Traffic Stops
W.S. 31-7-116 — the license in immediate possession, and shown on demand, on paper or on a phone
- Every licensee has the driver's license in immediate possession when driving, and displays it on demand of a police officer.
- Displaying a physical license means handing it to the officer, who returns it after looking at it.
- A digital license is displayed by giving access to it on the licensee's own device, and the officer does not take custody of the device.
- Displaying a digital license is not consent to search the device.
Who handles this in Wyoming: Wyoming State Bar, attorney referrals; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Wyoming directory.
No one charged with not having the license is convicted if they produce in court a license issued to them and valid at the time of the arrest.
The Fourth Amendment sets limits on every stop, and the Supreme Court of the United States has drawn several of them. It has held that a stop is reasonable where the officer has probable cause to believe a traffic violation occurred, whatever the officer's actual motive; that an officer making a lawful stop may order the driver, and the passengers, out of the vehicle; that a passenger is seized by the stop and may challenge it; and that a stop may last no longer than its purpose requires, so it may not be extended for a dog sniff without separate reasonable suspicion. It has also held that consent to a search has to be voluntary, judged on all the circumstances, and that the prosecution does not have to prove the person knew they could refuse. Those holdings are a floor: a state's own constitution and statutes can give more protection than they do, never less.
Sources for this section (7)
- W.S. 31-7-116 — Carrying and displaying
- Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806 (1996) — A traffic stop is reasonable when there is probable cause of a traffic violation
- Pennsylvania v. Mimms, 434 U.S. 106 (1977) — An officer may order the driver out of a lawfully stopped car
- Maryland v. Wilson, 519 U.S. 408 (1997) — An officer may order passengers out of a lawfully stopped car
- Brendlin v. California, 551 U.S. 249 (2007) — A passenger is seized by a traffic stop and may challenge it
- Rodriguez v. United States, 575 U.S. 348 (2015) — A stop may not be extended beyond its purpose to run a dog sniff
- Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218 (1973) — Consent to a search must be voluntary
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Wyoming attorney.