Wyo. Stat. Ann. §§ 1-21-403, 1-21-1001 to 1-21-1017, 1-21-1201 to 1-21-1211, 1-21-1301 to 1-21-1304, 1-21-1401 to 1-21-1403 § 1-21-1210
Possession of premises and disposition of personal property abandoned by renter after termination of rental agreement.
Operative Text
1-21-1210. Possession of premises and disposition of
personal property abandoned by renter after termination of
rental agreement.
(a) Upon regaining lawful possession of the rental unit
following termination of the rental agreement, the owner may
immediately dispose of any trash or property the owner
reasonably believes to be hazardous, perishable or valueless and
abandoned. Any property remaining within the rental unit after
termination of the rental agreement shall be presumed to be both
valueless and abandoned. Any valuable property may be removed
from the residential rental unit and shall thereafter be
disposed of as follows:
(i) The owner shall provide written notice to the
renter in accordance with this paragraph, describing the
property claimed to be abandoned and stating that the property
shall be disposed of after seven (7) days from the date of
service of the notice if the renter or his agent does not,
within the seven (7) day period, take possession of the property
or notify the owner in writing of the renter's intent to take
possession of the property. The notice provided by the owner
under this paragraph shall be deemed served:
(A) On the date the notice is mailed by
certified mail to the renter at an address furnished to the
owner by the renter in writing specifically for this purpose;
(B) On the date notice is served on the renter
in accordance with Rule 4 of the Wyoming Rules of Civil
Procedure provided a copy of the written notice is delivered to
the individual renter personally; or
(C) On the date the notice is published in a
newspaper published in the county or widely circulated in the
county where the residential rental unit is located.
(ii) If the owner does not receive a written response
from the renter within seven (7) days after service of notice
under paragraph (i) of this subsection, the property shall be
conclusively deemed abandoned and the owner may retain or
dispose of the property;
(iii) If the renter responds in writing to the owner
on or before seven (7) days after service of notice under
paragraph (i) of this subsection that he intends to take
possession of the property, the property shall be held for an
additional period of seven (7) days after the written response
is received. If the renter fails to take possession of the
property within the additional fifteen (15) day period, the
property shall be conclusively deemed abandoned and the owner
may retain or dispose of the property.
(b) The owner is entitled to payment of storage costs for
the period the property remains in safekeeping plus the cost of
removal of the property to the place of storage. An owner shall
be allowed reasonable storage costs if he stores the property
himself or actual storage costs if the property is stored
commercially. Payment of storage costs shall be made before the
renter removes the property.
(c) The owner is not responsible for any loss to the
renter resulting from storage.Wyoming Stat. § 1-21-1210 establishes a process for handling personal property left behind in a rental unit after the rental agreement has ended. Once an owner lawfully regains possession, trash, hazardous items, and perishable or apparently valueless property may be disposed of immediately, while any property that appears valuable must be held and the renter notified in writing before disposal. The renter then has seven days to claim the property or signal intent to retrieve it, with an additional period granted if the renter responds; if no action is taken within the applicable timeframe, the property is conclusively deemed abandoned. Owners may charge reasonable storage costs, and they bear no liability for losses that occur during storage.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 1-21-1210, compliant operators distinguish between items that can be discarded immediately—trash, hazardous materials, perishables, and clearly valueless goods—and property that appears to have value, which must be handled through the written-notice process. A compliant owner sends written notice describing the abandoned property and the seven-day response window, using one of the approved delivery methods: certified mail to an address the renter provided in writing, personal service under Wyoming Rule of Civil Procedure 4, or publication in a county newspaper. Operators who store valuable property themselves are entitled to charge reasonable storage costs, while those using commercial storage may charge actual costs, collected before the renter retrieves the items.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section § 1-21-1210 gives renters a meaningful window to reclaim personal property left behind after a rental agreement ends: upon receiving the owner's written notice, a renter has seven days to either take possession of the property or notify the owner in writing of an intent to do so, which triggers an additional holding period. Renters who believe an owner has not followed the required notice procedures—such as using an approved delivery method or providing an adequate description of the property—may have grounds to raise that failure in a legal proceeding or complaint. Tenant-rights organizations in Wyoming can help renters understand how this provision applies to their circumstances and what general options exist for recovering property or addressing improper disposal.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 26, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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