Does Wyoming require workers’ compensation insurance?
Yes, for most trades. Wyoming requires workers' compensation from the first employee in any employment its statute lists as extra-hazardous by NAICS code, including construction, mining, manufacturing, trucking, restaurants and hotels, and health care (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-108). Other businesses may elect coverage. Either way, coverage comes only from the state's Workers' Compensation Division, not a private insurer. Owners, partners, corporate officers, and LLC members are exempt unless they elect in.
Updated . Written by Andre Beukers, principal at Redoubt, a commercial insurance agency in Salt Lake City, not a government office.
Does my type of business need workers' comp in Wyoming?
Wyoming has no head-count threshold. Coverage is mandatory from the first employee when the business is in an industry that Wyo. Stat. 27-14-108 lists as extra-hazardous, and DWS decides that from the business's NAICS classification when it registers. A business outside the list is optional: it may elect coverage, but then it must cover all of its employees and keep the coverage at least two years before withdrawing (27-14-108(j)).
The list in 27-14-108(a) covers all of mining, utilities, construction, manufacturing, and accommodation and food services; trucking, couriers, and warehousing; hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics; logging; auto dealers and gas stations; building services; repair and maintenance; and most recreation. Professional services and finance are not on it, so an accounting or design firm is usually optional.
Source: Wyoming DWS, Workers' Compensation for Employers, checked .
Which owners, officers, and family members are exempt in Wyoming?
Sole proprietors, partners, corporate officers, and LLC members are not covered unless the business elects coverage for them in writing, using the Division's Affidavit of Coverage. A sole proprietor's spouse, and dependents living in the owner's household, are exempt. Relatives of corporate officers and LLC members are employees and must be reported, as are partners' family unless the only partners are a married couple. Elected owner coverage stays in place at least eight calendar quarters.
Source: Wyoming DWS, Wage Reporting & Coverage, checked .
What happens to a Wyoming employer with no workers' comp?
An employer that never applied for coverage owes the state the full cost of any award to an injured worker, paid and reserved, under Wyo. Stat. 27-14-203(a); unpaid premium draws 1% interest a month, the Division can file a lien on the employer's property, and a court can stop the business from operating until it complies. Knowingly failing to set up an account is a misdemeanor, up to $750 and six months, on a first conviction and a felony, up to $10,000 and ten years, after that (27-14-510(d)).
The injured worker can also sue. Under 27-14-104(c), the Act's bar on lawsuits does not protect an employer that had not secured coverage, or had not paid premium within 30 days of the due date.
Employers not based in Wyoming with more than $4,000 a month in Wyoming wages must post a surety bond with DWS; willfully failing to is a misdemeanor, up to $5,000 and a year in jail (27-14-307).
Source: Wyoming DWS, New Employers, checked .
Who enforces workers' comp in Wyoming?
The Workers' Compensation Division of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services both sells the coverage and enforces the requirement. It decides whether a business is extra-hazardous, sets rates, pays claims, and issues certificates of good standing. Employer Services answers coverage questions at (307) 777-6763 or DWS-WCEmployerServices@wyo.gov.
Source: Wyoming DWS, Workers' Compensation for Employers, checked .
Where do Wyoming employers buy coverage?
Only from the state. Wyoming is a monopolistic state: the Workers' Compensation Division writes every policy out of the Wyoming State Fund, a single account the statute requires to be self-supporting (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-201). There is no private carrier to shop.
Wyoming coverage generally follows Wyoming-based employees on temporary work in another state, and Wyoming has reciprocal agreements with Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Nevada (Nevada's excludes construction). DWS says that does not replace another state's own requirements.
Source: Wyoming DWS, Wage Reporting & Coverage, checked .
Who sets the class codes and rates in Wyoming?
The Division sets its own classes and rates instead of using NCCI's. Each business is placed in an industry class by NAICS code, and the Division adjusts the base rate for each class every year after a public hearing (Wyo. Stat. 27-14-201). For 2027 it has proposed an overall 2.0% decrease, with individual classes moving between +12.5% and -16.7%, and a hearing set for October 14, 2026. Experience modification and discount programs then adjust each employer's own rate.
Source: Wyoming DWS, Proposed 2027 Industry Base Rates, checked .
Is there an exemption or waiver form in Wyoming?
There is no waiver form like Utah's, because exempt owners are exempt automatically. What Wyoming uses is registration: every business that works in Wyoming or hires a Wyoming resident completes the joint registration at WYUI.wyo.gov, including owners, sole proprietors, and contractors who need an exemption letter from the Division. A covered business proves it with a Certificate of Good Standing, requested online or from dws-wccert@wyo.gov.
Source: Wyoming DWS, New Employers, checked .
Working around a Wyoming state fund account
The Workers' Compensation Division writes every Wyoming policy, so register with DWS directly. Redoubt can help with what sits around it: reading the extra-hazardous list against your work before you register, workers in other states who need a policy there, and the liability certificate a general contractor asks for next to your certificate of good standing.
This is general insurance information, not legal advice or a coverage determination. Statutes, agency instructions, policy forms, and the facts of the business control.
Workers’ comp requirements in every state
Each state page gives the employee threshold, the owner and officer exemptions, the penalty for going without, the rating bureau, the market, the enforcing agency, and the exemption filing, each with its statute or agency source.
- Alabama
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- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
The hub, and the Wyoming pages that go deeper
Wyoming workers’ comp FAQ
Do I need workers' comp in Wyoming with only one employee?+
It depends on the industry. If the business is on Wyoming's extra-hazardous list, such as construction, trucking, manufacturing, or a restaurant, coverage is required before the first employee starts. If it is not, coverage is optional, and an employer that elects it must cover every employee.
Can I buy Wyoming workers' comp from a private insurance company?+
No. Wyoming coverage comes only from the Department of Workforce Services' Workers' Compensation Division. Register at WYUI.wyo.gov; DWS assigns the class and rate and issues the certificate of good standing a general contractor will ask for.
I own an LLC with no employees. Do I need coverage in Wyoming?+
No. LLC members, sole proprietors, partners, and corporate officers are exempt unless they elect coverage with the Division's Affidavit of Coverage, and elected coverage must stay in place for eight calendar quarters. To document the exemption, complete the DWS registration and ask for an exemption letter.
I'm an out-of-state contractor with a job in Wyoming. What do I file?+
Register with DWS before work starts, with the Out-of-State Employer Questionnaire and proof of your current coverage. DWS decides what Wyoming coverage you need, and a surety bond is due once Wyoming wages top $4,000 a month.