Wyoming Statutes

Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-203 (2026)

Jurisdiction for enforcement and modification.

✓ current as of May 2026
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(a) A court in this state which enters a custody order
under W.S. 20-2-201 has continuing subject matter jurisdiction
to enforce or modify the decree concerning the care, custody and
visitation of the children as the circumstances of the parents
and needs of the child require, subject to the provisions of the
Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act. A
service member's temporary duty, deployment or mobilization, as
defined in W.S. 20-2-205, shall not alter any court's continuing
jurisdiction under this section. A court which has jurisdiction
to enforce or modify an order under this section may decline to
exercise its jurisdiction if it finds it is an inconvenient
forum under the circumstances of the case and that the court
which entered the original order is a more appropriate forum and
has jurisdiction as set forth in the Uniform Child Custody
Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act.

     (b) A court in any county in Wyoming in which the child
has lived with his parents, a parent or a person acting as a
parent for six (6) consecutive months immediately prior to
commencement of the custody proceeding may assert subject matter
jurisdiction and adjudicate any proceedings involving the child.
Periods of temporary absence of any of the named persons shall
be included as part of the six (6) month period.

     (c) Any party seeking to enforce or modify a custody order
pursuant to this section shall attach a certified copy of the
custody order to the petition to be enforced or modified. A
certified copy of an order entered by a Wyoming court providing
for the care, custody or visitation of children may be filed in
the office of the clerk of the district court of any county in
this state in which either parent resides if neither parent
resides in the county of original jurisdiction. The district
court for the county in which the order is filed has
jurisdiction to enforce the order, provided:

          (i) Upon request of the district court for the county
in which a certified copy of the order has been filed, the court
which originally entered the order shall forward certified
copies of the transcript of the court record and pleadings,
orders, decrees, records of hearings, social studies and other
pertinent documents relating to the original proceeding; and

          (ii) The district court for the county in which a
certified copy of the order has been filed shall give due
consideration to the transcript of the record and all other
documents submitted to it in accordance with paragraph (i) of
this subsection.

     (d) In any proceeding to enforce or modify an order
concerning the care, custody and visitation of children, any
required notice or pleading shall be served as provided by the
Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 13 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 2004–2025 · leading case: Kelly Suzanne Brush, F/K/A Kelly Suzanne Davis v. Roger Ryan Davis, 2013 WY 161 (Wyo. 2013).
Kelly Suzanne Brush, F/K/A Kelly Suzanne Davis v. Roger Ryan Davis, 2013 WY 161 (Wyo. 2013). · cites it 3× “" Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-203 (a). Father's modification petition was filed in the same district court that granted the original divorce decree in which Mother was awarded primary physical eusto-dy of the child.”
Geerts v. Jacobsen, 2004 WY 148 (Wyo. 2004). · cites it 6× “§ 20-2-203 (a) (LexisNexis 2003) grants the district court continuing subject matter jurisdiction to enforce decrees but not to enforce a temporary order, which is not made part of the final decree, and the order is void and null. Mother contends that father failed to timely…”
Ekaterina Nicholaevna Pokrovskaya, a/k/a Yekaterina Pokrovskaia v. Eric Van Genderen Sr., 2025 WY 50 (Wyo. 2025). · cites it 10× “[¶12] Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-203 (a) provides: A court in this state which enters a custody order under W.”
Womack v. Swan, 413 P.3d 127 (Wyo. 2018). “In order to enforce and require future compliance with an order the court may find that the parent is in contempt of court, award attorney's fees, costs and any other relief as the court may deem necessary under the circumstances to the party aggrieved by the violation of an…”
Amy Elise Evans f/k/a Amy Elise Sharpe v. Spencer Steven Sharpe, 2023 WY 55 (Wyo. 2023). “(b) A court having jurisdiction under W.S. 20-2-203 may, upon appropriate motion of a party, require a parent to appear before the court and show just cause why the parent should not be held in contempt, upon a showing that the parent has willfully violated an order concerning…”
Kathryn Ann Heimer v. Mason William Heimer, 2021 WY 97 (Wyo. 2021). “Contempt Procedure [¶15] Wyoming law provides for post-petition motions for order to show cause: (b) A court having jurisdiction under W.S. 20-2-203 may, upon appropriate motion of a party, require a parent to appear before the court and show just cause why the parent should not…”
Wood v. Wood, 424 P.3d 247 (Wyo. 2018). · cites it 2× “[¶8] The district court's order correctly disposed of only the limited action sought by Mother in her motion: This matter has come before the court upon [Mother's] Motion for Emergency Ex Parte Order, filed November 17, 2017.”
Kimberly Shindell v. Roger Shindell, 2014 WY 51 (Wyo. 2014). “§ 20-2-204 (b) (LexisNexis 2013) governs enforcement of a divorce decree: (b) A court having jurisdiction under W.S. 20-2-203 may, upon appropriate motion of a party, require a parent to appear before the court and show just cause why the parent should not be held in contempt,…”
Wild v. Adrian, 2007 WY 61 (Wyo. 2007). · cites it 4× “DISCUSSION The Right to Intervene [19] In their petition to intervene in the Adrian divorce action, the Wilds alleged that they had standing to request modification of the custody order pursuant to Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-203 (a) (LexisNexis 2005) 2 because at the time they filed…”
Inman v. Williams, 2009 WY 51 (Wyo. 2009). · cites it 2× “Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-203 (Lexis- *193 Nexis 2007).”
Theresia Renee Breen f/k/a Theresia Renee Black v. Jamie Lee Black, 2020 WY 94 (Wyo. 2020). “(b) A court having jurisdiction under W.S. 20-2-203 may, upon appropriate motion of a party, require a parent to appear before the court and show just cause why the parent should not be held in contempt, upon a showing that the parent has willfully violated an order concerning…”
Brett L. Ruiz v. Phoenix A. Fribourg, 2022 WY 157 (Wyo. 2022). · cites it 4× “See Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-203 (a) (LexisNexis 2021).”
— Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-203(a) — 1 case
Wild v. Adrian, 2007 WY 61 (Wyo. 2007). “DISCUSSION The Right to Intervene [19] In their petition to intervene in the Adrian divorce action, the Wilds alleged that they had standing to request modification of the custody order pursuant to Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-203 (a) (LexisNexis 2005) 2 because at the time they filed…”
— Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-203(c) — 1 case
Kelly Suzanne Brush, F/K/A Kelly Suzanne Davis v. Roger Ryan Davis, 2013 WY 161 (Wyo. 2013). “" Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 20-2-203 (a). Father's modification petition was filed in the same district court that granted the original divorce decree in which Mother was awarded primary physical eusto-dy of the child.”
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