Wyoming Probate Cost: $160 to Open, a Value Fee, and Two Statutory Fee Schedules
Settled Estate lists court filing fees and timelines for 5 Wyoming probate procedures. The cheapest published route starts at $160 for open a probate. Last verified September 2026.
Wyoming sets every court fee by statute, so all 23 counties charge the same. The court fees are small; the statutory fees for the personal representative and the attorney are where the money goes.
Opening a Wyoming estate costs $160 at the clerk of district court. W.S. 2-2-401 builds it from three lines: the $110 original filing fee under (a)(i), a $40 court automation fee under (a)(iii) and a $10 indigent civil legal services fee under (a)(iv), each add-on charged "in addition to the original filing fee". Quoting $110 as the Wyoming probate fee understates the bill. The Wyoming Supreme Court's Rules for Fees and Costs for District Courts (Rule 6) send probate fees to that statute, and no county sets its own.
A second court fee moves with the estate. When the inventory or appraisement is filed showing an estate of $5,000 or more, the clerk charges $5 for $5,000 to $10,000 and $5 for each additional $10,000 of value or portion of it (W.S. 2-2-401(a)(ii)). That is $75 on a $150,000 inventory and $150 on $300,000, so total court fees run $235 and $310.
The larger cost is professional fees, and Wyoming sets both by statute. The court allows the personal representative ordinary fees of 10% of the first $1,000, 5% of the amount over $1,000 up to $5,000, 3% over $5,000 up to $20,000 and 2% of everything over $20,000 (W.S. 2-7-803), and the attorney for the estate a separate fee on the same schedule (W.S. 2-7-804). On a $300,000 estate each is $6,350. The small estate affidavit avoids all of this: it carries no court fee, because it is filed with the county clerk rather than the court.
Quick Summary
- Open a probate
- $160Same in all 23 counties (W.S. 2-2-401(a)(i), (iii) and (iv))
- Inventory value fee
- $5 per $10,000From $5,000 of value up, when the inventory is filed (W.S. 2-2-401(a)(ii))
- Small estate affidavit court fee
- $0Filed with the county clerk; estate of $400,000 or less, net of liens (W.S. 2-1-201)
- Personal representative and attorney fees
- 10% / 5% / 3% / 2%Each a separate statutory schedule (W.S. 2-7-803 and 2-7-804)
There is no cheaper Wyoming county. W.S. 2-2-401 sets every probate fee the clerk of district court collects, the clerk only remits the money to the county treasurer (W.S. 2-2-402), and counties impose no local probate tax. County clerk recording charges are also statewide under W.S. 18-3-402. The genuinely local costs are the newspaper that prints the required notices and the number of pages a county clerk records.
Typical Total Cost Ranges
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| Procedure | Estate Size | Court Fee | Timeline | Attorney? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Probate With Administration | Any estate. Over $400,000 net in Wyoming, or any estate that needs a personal representative | $160 to open ($110 under W.S. 2-2-401(a)(i), $40 court automation fee, $10 indigent civil legal services fee), plus $5 per $10,000 of value (or portion) when the inventory is filed | Commonly 4 to 12 months; to be completed within one year of appointment unless the court approves a continuance | No statutory requirement | A larger estate, a disputed will, or debts to cut off through the published notice |
| Probate of Will Without Administration | Any estate where no personal representative is needed | Set by W.S. 2-6-122(b) as the minimum fee for a W.S. 2-6-203 proceeding; no dollar figure is stated, so ask the clerk | Commonly 3 to 5 months, including three weeks of publication and the three-month contest window | No statutory requirement | A will that should be proved without appointing an executor |
| Filing a Will Without Probate | Any estate | $0. "No filing fee shall be charged" (W.S. 2-6-121(b)) | On filing | No | Lodging the will with the clerk of district court when nothing needs to pass by it |
| Small Estate Affidavit | Estate located in Wyoming, net of liens and encumbrances, of $400,000 or less (W.S. 2-1-201) | $0 court fee. County clerk recording $12 first page, $3 each additional page, $5 per certified copy | Usable 30 days after the death | No | Accounts, vehicles and belongings in an estate of $400,000 or less |
| Decree of Summary Distribution | The same $400,000 ceiling; the route for Wyoming real property and mineral interests (W.S. 2-1-205) | Not stated in W.S. 2-1-205 or the court fee rules; ask the clerk. Recording the decree is $12 for the first page | Commonly 2 to 3 months after filing, which can start 30 days after the death | No statutory requirement | A Wyoming house, land or mineral interest in a small estate |
Additional Costs to Expect
Opening a Wyoming Estate
Paid to the clerk of district court for probate matters filed or commenced: the $110 original filing fee under W.S. 2-2-401(a)(i), a $40 court automation fee under (a)(iii) and a $10 indigent civil legal services fee under (a)(iv). The original fee covers the clerk's general filing activity and the certification of one copy of each order, decree or judgment at filing for each party (2-2-401(b)). Do not use the civil fee statute, W.S. 5-3-206, for probate; its own $160 already includes the $40 and $10.
Inventory Value Fee
Due when an inventory or appraisement is filed showing an estate valued at $5,000 or more (W.S. 2-2-401(a)(ii)). An $8,000 estate pays $5, a $100,000 estate $50, a $300,000 estate $150 and a $1,000,000 estate $500. The personal representative files the sworn inventory within 120 days of appointment (W.S. 2-7-403).
Personal Representative Fees
The court shall allow the personal representative ordinary fees computed on the probate estate accounted for, unless waived in writing (W.S. 2-7-803(a)). The basis includes items at inventory value adjusted for gain or loss on sale, accretions such as interest and dividends, and the net income of a business run during administration (2-7-803(c)). The court may allow more for unusual circumstances or for extraordinary services such as tax matters and litigation (2-7-803(a) and (b)). No fee is paid without a court order on a verified application, and only one ordinary fee is allowed per estate, shared among co-representatives (W.S. 2-7-805).
Attorney Fees for the Estate
The court shall allow the attorney for the estate ordinary fees on the same basis and schedule (W.S. 2-7-804(a) and (c)), plus just and reasonable fees for extraordinary services such as tax matters and litigation (2-7-804(b)). The personal representative and the attorney may agree to lower fees (2-7-804(d)). The two schedules are separate allowances, so a $300,000 estate can carry up to $12,700 in ordinary fees, unless one person serves as both personal representative and attorney, in which case no ordinary personal representative fee is allowed (2-7-805(c)).
Certified Death Certificates
Issued by the Wyoming Department of Health. W.S. 35-1-428 lets the department set the fee by rule and adds surcharges, and the department's 2026 application form prints the totals it charges. Wyoming is a closed-record state: copies go to immediate family, their lawyer, or a bank, executor, insurer or other person who needs the certificate to collect a benefit.
Recording With the County Clerk
W.S. 18-3-402(a)(xvi)(A) sets one charge for recording any instrument, which covers the small estate affidavit, a summary distribution decree, an affidavit of survivorship and a transfer on death deed. Extra charges apply for more than five grantors or grantees of different surnames, more than ten land descriptions and more than two book-and-page descriptions, and fees are paid in advance (18-3-402(b)). The court's small-estate instructions estimate the affidavit's recording as usually around $30.
Court Copies and Certificates
Copies beyond the one certified copy included in the filing fee follow W.S. 5-3-206: $0.50 for each certificate and seal ((a)(v)) and $1.00 for a one-page copy plus $0.50 for each additional page ((a)(vi)). Exemplification is $5.00 under Rule 7 of the court fee rules, and the clerk charges $1.00 per page to send a document by fax or email (Rule 4).
Publishing the Notice of Probate and to Creditors
After letters issue the personal representative must publish the notice once a week for three consecutive weeks in a daily or weekly newspaper of general circulation in the county (W.S. 2-7-201). The newspaper sets the charge and no statute fixes it. A decree of summary distribution needs two weeks of published notice instead (W.S. 2-1-205), and probate of a will without administration needs three (W.S. 2-6-122).
The Personal Representative's Bond
Every person issued letters must give a bond first, with two or more individual sureties or one corporate surety, in an amount not less than the value of the personal property plus the probable annual rents and profits of the real property (W.S. 2-3-102). No bond is required when the will or a statute says so or when the distributees waive it in writing, though the court may still require one (W.S. 2-3-111).
Appraisal
Within 120 days after filing the inventory the personal representative files a report of appraisal. Assets with a readily determinable market value are valued in writing by one disinterested person, and others by disinterested appraisers. The appraiser's fee is within the personal representative's discretion, subject to reasonableness and approval at the hearing on the final report (W.S. 2-7-404).
Vehicle Title
The county clerk issues a new certificate of title for $15 (W.S. 31-3-102(a)(vii)) when a vehicle passes to a surviving joint owner, a transfer-on-death beneficiary, a distributee under the small estate affidavit, or through probate.
Taxes
W.S. 39-19-103 still imposes a tax on the Wyoming gross estate measured by the federal state death tax credit, but that credit, 26 U.S.C. § 2011, was repealed in 2014, so the Wyoming tax computes to zero. Wyoming has no inheritance tax and no probate tax; the inventory fee is a court fee, not a tax. A federal estate tax return may still be due for a large estate.
One more cost source to check: if the person who died received Medicaid long-term care benefits, the state may file a recovery claim against the estate. The Wyoming Medicaid estate recovery guide explains when that applies.