How Do I Get Appointed as Executor in Wyoming?

In Wyoming, the District Court appoints the personal representative and the Clerk of the district court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration; every appointment goes through the court.

State

Document Type

Getting appointed in Wyoming

Personal Representative (executor if testate, administrator if intestate)

The form that opens the estate

No statewide fill-in form

Attorney-drafted pleading

Where you file

District Court (sitting in probate)

What the court issues (with a will)

Letters Testamentary

issued by Clerk of the district court

Letters are an output — the court issues them after granting the petition.

At a glance

UPC adoptedInformal trackE-filing (self-represented)Self-represented filingLocal/county forms

Self-represented filers cannot e-file. Wyo. R. Elec. Filing & Serv. 4(b)(2) ("Ineligibility") provides that "Self-represented litigants in district or circuit court who are not Wyoming licensed attorneys may not eFile or eServe documents," while the mandate runs only the other way: Rule 5(a)(1) requires that "all filings by attorneys eligible to eFile pursuant to Rule 4(a) must be eFiled through the EFS." The Judicial Branch FAQ states the same split under "How do I pay my filing fees?" — "Licensed Wyoming Attorneys: Efiling within the district courts is mandatory" versus "Self-represented Litigants: Filing fees will be paid to the clerk of court upon filing. Methods of payment include cash and certified check." One probate-specific carve-out binds even attorneys: Rule 5(a)(2)(F) requires "Original wills filed for the first time in a matter" to be Traditionally Filed — defined at Rule 2(a)(14) as "submitting a filing to the clerk's office in paper or other tangible form" — so the original will reaches the court on paper regardless of who files.

Bond

Required before Letters: Yes
Waivable by will: Yes
Waivable by beneficiaries: Yes

What to file with the petition

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)
Certified copy of the death certificate — commonly requested by the clerk of district court at intake, but NOT required by Title 2 for a probate petition; confirm with the county clerk of district court
For small-estate collection: Affidavit for Distribution of Personal Property (estate <= $400,000, 30 days elapsed, no PR pending) (§ 2-1-201)

Small-estate alternative

Bypasses full Letters: Yes
Form: PPP-01..PPP-05 (personal property, § 2-1-201); PRP-01..PRP-18 (real property summary distribution, § 2-1-205)View source
Form name: Affidavit for Distribution of Personal Property (Intestate / Testate); Application for Distribution of Real Property + Decree of Summary Distribution (Intestate / Testate)

State-specific notes

Wyoming's small-estate threshold is $400,000 (Wyo. Stat. Ann. §§ 2-1-201(a)(i), 2-1-205(a)), among the highest in the country, so a large share of estates can avoid full administration and letters entirely via the affidavit (personal property) or summary-distribution decree (real property) tracks; the $400,000 figure replaced $200,000 effective July 1, 2025 (2025 Wyo. Sess. Laws, Enrolled Act No. 85 (SF0104), § 2: "This act is effective July 1, 2025."). Both tracks require that 30 days have elapsed since death and that no application for appointment of a personal representative is pending or granted (§ 2-1-201(a)(ii), (iii)). The two tracks go to DIFFERENT offices: the § 2-1-201 affidavit is recorded with the COUNTY CLERK, not the court (§ 2-1-201(c): "When the affidavit is filed with the county clerk and a certified copy is presented to any person with custody of the decedent's property ... the affidavit shall be honored"; the Judiciary's PPP-01 instructions warn "The County Clerk is not the same person as a Court Clerk"), while the § 2-1-205 application for a decree of summary distribution is filed with the clerk of the district court (§ 2-1-206(c)). Governmental-creditor collection by affidavit uses a separate $400,000 / 90-day affidavit (§ 2-1-204). District judges sitting 'in probate' handle these matters as part of general district-court jurisdiction; there is no separate probate court or registrar. In full administration the personal representative must return an inventory within 120 days of appointment (§ 2-7-403(a)) and then file a report of appraisal within 120 days of the inventory, employing disinterested persons to value any asset without a readily determinable market value (§ 2-7-404(a)(ii)) — Wyoming is one of the few states where an appraiser is not optional.

General information about how a personal representative is appointed, not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions. Data verified Aug 24, 2026

Wyoming has no single statewide fill-in petition; the opening document is prepared to statute and filed with the District Court. Clerk of the district court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration after the court grants the petition.

Along with the petition, Wyoming generally requires: 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).

Yes. Wyoming requires a bond by default before Letters issue. A will can waive it. The beneficiaries can also waive it in writing.

Wyoming permits a self-represented person to open an estate. E-filing is attorneys only. The Wyoming self-file probate assessment sets self-filing against attorney costs.

Yes. A revocable living trust passes its assets to the beneficiaries without a court appointment in Wyoming: no petition, no Letters, no bond. A revocable trust built with SimplyTrust takes about fifteen minutes.

Getting Appointed in Wyoming

Authority to act for the estate comes from Letters issued in Wyoming by Clerk of the district court, on appointment by the District Court. The document is Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (no will). Wyoming has not adopted the Uniform Probate Code.

Wyoming publishes no single statewide fill-in petition; the opening document is prepared to statute and filed with the court. The filing fee is $160 - $165+ (based on estate value). Wyoming has no informal (registrar) appointment track, so every appointment goes through the court.

Wyoming requires a bond by default before Letters issue, though a will can waive it and the beneficiaries can waive it in writing.

For smaller estates, Wyoming offers a small-estate procedure for estates under $400,000 that can transfer assets without a full appointment or Letters; the official forms are PPP-01 through PPP-05 (personal property, § 2-1-201); PRP-01 through PRP-18 (real property summary distribution, § 2-1-205). The Wyoming self-file probate assessment compares self-filing and attorney costs.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated September 9, 2026

Legal Sources

Data sourced from Wyoming statutes and official state code. How we research.

Is this your situation?

Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.

Named as Executor

What an executor actually does: getting appointed, notifying creditors, paying debts and taxes, and where personal liability starts.

Learn more

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

How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Wyoming sets executor compensation by statute — about $10,350 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 2.1%.

Use Calculator

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 available.

Check Now

What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

In Wyoming, creditors have 3 months from first publication of the creditor notice to present claims; late claims are barred.

Check Deadlines

What Happens When an Estate Is Insolvent?

When an estate owes more than it holds, Wyoming pays the claims in 10 classes in statutory order, beginning with court costs.

Check the Payment Order

How Do I Open an Estate Account When Someone Dies?

Compare estate-account opening requirements bank by bank: channels, required documents, and steps.

See Bank Requirements

What Is the Estate's Personal Property Worth for Probate?

Estimate the fair market value of household items for probate and see how it affects fees.

Estimate Value

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Wyoming costs an estimated $21,210. Attorney fees are statutory (set by law).

Use Calculator

Hire a Wyoming Probate Attorney

Browse 43 probate firms in Wyoming with addresses, contact info, and practice details.

Browse firms

All Wyoming tools

Wyoming Estate Settlement Resources

In-depth guides covering Wyoming probate, estate administration, and settling an estate.

How Do I Get Appointed as Executor in Wyoming?