Open Meetings
W.S. 16-4-403 — action outside a noticed public meeting is null and void
Every meeting of an agency's governing body is open to the public. No action is taken except at a public meeting after notice, and action taken any other way is null and void.
Who handles this in Wyoming: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the Wyoming directory.
- No one has to register, give information or fill out a form to attend. A person asking to speak can be asked for a name and affiliation.
- A meeting held electronically has to let the public hear or follow it as it happens, and members may not use communications outside a meeting to get around the act.
- A special meeting needs notice at least eight hours ahead, naming the business, and nothing else is taken up.
- Action at an emergency meeting is temporary until it is taken again at an open meeting within forty eight hours, not counting weekends and holidays.
Closed executive sessions are allowed only for listed matters, such as security threats with law officers, personnel matters unless the employee asks for a public hearing, litigation, real estate purchases, and confidential information.
A member who knowingly or intentionally violates the act is liable for a civil penalty of up to $750.
Sources for this section (4)
- W.S. 16-4-403 — Meetings to be open; participation by public; minutes
- W.S. 16-4-404 — Types of meetings; notice; recess
- W.S. 16-4-405 — Executive sessions
- W.S. 16-4-408 — Penalty
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Wyoming attorney.