Sued in Wyoming? You may have only 20 days to answer
Served in Wyoming: 20 days. Served outside Wyoming or by publication: 30 days. Small claims: no written answer, but go to court on the date set.
Checked against official sources: Oct 24, 2026. · Free letters and forms ↓
Count your answer deadline in Wyoming
Pick your court and the day you were served (got the court papers). We show the last day to answer and what to do next.
Wyoming guides by topic
How to answer in Wyoming
Your deadline by court, the official form, fees and defenses.
Default judgment in Wyoming
What a default means and how to set it aside, with a calculator.
After a judgment in Wyoming
Wage garnishment, bank levies and how to claim an exemption.
Which court hears debt cases in Wyoming
Circuit Court (civil)
Circuit courts have exclusive jurisdiction over money claims of $50,000 or less (not counting court costs), so almost all credit card, medical and debt-buyer lawsuits are filed here.
Law: Wyo. Stat. § 5-9-128(a)(i)
Circuit Court, Small Claims
Claims for money of $6,000 or less. No written answer is required.
Law: Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-201; Wyoming Rules Governing Small Claims Cases
District Court
Hears debt cases over $50,000.
Law: Wyo. Stat. § 5-9-128
How to answer in Wyoming
- How to answer
File a written answer with the clerk of the circuit court named on the summons and serve a copy on the plaintiff or its lawyer. Circuit courts accept e-filing.
- If you can't pay the fees
Affidavit of Indigency (Wyoming Judicial Branch self-help form).
- How you must be served
The summons must tell you how many days you have to answer in writing and warn that a default judgment may be entered if you do not. In small claims, the plaintiff may serve you by certified mail.
Law: Wyo. R. Civ. P. for Circuit Courts 3.1(b)(2); Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-203
Law: Wyo. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(1)(A); Wyo. R. Civ. P. for Circuit Courts 3.1(a)(2), (b)(3); Wyoming Rules Governing Small Claims Cases
Defenses to know in Wyoming
- Defenses in Wyoming law
Wyoming's time limit to sue is 10 years on a written contract and 8 years on a contract not in writing. A payment, or a signed written acknowledgment or promise to pay, starts the time limit over.
Law: Wyo. Stat. § 1-3-105; § 1-3-119
- Time limit to sue (written contract)
- 10 years · More on old debts at Debt Collector Map
If you missed the deadline in Wyoming
A default judgment means the court decides against you because you didn't answer. You may be able to ask the court to set it aside (cancel it), but time limits are short.
- What happens
If you do not answer in time, the plaintiff can apply for entry of default, with an affidavit, and then a default judgment.
- How to set it aside (cancel it)
File a motion to set aside. The court may set aside an entry of default for good cause, and a default judgment under Rule 60(b). A motion based on mistake, inadvertence, surprise, excusable neglect, newly discovered evidence or fraud must be made within a reasonable time and no more than 1 year after the judgment.
Law: Wyo. R. Civ. P. 55(c), 60(b)-(c)
Count your deadline to set aside a default
If there is a judgment in Wyoming
A judgment is the court's decision that you owe money. Then the creditor can ask the court to take money from your pay or bank account.
- Interest after the judgment
10% a year from the date of judgment until paid. If the judgment is based on a contract that set an interest rate, the judgment carries that rate.
- How long it lasts
A judgment becomes dormant if no execution is issued within 5 years after it is entered, or if 5 years pass between executions; it then stops being a lien. A dormant judgment can be revived by an action brought within 10 years after it became dormant.
Law: Wyo. Stat. § 1-16-102; § 1-17-307; § 1-16-503
Garnishment, bank levy and exemptions in Wyoming
Exempt means protected by law: money or property the creditor can't take. Often you must claim it yourself, fast.
- Wage garnishment (taking part of your pay)
The federal limit applies — no more than 25% of disposable earnings, or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage per week, whichever is less.
Law: Wyo. Stat. §§ 1-15-408(b), 1-15-511
- Bank levy (freezing and taking money in your bank account)
The clerk issues a writ of garnishment that is served on your bank; within 5 days the person who served it must mail you a copy. The bank must answer within 10 business days. Wages deposited in your account within 20 days before the writ (or on the day of, or within 10 business days after, service) keep the same protection as wages, and if your pay was already garnished, the rest of that paycheck in your account is fully exempt.
Law: Wyo. Stat. § 1-15-408(a)
- How to claim an exemption
You will get a Notice of Right to Hearing. If you think the money is exempt (for example Social Security, veterans' benefits, workers' compensation, unemployment, retirement, or protected wages), first try to resolve a miscalculation with the garnishee within 5 business days of receiving its calculation. If not resolved, the money is paid to the clerk, and you must file a written Objection to Garnishment and Request for Hearing with the clerk, and mail a copy to the creditor or its lawyer, within 5 business days after the clerk receives the money. If you do not, the clerk pays the money to the creditor. Either party may also file a reply to the garnishee's answer within 10 days after it is filed.
Law: Wyoming Circuit Court form, Notice of Right to Hearing and Objection to Garnishment; Wyo. Stat. §§ 1-15-409, 1-15-412
These garnishment limits are from our sister site, which checks them against official sources: Debt Collector Map: Wyoming
Count your deadline to claim an exemption
Free help in Wyoming
- Wyoming Judicial Branch – Guide to Legal Help
- Wyoming Collection Agency Board – Complaint process · (307) 777-3497
- Find free legal help at LawHelp.org
Court self-help
Free letters and forms
Ask the plaintiff's lawyer for the debt documents
The contract, the chain of ownership and an itemization of what they claim.
Exemption claim cover letter
A letter to the court clerk to file with your exemption claim form.
Good to know in Wyoming
- The deadline to object to a bank or wage garnishment in Wyoming is very short: 5 business days after the clerk receives the money (Wyoming Notice of Right to Hearing form).
- Wyoming judgments carry 10% interest unless the contract set a different rate (Wyo. Stat. § 1-16-102).
- A Wyoming judgment goes dormant if the creditor does not issue execution for 5 years (Wyo. Stat. § 1-17-307).
Federal rules in every state
- Where a collector must sue. A debt collector that sues you over a consumer debt must file where you signed the contract or where you live when the suit starts. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1692i(a)(2)
- Old debts. A debt collector must not sue you, or threaten to sue you, on a debt that is too old to sue on. Law: 12 CFR 1006.26(b)
- Before a default judgment. Before the court gives the plaintiff a default judgment, the plaintiff must file a sworn statement saying whether you are in military service. Law: 50 U.S.C. 3931(b)(1)
- Your pay. For an ordinary debt, a creditor can take at most 25% of your take-home pay, or the part above 30 times the federal minimum wage if that is less. Many states protect more. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1673(a)
- Federal benefits in the bank. Your bank must protect up to two months of Social Security, SSI, VA and some other federal benefits that were paid into your account by direct deposit. You don't have to ask. Law: 31 CFR 212.5, 212.6
Questions about debt lawsuits in Wyoming
How long do I have to answer a debt lawsuit in Wyoming?
20 days after you are served with the summons and complaint in Wyoming; 30 days if you were served outside Wyoming or by publication. In circuit court, a plaintiff can serve you before filing the complaint. Then it must file the complaint, summons and proof of service within 14 days and mail you a notice of filing; you have 35 days after the complaint is filed to answer. If it is not filed within 14 days after service, you do not need to answer and the case is treated as dismissed. Small claims: no answer is required; go to the hearing on the date set.
How do I answer a debt lawsuit in Wyoming?
File a written answer with the clerk of the circuit court named on the summons and serve a copy on the plaintiff or its lawyer. Circuit courts accept e-filing.
What if I can't afford the court fees in Wyoming?
Affidavit of Indigency (Wyoming Judicial Branch self-help form).
What happens if I don't answer in Wyoming?
If you do not answer in time, the plaintiff can apply for entry of default, with an affidavit, and then a default judgment.
Can I cancel a default judgment in Wyoming?
File a motion to set aside. The court may set aside an entry of default for good cause, and a default judgment under Rule 60(b). A motion based on mistake, inadvertence, surprise, excusable neglect, newly discovered evidence or fraud must be made within a reasonable time and no more than 1 year after the judgment.
How much interest does a judgment add in Wyoming?
10% a year from the date of judgment until paid. If the judgment is based on a contract that set an interest rate, the judgment carries that rate.
How long does a judgment last in Wyoming?
A judgment becomes dormant if no execution is issued within 5 years after it is entered, or if 5 years pass between executions; it then stops being a lien. A dormant judgment can be revived by an action brought within 10 years after it became dormant.
Can my wages be garnished in Wyoming?
The federal limit applies — no more than 25% of disposable earnings, or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage per week, whichever is less.
Can a creditor take money from my bank account in Wyoming?
The clerk issues a writ of garnishment that is served on your bank; within 5 days the person who served it must mail you a copy. The bank must answer within 10 business days. Wages deposited in your account within 20 days before the writ (or on the day of, or within 10 business days after, service) keep the same protection as wages, and if your pay was already garnished, the rest of that paycheck in your account is fully exempt.
How do I claim an exemption in Wyoming?
You will get a Notice of Right to Hearing. If you think the money is exempt (for example Social Security, veterans' benefits, workers' compensation, unemployment, retirement, or protected wages), first try to resolve a miscalculation with the garnishee within 5 business days of receiving its calculation. If not resolved, the money is paid to the clerk, and you must file a written Objection to Garnishment and Request for Hearing with the clerk, and mail a copy to the creditor or its lawyer, within 5 business days after the clerk receives the money. If you do not, the clerk pays the money to the creditor. Either party may also file a reply to the garnishee's answer within 10 days after it is filed.
More help on our sister sites
Sources
- Wyo. Stat. Title 5 (§ 5-9-128, circuit court jurisdiction)
- Wyo. Stat. Title 1 (§§ 1-15-405 to -412 garnishment; 1-16-102 interest; 1-16-503 revival; 1-17-307 dormancy)
- Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure (August 2024)
- Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure for Circuit Courts
- Wyoming Rules and Forms Governing Small Claims Cases
- Wyoming Judicial Branch – Enforcing a Money Judgment
- Wyoming Circuit Court – Notice of Right to Hearing and Objection to Garnishment
- Wyoming Judicial Branch – Enforcement of Judgment handout (05.01.25)
- Wyoming Judicial Branch – Affidavit of Indigency
Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.
- Venue for debt collection suits, 15 U.S.C. 1692i
- Time-barred debts, 12 CFR 1006.26 (Regulation F)
- Default judgments and servicemembers, 50 U.S.C. 3931
- Restrictions on garnishment, 15 U.S.C. 1673
- Federal benefit payments in bank accounts, 31 CFR part 212
- CFPB: What should I do if I'm sued by a debt collector or creditor?