Filing for Divorce in Wyoming

• You and your spouse’s financial situations after your divorce.
• How your property was acquired what restrictions on your property might exist.  

5. Does Wyoming require mediation before a divorce is granted?  
Mediation is not a requirement in Wyoming, though the court may order you and your spouse to seek some kind of alternative dispute resolution.  

6. How does the state determine child custody?  
Legal custody and physical custody are two different things. Legal custody outlines how involved each parent is in the major decisions of a child’s life — where a child goes to school, what faith he or she is raised in and other biggies. Physical custody addresses where a child will live and with whom.

Visitation is then negotiated based your physical custody arrangement. In deciding matters of custody, the court may require you and your spouse to attend parenting classes. Overall, it will be guided by what’s in your child’s best interest. In determining just what is in your child’s best interest, the court will consider the following factors:

• Your child’s relationship with you and your spouse.
• You and your spouse’s abilities to care for your child during visitation, including arranging for child care as needed.
• How competent and fit you and your spouse are as parents.
• You and your spouse’s willingness to take on all the responsibilities that come with parenting and accept a schedule for your child’s care.
• How you and your spouse each can best maintain a relationship with your child.
• How you and your spouse each interact and communicate with your child, and how that may be improved.
• You and your spouse’s abilities to respect each other’s privacy, parental rights and the opportunity to care for your child without interference.
• How far you and your spouse live from each other.
• You and your spouse’s physical and mental abilities to care for your child.
• Any other factor the court considers necessary.  

The court will take into account evidence of domestic abuse in awarding custody and visitation.  

The court seeks to come up with a final order addressing visitation in enough detail that understanding and following the plan is fairly straightforward. It will allocate the costs of transporting your child for visitation and require you and your spouse to give the other 30 days’ notice of plans to move out of the city or state.  

Your child’s grandparents also may be awarded visitation if they file a petition and the court finds it would be in your child’s best interest.