In Wyoming, the line between the two kinds of crime is one year. If the top sentence is more than a year in prison, it's a felony. A lower maximum makes it a misdemeanor (W.S. 6-10-101). The work is split this way:

• Circuit Court: first hearings on all charges, bond, felony preliminary hearings, plus misdemeanors and traffic.
• District Court: felony cases after bind-over, youth cases and appeals.
• Thermopolis Municipal Court: breaking town rules inside the town limits.

The county belongs to the 5th Judicial District along with Big Horn, Park and Washakie counties.

• Circuit Court of the 5th Judicial District: 417 Arapahoe Street, Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-5161. This is the only Circuit Court location in the county.
• District Court, 5th Judicial District: 415 Arapahoe Street, Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-3323. The clerk works on the third floor. Go up the main stairs and turn right to the west side.

Phone ahead for office hours before making the trip. Living out of town? The District Court clerk takes email requests for remote hearings, sent a day or more before the hearing. Clerks can explain forms and fees, but they can't give legal advice.

Yes. The county seat runs a Municipal Court for town ordinance tickets. Questions about court dates or fines go to the town clerk at Town Hall, 420 Broadway, Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-3838, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ask the clerk where court is held and which days it meets. Fines can be paid with a credit card.

For a ticket written in one of the two smaller towns, call that town's office to learn which court has it. East Thermopolis answers at 307-864-9221. Kirby's office is at 114 North Bryan, Kirby, WY 82430, 307-864-4030. Fun fact: Kirby's very first town building, put up in 1915, was a jail that also served as its town hall.

The first time a jailed person sees a judge is in Circuit Court, usually within a day or two. At that hearing, the judge:

1. Reads each charge and the longest sentence it can bring.
2. Explains the right to stay silent and the right to a lawyer.
3. Decides on bond and any release rules (W.R.Cr.P. 5).
4. Sets up the next step, which is a plea on a misdemeanor or a preliminary hearing date on a felony.

With no warrant behind the arrest, a judge has three days, or 72 hours, to find probable cause, or the person goes free. Family can usually sit in the courtroom, so call 307-864-5161 to ask the time.

A misdemeanor starts and finishes in Circuit Court. Most wrap up through a plea deal or a dismissal. If it goes to trial, the defendant may ask for a jury. The plea choices are guilty, not guilty, not guilty by reason of mental illness, or no contest if the judge allows it (W.R.Cr.P. 11).

Top penalties for common charges:

• Most misdemeanors: a jail term of up to 6 months, a $750 fine, or both (W.S. 6-10-103).
• Simple battery: the same 6 months and $750 (W.S. 6-2-501).
• Domestic battery: 6 months and $750 for a first offense. Repeat within five years: up to 1 year, $1,000 (W.S. 6-2-511).
• Theft under $1,000: 1 year and $1,500, under limits that started July 1, 2026 (W.S. 6-3-402).

On top of any fine, a conviction usually adds a few small court fees.

1. First appearance: in Circuit Court, where charges are read and bond is set.
2. Preliminary hearing: the circuit judge checks if there's enough evidence. Deadline: 10 days for a jailed defendant, 20 for one free on bond. The defense can skip it (W.R.Cr.P. 5.1).
3. Bind-over: the case moves next door to District Court.
4. Arraignment: the person pleads guilty or not guilty to a district judge.
5. Trial: twelve jurors, and every one of them must agree. It should begin within 180 days of arraignment (W.R.Cr.P. 48(b)).
6. Sentencing: done in person, never by video.

Burglary: max 10 years in prison plus $10,000 (W.S. 6-3-301). Starting July 1, 2026, a third theft conviction is a felony even for small amounts (W.S. 6-3-402).

Penalties climb quickly for crimes that hurt or threaten people:

• Aggravated assault: up to 10 years. Certain forms carry 5 to 25 (W.S. 6-2-502).
• Aggravated burglary, meaning armed or someone gets hurt: 5 to 25 years, with fines as high as $50,000 (W.S. 6-3-301(c)).
• Domestic battery with two earlier convictions in the past ten years: a felony, up to 10 years.

The state constitution still gives a right to bail except in capital cases where the proof is strong. A 14-year-old can be charged as an adult for a violent felony. Talking to a defense lawyer early can make a big difference.

The County Attorney brings state charges here. The office is in the courthouse at 415 Arapahoe, Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-2004.

No money for a lawyer? Ask the judge at the first hearing for a public defender. The State Public Defender's head office is 316 West 22nd Street, Cheyenne, WY 82002, 307-777-7519. Call to learn which office covers this county. A judge looks at income to decide (W.S. 7-6-106). To find a private lawyer, try the Wyoming Lawyer Referral Service, 307-632-9061.

Call the court that has the case. Have the full legal name and birth date ready:

• Circuit Court (tickets, misdemeanors and felonies that are just starting): 307-864-5161.
• Felonies after bind-over and juvenile cases: District Court clerk, 307-864-3323.

The District Court posts a calendar of upcoming hearings on the county's Clerk of District Court page. That clerk can also do a felony background search for $10 per name. For a Wyoming Supreme Court appeal, use the Supreme Court's case search.

The Sheriff's Office serves warrants in the county. Call 307-864-2622 and ask if a person has one. Inside Thermopolis, the police are also reached at 307-864-3114, a dispatch line answered all day and night. A court clerk can check a name by phone, since Wyoming has no statewide warrant search. To clear a warrant, set up a planned surrender with a lawyer by your side, or ask the clerk whether a new hearing date can be set. Circuit Court clerk: 417 Arapahoe Street, Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-5161.

Cases under U.S. law go to the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming. Casper has the nearest office: Ewing T. Kerr Federal Building, 111 South Wolcott, Room 121, Casper, WY 82601, 307-232-2620. The main clerk's office is at 2120 Capitol Avenue, Room 2131, Cheyenne, WY 82001, 307-433-2120.

Before trial, a detention hearing settles whether the person waits in custody or at home (18 U.S.C. 3142). After a sentence, look the person up in the Bureau of Prisons locator.

Yes. An immigration hold runs on its own track:

1. A detainer, Form I-247A, arrives at the jail from ICE.
2. Staff can hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)). Paying bond or having charges dropped doesn't stop this.
3. ICE takes custody and decides where to send them.
4. Look them up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator using an A-number, or a name with country of birth.

ICE's nearest check-in office is at 150 E. B Street, Room 1014, Casper, WY 82601, 307-261-6590. A person who isn't a U.S. citizen should talk to a lawyer about immigration before any plea.

Short sentences for misdemeanors are done at the county jail. People given prison time for a felony go into the custody of the Wyoming Department of Corrections. It reviews each new arrival before choosing where they'll stay.

Find a state prisoner with the WDOC inmate locator. Our Wyoming prison section describes every state prison. Department offices: 1934 Wyott Drive, Suite 100, Cheyenne, WY 82002, 307-777-7208.

Juvenile files go to the District Court and stay confidential. The clerk is at 415 Arapahoe Street, Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-3323.

Age rules from W.S. 14-6-203:

• Under 13: a felony charge must stay in juvenile court.
• 14 to 16: adult court is possible only for a violent felony.
• 17: any felony may be filed in adult court.

A judge may transfer the case either way after weighing the offense, how mature the youth is and past record (W.S. 14-6-237). The local Family Services office, 403 Big Horn, Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-2158, often works with families in juvenile cases.

These rights come from W.S. 1-40-201 to 1-40-210:

• Notice: be told if the accused gets out before trial or before sentencing.
• Presence: attend the same hearings as the accused, unless the judge has good cause to keep them out.
• Voice: explain to the judge, before sentencing, how the crime has affected their life.

For help with a case, call the County Attorney's office at 307-864-2004 and ask who works with victims.

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