Does paying child support prevent abandonment claims in Wyoming?

Paying child support does not, on its own, settle an abandonment question in Wyoming. Wyoming sets no fixed number of months for abandonment. Under Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-110, abandonment depends on the parent's overall conduct, so the court looks at the whole picture rather than at one factor.

Why payments alone may not decide it. Because there is no countdown, such as "X months without contact," there is no point where a parent's payments automatically either protect or defeat a claim. Child support is part of the picture. How much weight the court gives it next to everything else in a particular case is something the District Court clerk in your county or a family law attorney can tell you.

What "overall conduct" means for you. Your situation will look different depending on the facts. These are the kinds of things worth thinking through and writing down accurately:

• Whether support has been paid, and how regularly.
• Whether the other parent has been in touch with your child, and how often.
• Whether there are long gaps, and what was happening during them.
• Whether anything kept the other parent from being involved.

Keep dates, messages, payment records and anything else that shows the real history. A clear, honest account is more useful than a one-sided one.

If the other parent disagrees. If the other parent is likely to contest the adoption, or you are unsure where they stand, that is the point to talk with an attorney. A contested case turns on its specific facts, and general information can't tell you how a judge would see yours.

The rest of the process. Wyoming adoption petitions go to the District Court. The data we work from lists these related requirements:

• You must have lived in Wyoming for 60 days immediately before filing (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-103).
• A child who is 14 has a consent requirement (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-109).
• A home study is waived in stepparent cases (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-111(a)(ii)).
• Stepparent adoptions in Wyoming typically take 3-6 months.

For the current filing fee or local filing practices in your county, the District Court clerk can confirm the details.

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, and your court-ready documents arrive within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions. We back every package with a 100% court acceptance guarantee. We have helped 191 Wyoming families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.