, Goshen and Niobrara.

The personal representative opens the case, gives notice to heirs and creditors, files an inventory of the estate's assets, settles outstanding debts and taxes, and then distributes the remainder under the will — or under Wyoming intestacy law when there is no will.

Most Wyoming estates take 6 months to 12 months to move through this process. Creditors have 3 monthsW.S. §§ 2-7-201, 2-7-205, 2-7-701, 2-7-702, 2-7-703, 2-7-704Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.

What Probate Costs in Platte County

What probate costs in Platte County, Wyoming comes down to a handful of line items — the court filing fee, attorney and executor compensation, publication, and sometimes a bond — scaled by the estate's size and whether the will is contested. The case itself runs through the District Court at 800 9th Street, Wheatland. The court is part of the 8th Judicial District.

Wyoming charges $160 - $165+ (based on estate value)W.S. § 2-2-401(a)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source to open probate, the same in every county. Additional filings during administration — inventory, accounting, the final petition — add to the total.

Estimate the costs for this estate:

Wyoming sets attorney fees by statute — a percentage of the estate's gross value. Every attorney charges the same schedule, so the decision to hire one comes down to complexity, not price.

Wyoming sets executor compensation by statute — about $10,350 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 2.1%Wyo. Stat. § 2-7-803 (10% of first $1K, 5% of next $4K, 3% of next $15K, 2% thereafter; extraordinary fees per § 2-7-803(b), payable only on court order per § 2-7-805)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.

Wyoming requires publishing notice to creditors in a local newspaper, and the estate pays for it.

A surety bond may be required unless the will waives it or all beneficiaries consent. Premiums run roughly 0.5%Industry surety premium estimate; the bond itself under Wyo. Stat. § 2-3-102Verified Sep 9, 2026View source of estate value annually.

Probate in Wyoming typically runs 6 months to 12 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.

How to File Probate at the District Court

Probate cases in Platte County, Wyoming are filed at the District Court. The court sits in the 8th Judicial District.

Can You File Without an Attorney?

Wyoming has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not availableWyo. Stat. tit. 2 (no UPC informal probate; non-administration transfers via §§ 2-1-201, 2-1-205)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source.

For a full cost comparison and filing checklist, see the Platte County Self-Filing Assessment.

Platte County Filing Requirements

These are specific requirements for filing probate in this county. Following these guidelines will help avoid delays or rejected filings.

Before You File

Fax and email filing

The office takes fax and email filings at dcfiling@plattecountywyoming.com for $1 per page.

Source

What to Bring

Filed with the opening petition at the District Court: Original will and any codicils (for testate probate; attached to and proved with the petition, § 2-6-201 — and delivered to the clerk in PAPER even where the filer e-files, per Wyo. R. Elec. Filing & Serv. 5(a)(2)(F)); Petition stating jurisdictional facts, heirs/devisees, and probable value and character of the property (§§ 2-6-201 testate / 2-4-205 intestate); Oath of the personal representative (executor/administrator) subscribed before letters issue (§ 2-3-101); Bond unless waived by the will, by statute, or in writing by the distributees (§§ 2-3-102, 2-3-111)Wyo. Stat. Ann. §§ 2-2-101 (jurisdiction), 2-6-201 (petition to probate will), 2-4-205 (petition for letters of administration), 2-3-101 to 2-3-111 (oath & bond)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.

Death Certificates and the Coroner in Platte County

In Platte County certified copies of the death certificate come from Wyoming Department of Health - Vital Records Services; the Local Registrar files the certificate and issues no copies to the public.

Vital Records Office Record

Wyoming Department of Health - Vital Records Services

Platte County · State vital records office

Hours

Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM-4:00 PM (Friday by appointment only, except holidays)

Office

2300 Capitol Avenue, 1st Floor, Hathaway Building, Cheyenne, WY 82002

Certified copies

From Wyoming Department of Health - Vital Records Services; the Local Registrar files the certificate and issues no copies to the public

Mail

Vital Statistics Services 2300 Capitol Avenue Cheyenne, WY 82002

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

Coroner or Medical Examiner Record

Coroner

Platte County · Platte County Coroner

Verified November 3, 2026 · Source

Transferring Property in Platte County

Clearing title to real estate after a death, whether by a personal representative’s deed, an affidavit of survivorship, or a court order, happens at the County Clerk.

Deeds and other real property documents for Platte County are recorded with the County Clerk at 800 9th Street, Wheatland, WY 82201. Phone: 1-307-322-2315. Hours: Monday-Friday 7:00 AM-5:00 PM.

Documents submitted by mail go to P.O. Box 728, Wheatland, WY 82201-0728.

The County Clerk charges $12 for the first page plus $3 for each additional page.

Recording Office Record

County Clerk

Platte County

Hours

Monday-Friday 7:00 AM-5:00 PM

Office

800 9th Street, Wheatland, WY 82201

Open in Google Maps

Mail

P.O. Box 728 Wheatland, WY 82201-0728

Fax

1-307-322-2245

Verified October 17, 2026 · Source

Forms that put a death on the title

Probate Attorneys Serving Platte County

Wyoming uses formal, court-supervised probate, which makes an attorney worthwhile for most estates in Platte County — the filing sequence, notice requirements, and accounting leave little room for error. Estates under the small-estate threshold are the usual exception.

Probate attorney fees in Wyoming are set by statute as a percentage of the estate's value, so every Platte County attorney charges the same schedule. Price isn't the variable — experience with the District Court and responsiveness are.

A probate attorney files the petition with the District Court, publishes the required creditor notices, prepares the inventory and accounting, handles creditor claims and tax filings, and guides the final distribution. They represent the personal representative — not the beneficiaries — a distinction that matters if a dispute develops.

FirmLaramie, WY

Brown & Hiser LLC

Serves 3 counties

Nine-attorney firm on North 4th Street in Laramie, serving Albany County and clients in Carbon and Platte counties. Handles probate and estate administration, and drafts wills, living, testamentary, charitable and special needs trusts, and powers of attorney. Senior partner Kermit C. Brown practiced in Wheatland and Rawlins before the firm moved to Laramie in 1998.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateSpecial Needs PlanningBusiness Planningand 5 more

Office
163 North 4th StreetLaramie, WY 82073

FirmWheatland, WY

Sherard, Sherard, Artery & Johnson

Serves 1 county

Hometown firm on 10th Street in Wheatland, serving Platte County and the surrounding communities for over three decades. Handles wills, trusts and probate, and guardianships, for ranch families, small business owners and neighbors. Attorneys Brian Artery and Rex Johnson, admitted in 2011 and 1980, carry the practice.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateGuardianshipTrustsWills

Office
602 10th StreetWheatland, WY 82201

FirmCheyenne, WY

Hathaway & Kunz, LLP

Since 1975

Cheyenne firm founded in 1975 on Warren Avenue in Laramie County. Its estate administration team handles validating the will, appointing an executor or administrator, legal notices, estate taxes and will contests, plus trust administration and trust and estate litigation. Planning runs from revocable trusts and wills to Wyoming asset protection trusts and digital-asset planning.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 9 more

Office
2515 Warren Ave, Suite 500Cheyenne, WY 82001

Solo PracticeCheyenne, WY

Scott W. Meier, P.C.

Cheyenne solo practice on East Eighth Avenue in Laramie County, with a second office in Lander. Handles estate administration and probate and trust litigation, and settles real estate after a death by affidavit of survivorship and summary distribution. Scott W. Meier, a Lander native, has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1985 and brings that to the estate and tax side of a plan.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigationand 4 more

Office
200 E. Eighth Avenue, Suite 203Cheyenne, WY 82001

FirmCheyenne, WY

Walker Law LLP

Since 2023

Cheyenne firm founded in 2023 by father and son John and Robert Walker, with a combined fifty years of practice in Wyoming. Takes a personal representative from the petition for probate through creditor notice, inventory and the final decree of distribution, reopens closed estates when assets surface, and files guardian and conservator reports. Free initial consultation, by Zoom or phone.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipBusiness Planning

Office
114 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 200Cheyenne, WY 82001
Free consultationVirtual consultations

FirmCheyenne, WY

Davis & Johnson Law Office

Serves the whole state

Cheyenne office filing probates mostly in the First Judicial District for Laramie County, with appearances in district courts statewide. Handles probate petitions, notices to creditors and final accountings, guides successor trustees through inventories, accountings and distributions, and takes on will contests. Kelly S. Davis has practiced since 1979.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 10 more

Office
1807 Capitol Ave, Suite 200Cheyenne, WY 82001
See all 19 firms serving Platte County →

Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.

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Legal Sources

Show 4 more sources

Data sourced from Wyoming statutes and official state code. Fee percentages are modeled estimates; each figure's note says how. How we research.

Tools for Settling an Estate in Wyoming

Free tools for settling an estate in Wyoming: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for Wyoming.

How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Wyoming: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 120 daysW.S. §§ 2-7-403, 2-7-404, 2-7-410Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsW.S. §§ 2-7-201, 2-7-205, 2-7-701, 2-7-702, 2-7-703, 2-7-704Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.

See the Steps

How Do I Settle a Trust?

Settling a trust in Wyoming happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeWyo. Stat. § 4-10-101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysW.S. §§ 4-10-813, 4-10-1005Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.

See the Steps

Can I Self-File Probate?

Wyoming has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not availableWyo. Stat. tit. 2 (no UPC informal probate; non-administration transfers via §§ 2-1-201, 2-1-205)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source.

Get the Answer

Hire a Wyoming Probate Attorney

Browse vetted Wyoming attorneys handling probate matters.

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Notify Banks & Financial Institutions

Each institution has a separate death claim process. Find yours below.

Black Hills FCU

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Black Hills FCU

Blue FCU

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Credit Union serving Wyoming and Colorado

Blue FCU

CSAA Insurance

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Insurance Company serving the West, Northeast, and more

CSAA Insurance

D.A. Davidson

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Brokerage serving the West, Midwest, and more

D.A. Davidson

Farm Bureau Financial

Farm Bureau Financial logo

Insurance Company serving the Midwest, West, and more

Farm Bureau Financial

First Interstate

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Bank serving the West and Midwest

First Interstate

First Western Trust

First Western Trust logo

Bank serving the West and Southwest

First Western Trust

FNBO

FNBO logo

Bank serving the Midwest, West, and more

FNBO

Glacier Bancorp

Glacier Bancorp logo

Bank serving the West and Southwest

Glacier Bancorp

Great Plains Life

Great Plains Life logo

Insurance Company serving the Midwest and West

Great Plains Life

NBH Bank

NBH Bank logo

Bank serving the West, Midwest, and more

NBH Bank

Platte Valley Bank

Platte Valley Bank logo

Bank serving Nebraska and Wyoming

Platte Valley Bank

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