Is it legal to record phone calls in Wyoming?
Yes, generally. Wyoming is a one-party consent state: you may record a phone call you take part in without telling the other person, because your own consent satisfies the rule. Recording calls you are not part of is illegal. When the other person may be in an all-party consent state like California or Florida, disclose the recording anyway.
What Wyoming law says
Wyoming follows one-party consent for phone calls, consistent with the federal Wiretap Act: as long as one participant — and you count — consents, the recording is lawful. The rule covers conversations you participate in; intercepting other people’s calls remains a crime. Bear in mind the rule protects you within Wyoming — interstate calls can implicate stricter states’ laws, which is why professionals default to disclosure.
Wyoming is a one-party consent state. Eavesdropping — using a device to overhear or record a conversation without any party's consent — is a felony. If you are on the call, your own consent satisfies the statute. A separate wire-interception chapter governs electronic communications with the same one-party rule.
"A person is guilty of eavesdropping if he uses a mechanical or electronic device to overhear or record a conversation or discussion without the consent of at least one party to the conversation or discussion." "It is lawful for a person to intercept a wire, electronic or oral communication where the person is a party to the communication or where one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent to the interception." — Wyo. Stat. §§ 7-3-602(a), 7-3-702
Wyoming's one-party consent aligns with federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d). A recording lawful under Wyoming law is generally lawful under federal law for participant recordings. Wyoming's interception act provides its own civil remedies under § 7-3-710 independent of federal § 2520.
Wyoming's eavesdropping statute (§ 7-3-602) and its communication interception act (§ 7-3-702) both require at least one party's consent before using a device to record. Your participation in a call is sufficient — no announcement, beep, or written permission needed. A third party may record with one participant's prior consent. The Wyoming Supreme Court has held that acquiring telephone billing records through a subpoena is not an illegal "interception" of communication contents, and that one-party consent wired informants in a home do not violate the state constitution (Almada v. State).
| Consent rule for phone calls | One-party consent |
| Recording calls you're part of | Allowed — your own consent is sufficient. |
| Calls with people in other states | The stricter state's rule may apply — when in doubt, disclose. |
What breaking the law costs in Wyoming
Eavesdropping under § 7-3-602 is a felony punishable by up to 2 years and a $2,000 fine. Illegal wire/electronic interception under § 7-3-702 carries up to 5 years and a $1,000 fine (misdemeanor for certain cordless/cellular radio portions).
Wyoming's interception statutes provide civil remedies under § 7-3-710: actual damages, $100 per day or $1,000 (whichever is greater), punitive damages, and attorney fees.
Exceptions worth knowing
- One-party consent: any party may record or authorize recording (§§ 7-3-602, 7-3-702)
- Law enforcement acting under lawful court order or statutory authority
- Telephone company records kept in the ordinary course of business (not an interception of contents)
- Communications with no reasonable expectation of privacy
How Wyoming courts have ruled
Statutes set the rule; cases show how it plays out when a recording ends up in front of a judge. These are real, decided cases under Wyoming law.
What happened: Law enforcement used transmitting and recording devices in the defendant's home during a drug investigation; Almada moved to suppress the wiretap evidence as an unconstitutional search.
The ruling: The Wyoming Supreme Court held that Wyoming's Communication Interception Act does not require a court order when one party consents, and that participant monitoring with consent does not violate the state constitution.
What happened: The state obtained telephone company call records for an unlisted number via federal subpoena; Saldana argued the records were illegally intercepted under Wyoming's wiretap statutes.
The ruling: The court held that acquiring billing and connection records kept in the ordinary course of business is not an aural acquisition of communication contents and therefore not an illegal interception.
What happened: DEA agents obtained telephone subscriber information through an administrative subpoena; the defendant argued the acquisition violated Wyoming's interception statutes.
The ruling: The court held that obtaining electronically stored subscriber information from telephone company records is not an illegal interception of wire communication contents under §§ 7-3-601 to -611.
Personal calls vs. business calls in Wyoming
Recording personal calls
Wyoming residents can record their own phone calls without disclosure. Almada, Saldana, and Wells confirm that one-party participant recording is lawful while third-party interception and unlawful acquisition of call contents are not. You cannot hide a recorder to capture conversations between other people without one party's consent — that is eavesdropping, a felony.
Recording business calls
Cheyenne and Casper businesses may record customer calls when an employee is a party. Outbound call centers must comply with all-party states when dialing California, Washington, or other strict jurisdictions.
Calls that cross state lines
Wyoming one-party consent does not protect calls into all-party states. Follow the strictest applicable law on any interstate line.
The safe way to record in Wyoming
Whatever the local rule, one habit covers every situation: say the call is being recorded at the start. Consent is then on the recording itself, and cross-border calls stop being a legal puzzle. Callmark can play "This call may be recorded" automatically on your calls, so the disclosure never depends on your memory.
For the full national picture — every all-party state, cross-border rules, and consent mechanics — see our state-by-state consent guide.
Sources and further reading
Statutes, court opinions, and reference guides cited on this page. Laws change — verify current text before relying on it for anything consequential.
Common questions
Yes. As a participant in the call, your consent satisfies Wyoming’s one-party rule. Disclosure is still wise whenever the other party might be in an all-party consent state.
Courts have applied different states' laws to interstate calls, and you often can't verify where a mobile number is. The practical rule: assume the strictest state applies and disclose the recording.
In most states, continuing a call after a clear "this call may be recorded" announcement is treated as implied consent — the same mechanism customer-service lines rely on.
Yes, if you are on the call. One party's consent — including your own — is sufficient under Wyo. Stat. §§ 7-3-602 and 7-3-702.
Yes. Recording without any party's consent under § 7-3-602 is a felony punishable by up to 2 years and $2,000.
Yes. Almada v. State confirms that one-party consent participant monitoring does not require a court order under Wyoming's interception act.
Generally yes, if speakers have no reasonable expectation of privacy. The eavesdropping statutes target conversations where at least one party has not consented to device recording.
Yes. Wyo. Stat. § 7-3-710 provides civil remedies including statutory damages of at least $1,000 plus attorney fees.
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