If you or someone you love has a conviction in Wyoming and is looking for a pardon, this guide is written for you. Wyoming's pardon process is straightforward in structure but exceptionally rare in practice: applications go directly to the Governor's office, there is no pardon board, no formal hearing, and only two pardons have been granted since 1995. The 10-year waiting period from completion of sentence is the longest in this series, and applicants should also understand the alternative process available for restoration of civil rights without a full pardon, which has a shorter five-year waiting period and may address many of the same practical needs without requiring the full pardon. I have been through the system myself, and most of the fear comes from not knowing how the process works. So let me walk you through it in plain language. None of this is legal advice, and every case is different, so treat this as a map and lean on a lawyer for the turns.
Who decides: the Governor alone
Pardon authority is vested in the Governor under the Wyoming Constitution and Wyoming Statutes Sections 7-13-801 through 807. The Governor alone grants pardons; there is no pardon board or advisory body that processes applications, conducts investigations, holds hearings, or makes recommendations to the Governor in pardon cases. Pardon applications are submitted directly to the Governor's office, and the Governor acts on them directly.
The Wyoming Board of Parole plays no role in pardon applications whatsoever. The Parole Board is an independent state agency that was established in 2003 and conducts parole hearings at five state institutions and three adult community corrections facilities. It makes commutation recommendations to the Governor, but it has no involvement in the pardon process. Commutation and pardon are entirely separate processes under Wyoming law; applicants should not confuse the two. The Governor is required by law to report to the legislature at each legislative session on all clemency grants and the reasons for each one, creating a degree of accountability and public record for every pardon granted.
How rare Wyoming pardons are
Pardons in Wyoming are among the rarest in this entire 50-state series. Credible sources indicate that only two pardons have been granted in Wyoming since 1995, which spans nearly 30 years and multiple governors. Additionally, only ten restorations of rights by Governor's certificate have been issued during that same period. This is an extremely low volume compared to virtually every other state in this series. The rarity of pardons underscores the practical importance of understanding the alternative process available: the certificate of restoration of civil rights, which is available after a shorter five-year wait and may address many of the same needs that most applicants actually have, particularly the need to restore voting rights, jury eligibility, and firearm rights.
The restoration of rights alternative
Before deciding whether to pursue a full pardon, it is important to understand Wyoming's restoration of rights process, which is a separate and distinct alternative with a shorter waiting period and may achieve many of the same practical results for most applicants.
For first-time nonviolent felony offenders convicted under Wyoming state law, a 2023 law (SF 120) provides for automatic restoration of all civil rights, including the right to serve on a jury, hold public office, and possess a firearm in Wyoming, five years after completion of sentence, including all probationary terms. The Wyoming Department of Corrections adds the restoration date to the offender's certificate and handles the process automatically for those discharged from custody on or after July 1, 2023. Those who were placed on unsupervised probation may still apply for the restoration of rights regardless of discharge date.
For all others, meaning those convicted of a violent felony, those with more than one nonviolent felony, and those with out-of-state felony convictions, civil rights including the right to possess a firearm may be regained only through action by the Governor: either a full pardon or a certificate of restoration of rights issued by the Governor upon written application. The waiting period for a Governor-issued restoration of rights certificate is five years after completion of sentence, compared to the ten-year wait required for a full pardon. The restoration certificate is the faster alternative for those who need civil rights restored but do not need or cannot qualify for the full effect of a pardon, and the five-year wait is considerably shorter than the ten-year wait for a pardon.
Out-of-state convictions are eligible for restoration of voting rights and civic rights such as jury service and public office under Wyoming law, but firearms rights cannot be restored under Wyoming law for out-of-state convictions. Wyoming's 2026 HB0039 legislation clarified this limitation. Federal law convictions, including military convictions, are not eligible for any form of rights restoration under Wyoming law pursuant to Wyoming Statute Section 7-13-105.
A person convicted of a felony loses the right to vote while serving a term in state or federal prison. After release from prison, voting rights are automatically restored by operation of law. The Department of Corrections issues a certificate of restoration of voting rights to eligible discharged offenders; this is a separate and more limited form of rights restoration than the full certificate of restoration of rights issued by the Governor.
Eligibility for a pardon
There is no published list of formal eligibility criteria for a Wyoming pardon beyond the statutory waiting period. The pardon statutes (Wyo. Stat. §§ 7-13-803 through 806) are barebones by design; what must be provided includes sentence-related data and any pertinent information the Governor may request, such as parole and work release records. The Governor has broad discretion in deciding whether to grant a pardon, and there are no formal criteria that must be satisfied beyond the waiting period and the provision of the required information.
The most significant formal requirement is the waiting period: at least ten years must have passed since the completion of the sentence, including any period of probation or parole, before a pardon application may be submitted. This ten-year requirement is substantially longer than most states in this series, and combined with the rarity of grants, it reflects how infrequently the pardon power is actually used in Wyoming's executive practice.
Federal and out-of-state offenders are eligible to apply for a Wyoming pardon, making Wyoming one of the few states in this series that explicitly extends pardon eligibility to people convicted under the laws of other jurisdictions. This is a notable feature of Wyoming's pardon process; it means that a person who was convicted in another state and is now living in Wyoming may petition the Wyoming Governor for a pardon of that out-of-state conviction, which is not available in most other states in this series.
The application process
Step one: contact the Attorney General's office. There is no standard pardon application available online; the Governor's office has not made application materials publicly accessible on the internet. To obtain the application materials, contact the Wyoming Attorney General's Office at (307) 777-7977 and request them. The materials will be sent to the applicant.
Step two: complete and submit the application. The application requires sentence-related data for each conviction for which relief is sought, and any other pertinent information the Governor may request, such as parole and work release records. There is no fee. Complete the application honestly and in full, and submit it directly to the Governor's office.
Step three: DA notification. Before acting on a pardon, the Governor is required by Wyoming Statute Section 7-13-805(b) to give notice to the district attorney of the relevant county at least three weeks in advance of any action. The district attorney is then required to provide the Governor's office with details of the offense. The applicant is not required to take any additional steps during this period and will not typically be involved in the DA notification process; this is handled between the Governor's office and the district attorney.
Step four: Governor's decision. After completing the investigation and the mandatory DA notification period, the Governor makes the decision. The process generally takes approximately four to six weeks from submission to final disposition, which is relatively fast compared to most states in this series. The Governor decides and the applicant is notified of the outcome. If a pardon is granted, the Governor reports the grant and the specific reasons to the legislature at the next legislative session.
What a pardon does in Wyoming
A Wyoming pardon restores the civil rights lost under Wyoming Statute Section 6-10-106 as a result of the felony conviction. These rights include the right to vote, the right to serve on a jury, the right to hold public office, and the right to possess a firearm under Wyoming law. When a certificate of restoration of rights is issued under this process, the Department of Corrections notifies the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, files a copy with the certificate with the Secretary of State, and notifies the Division of Criminal Investigation. If a new felony conviction occurs on or after the date the certificate is issued, the certificate automatically becomes void and all rights that were deemed restored by the certificate are no longer considered restored.
Wyoming's pardon statutes are described as barebones, and the pardon is an act of executive forgiveness rather than a detailed statutory remedy with prescribed effects. The pardon restores the rights enumerated under Wyoming law, but federal firearms restrictions under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) operate independently of state law and should be verified separately with a qualified attorney before purchasing or possessing a firearm following a pardon or certificate of restoration.
A note on federal convictions
A pardon from the Governor of Wyoming only applies to Wyoming state law convictions. Federal convictions are not covered by Wyoming's pardon authority. Individuals convicted under federal law, including military court-martial convictions, are not eligible for any form of rights restoration under Wyoming state law (Section 7-13-105). For federal convictions, the applicable avenue is federal clemency, which is granted by the President of the United States; applications go through the Office of the Pardon Attorney within the United States Department of Justice. Federal and Wyoming relief processes are completely separate and one does not substitute for the other.
Where this leaves you
Wyoming's pardon path requires a 10-year wait after completing the entire sentence, no standard form is available online, and pardons have been granted only twice since 1995. For many people, the more practical path is the restoration of rights through the Governor's certificate of restoration, which requires only a five-year wait, or for first-time nonviolent Wyoming felony offenders, the automatic restoration that occurred or will occur at the five-year mark without any application at all. The automatic restoration process for qualifying first-time nonviolent Wyoming-conviction offenders handles jury service, office holding, and firearms rights under Wyoming law; voting rights are separately and automatically restored upon release from prison.
For those who need a full pardon, who fall outside the automatic restoration category, or who want to pursue formal executive forgiveness, start by calling the Wyoming Attorney General's Office at (307) 777-7977 to obtain the application materials, then submit directly to the Governor's office with all required sentence information and pertinent supporting documentation. The process runs four to six weeks from submission to final disposition. Wyoming does not charge an application fee, and both federal and out-of-state offenders may apply for a pardon, which is one of the more applicant-friendly features in this otherwise restrictive system.