Privacy · Recording Consent
Is It Legal to Record a Call in Wyoming?
Whether you can record a conversation in Wyoming, whether everyone must consent, the exceptions, the criminal penalty, and the trap that catches interstate calls. Cited to the statute.
The rules and exceptions in Wyoming
Whose consent you need, when the rule does not apply, and the penalty for getting it wrong.
| The rule in this state | What it means |
|---|---|
| One party’s consent is enough | The prohibition does not reach a person who is a party, or who has one party’s prior consent, to the communication. Your own consent counts, so you may record a conversation you are part of. |
| Purpose can defeat the exception | The consent exception fails if the communication is intercepted for the purpose of committing any criminal or tortious act. Even a participant loses the defense in that case. |
| Phone, in-person, and electronic are covered | The statute reaches wire (phone), oral (in-person), and electronic communications, with a carve-out for electronic communications readily accessible to the general public. Oral communications require a justified expectation of non-interception under §7-3-701(a)(xi). |
| Planting a device gets its own clause | Section 7-3-702(a)(ii) separately targets use of a device to intercept an oral communication where the device is affixed to or transmits through a wire or by radio, so the classic bug is treated distinctly. |
| When it is different | What it means |
|---|---|
| Being a party or having prior consent | A participant, or anyone with one party’s prior consent, may record under §7-3-702(b)(iv), so long as the purpose is not criminal or tortious. |
| Phone-company tracing of harassing calls | A telephone company may trace obscene, harassing, or threatening calls at the recipient’s request under §7-3-702(b)(vi), with 48-hour notice to local law enforcement. |
| Court orders, providers, and public radio | Peace officers acting under a court order, provider and carrier ordinary-course activity, and publicly accessible electronic and various radio communications are all exempt. Good-faith reliance on a court order is a complete defense. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps before you record a conversation in Wyoming. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Record your own conversations, but mind your purpose
As a participant you may record under §7-3-702(b)(iv). The exception disappears if the recording is made to commit a crime or a tort, so a lawful reason matters.
- Take the civil exposure seriously
Wyoming’s civil damages start at $1,000 a day for each day of violation, ten times the federal template. A month of illegal recording dwarfs even the criminal fine.
- Get consent on cross-state calls
If the other participant is in an all-party state, follow the stricter rule. Asking everyone first removes the exposure.
- Talk to a Wyoming attorney if you are accused
A felony charge and $1,000-a-day civil damages are both serious. A licensed Wyoming attorney can assess your facts, and the Wyoming Attorney General handles statewide matters.
Illegal recording can be a felony. If you have been recorded without consent, or are accused of it, this resource can connect you with a licensed attorney.
→ Wyoming Attorney GeneralThis is general legal information, not legal advice. The expectation of privacy, the purpose of a recording, and interstate calls can change the answer, so confirm your situation with a licensed attorney.
What people get wrong about recording in Wyoming
Wyoming is a one-party consent state, so if you are part of a call or conversation you may record it, under Wyo. Stat. Ann. §7-3-702(b)(iv). What makes Wyoming distinctive is the lopsided balance between its criminal and civil penalties. The criminal fine tops out at only $1,000, but the civil damages figure is the most plaintiff-friendly in this region and one of the highest in the country, not less than $1,000 a day for each day of violation under §7-3-710(a)(i), ten times the federal template. The civil exposure for a month of illegal recording dwarfs the criminal fine entirely, so the real deterrent in Wyoming is the lawsuit, not the prosecution. Wyoming also keeps a 1980s-era reduced penalty for intercepting the radio portion of cellular and cordless calls, a misdemeanor capped at $750, a fossil of the analog-scanner era that still sits in §7-3-702(f). Like other one-party states, Wyoming attaches a criminal-or-tortious-purpose trap to its consent exception, so even a participant loses the defense if the recording serves an unlawful end. For in-person audio the statute protects only speech uttered with a reasonable and justified expectation of non-interception, while phone and electronic communications are protected without that showing. Record your own conversations for lawful reasons, respect the steep civil figure, and get consent whenever a call crosses into a stricter state.
Common questions
Can I record my own phone call in Wyoming?
Yes. Wyoming is a one-party consent state under §7-3-702(b)(iv), so your own consent as a participant is enough, unless the purpose is criminal or tortious.
Why is intercepting a cordless-phone call a lesser offense than a landline call?
Section 7-3-702(f) keeps a reduced misdemeanor tier, up to $750 and six months, for the radio portion of cellular and cordless calls, a holdover from the analog-scanner era.
What is an illegal recording worth in a Wyoming lawsuit?
Not less than $1,000 a day for each day of violation, plus punitive damages and attorney fees under §7-3-710(a), one of the highest per-day figures in the country.
Can the phone company record a harassing caller for me?
Yes. Under §7-3-702(b)(vi) a telephone company may trace obscene, harassing, or threatening calls at the recipient’s request, with 48-hour notice to local law enforcement.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.