Can a stepfather adopt his wife's child in Wyoming?

Yes, a stepfather can adopt his wife's child in Wyoming. Wyoming law allows a petition to be filed by either spouse when the other spouse is the child's parent (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-104(b)). It is also open to "any adult person" (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-103), so you apply as the child's stepfather through your marriage to the child's mother.

Here is how the main pieces work in Wyoming:

• Where you file: The petition is filed in the District Court in your county. Wyoming has 23 counties, and the clerk can tell you the local filing fee and any local procedures.
• Residency: You need to have lived in Wyoming for 60 days immediately before filing (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-103).
• The child's consent: Wyoming sets the child's consent age at 14 (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-109). If your stepchild is 14 or older, plan for that consent to be part of the case.
• The other biological parent: This is the part that depends most on your family's facts. Wyoming does not set a fixed number of months for abandonment. Instead, it depends on the parent's overall conduct (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-110). If the child's father is absent, or you aren't sure where he stands, ask the District Court clerk or an attorney about your specific situation.
• Home study: A home study is waived for stepparent adoptions in Wyoming (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-111(a)(ii)). That removes a step that can add time and cost in other situations.
• Timeline: Stepparent adoptions in Wyoming typically take 3-6 months from filing to finalization.

What to do first: Confirm that you meet the 60-day residency requirement, then think through the other parent's situation. If the child's father is likely to agree, the process is usually more straightforward. If he is unknown, unreachable, or may object, that issue turns on specific facts, so talk with the clerk's office or an attorney before you file.

Other questions to take to the clerk: Details this answer doesn't cover, such as the exact filing fee, how the court schedules hearings, and what a particular judge expects, are best confirmed with the District Court clerk in your county.

How we help: StepParent Adoption 360 is a document preparation service, not a law firm. You answer questions online, and we prepare the complete court document package for your county. You then file it yourself without an attorney. The cost is $349 for the first child and $99 for each additional child. Court-ready documents are delivered within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions, and we back them with a 100% court acceptance guarantee. We have helped 191 Wyoming families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.