What counts as abandonment for adoption purposes in Wyoming?

In Wyoming, abandonment for adoption purposes has no fixed number of months. Instead, it depends on the other parent's overall conduct, and the statute that addresses it is Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-110.

No countdown clock. Some states say a parent must be out of the child's life for a set period before abandonment can apply. Wyoming does not. There is no minimum number of months of silence you can point to, and no single missed visit or payment decides the question. The court looks at the whole picture of how the other parent has behaved toward the child.

What that means for you. Because the standard turns on overall conduct, your own facts matter. These are the kinds of things that are worth writing down:

• When the other parent last saw or spoke with your child
• Whether the parent has reached out, and how
• Whether you or others tried to keep contact open
• Any cards, messages or other records that show the history

How the court weighs any of these is up to the judge. If your situation is contested, or you are unsure whether your facts would count, the District Court clerk in your county or an attorney can speak to that specific issue.

Where the case is filed. A stepparent adoption begins with a petition in the District Court (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-104(a)). Wyoming has 23 counties, and you file in yours. The adopting stepparent must meet the residency rule of 60 days immediately before filing (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-103). If the child is 14 or older, the child's own consent is also part of the process (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-109).

Timeline. Stepparent adoptions in Wyoming typically take about 3-6 months from filing. Contested situations can take a different course, and the clerk can tell you how scheduling works in your county.

Details to confirm locally. Filing fees and local procedures differ by county. For the current fee, and for how your county handles service on the other parent, call the District Court clerk where you plan to file.

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, which you file yourself without an attorney. Court-ready documents arrive within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions. The price is $349 for the first child and $99 for each additional child, and our work comes with a 100% court acceptance guarantee. We have helped 191 Wyoming families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.