Wyoming Legal Aid and Pro Se Guardianship for a Minor

Filing for guardianship of a grandchild or relative's child in Wyoming costs money and involves paperwork that looks intimidating. But you do not need to hire a lawyer to get it done. Wyoming has free legal resources and self-help tools that make the process manageable — if you know where to find them.

Legal Aid of Wyoming

Legal Aid of Wyoming provides free legal representation to low-income residents. They handle family law matters including guardianship petitions for kinship caregivers.

To qualify, you must meet their income eligibility guidelines. Contact their intake line to start the process. Be prepared for wait times — Legal Aid carries heavy caseloads, especially in rural areas, and non-emergency guardianship matters may not get immediate attention.

Equal Justice Wyoming is a state-funded civil legal-services program that works with Wyoming legal-aid providers and community organizations to connect people with limited income to legal help.

Court Navigators

Wyoming's Court Navigator pilot assists with protection orders, eviction cases, and domestic-relations matters, including divorce, custody, and support. It provides procedural information and help with eligible pro se forms.

Court Navigator availability by county:

• In-person assistance: Natrona County
• Remote assistance: Albany, Carbon, Fremont, Lincoln, Natrona, and Uinta counties

Court Navigators do not represent you in court — they are not your lawyer. Minor guardianship is not among the pilot's listed case types, so do not assume a navigator can assist with that petition.

If your county is not listed, the Wyoming Judicial Branch website provides the self-help packets directly, and Legal Aid can often assist remotely.

The Self-Help Packets

The Wyoming Judicial Branch publishes free self-help legal packets for common court filings. For guardianship of a minor, the relevant packet is Packet 14, which includes the petition form (GMCP-4).

The packet covers:

• The verified petition — the document you file to ask the court for guardianship
• Instructions for completing each section
• Service requirements — how to notify the parents
• The proposed order for the judge to sign

Physical copies can be purchased at any Clerk of District Court office for $10 (the fee goes to the Supreme Court for printing costs). Digital versions are available free online through the Judicial Branch website.

Filing Fees and Fee Waivers

The district court filing fee for a guardianship petition is $160. If you cannot afford it, file an Affidavit of Indigency before the petition to request a fee waiver.

The Affidavit of Indigency asks you to document your income, expenses, and assets. The court either grants or denies the fee-waiver request. If you are receiving SNAP benefits, TANF, Medicaid, or SSI, include documentation of those — they support your claim of financial hardship.

File the Affidavit before the petition. The court will decide the waiver request; if it is denied, the filing fee must be paid.

Filing Without a Lawyer

Many kinship caregivers in Wyoming file guardianship petitions pro se (representing themselves). The process is straightforward if you follow the self-help packet carefully:

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Wrong county. If a prior custody order involving this child exists in any Wyoming county court, you must file your guardianship petition in that same county. Filing in the wrong county results in dismissal.
• Missing verification. The petition must be verified — meaning you sign it under oath. An unverified petition can be rejected.
• Incomplete service. The parents must be properly notified of the petition unless you are seeking an ex parte order. Skipping or botching service delays everything.

The temporary guardianship option. If you only need authority over the child's education, medical care, and dental care, the temporary guardianship under W.S. §§ 3-2-301–303 is a simpler filing than full guardianship. The court may issue an ex parte order without advance notice only if it finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the appointment is in the child's best interests, is not detrimental to another person's interests, and no other person appears to have authority and willingness to act. The court then serves the parents with the order and notice of their right to request a hearing. An ex parte order is limited to not more than one year unless the court finds good cause.

What to Do First

Before you drive to the courthouse, organize your paperwork: the child's identifying information, your relationship to the child, the parents' names and last known addresses, and a clear explanation of why the child is in your care. Having this ready makes the petition faster to complete and the Court Navigator's job easier.

Our Wyoming School and Medical Consent Guide includes a preparation checklist for both the temporary guardianship petition and the full guardianship filing — the documents to gather, the information to have ready, and the steps to complete before your first courthouse visit.

See more Wyoming guides →