Wyoming pay transparency law: no range rule, the state equal pay claim process, and Colorado next door (2026)

Wyoming has no law that requires employers to put a pay range in job postings, to share one with applicants, or to stop asking about salary history, as of November 2026. The labor title of the Wyoming Statutes, Title 27, has no posting or disclosure section, and the Legislature's bill lists for the 2025 general session and the 2026 budget session show no bill on the subject. Wyoming's pay rules are its equal pay article, W.S. 27-4-301 through 27-4-304, with a claim process run by the Department of Workforce Services, and the Fair Employment Practices Act. The rule most Wyoming recruiters actually meet is Colorado's, for jobs or employees across the southern border.

Does Wyoming require salary ranges in job postings?

No. A Cheyenne, Casper, Gillette or Jackson employer may post with a range, a single rate, a starting figure or no pay at all. Nothing requires a range on request or after an interview, and nothing stops a recruiter from asking what a candidate earns now. Wyoming is not among the posting states in our state-by-state tracker, and we found no Wyoming city ordinance on pay in job ads. The rest of the state's hiring rules, including its posters and its 2025 non-compete law, are in our guide to hiring employees in Wyoming.

Did the Wyoming Legislature take up a pay transparency bill in 2025 or 2026?

No. The Sixty-eighth Legislature met in a 2025 general session and a 2026 budget session, as its enrolled acts label them (for example Enrolled Act 4 of 2026). The 2025 list holds 556 bills and resolutions and the 2026 list 335. Their employment bills dealt with unauthorized workers, hospital employee drug testing, firefighter leave and public union dues, among others; none would have required pay ranges, limited salary history questions or protected wage discussions. A new proposal would have to start in a later session.

What does Wyoming's equal pay law say?

W.S. 27-4-302(a) follows the federal model closely. An employer may not discriminate "within the same establishment" between employees on the basis of gender by paying less "for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal skill, effort and responsibility and which are performed under similar working conditions." Pay differences are allowed under a seniority system, a merit system, a system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production, or "a differential based on any other factor other than gender." The definitions in 27-4-301 set no minimum number of employees.

Where Wyoming differs is in how a claim is handled. Under W.S. 27-4-303 and 27-4-304:

• A state claim process. An employee files a written claim with the director of the Department of Workforce Services, who investigates and decides it. The department's Labor Standards page lists "Enforcement of Wyoming's minimum wage and equal pay standards" among its services.
• A 15-day window. Either side may ask for a fair hearing within 15 calendar days of receiving the determination; an independent hearing officer then decides, and that decision is the director's final action.
• Double damages. A valid claim yields the unpaid wages plus an equal amount as liquidated damages, whether decided by the director or in court.
• A criminal penalty. A willful violation, or retaliation against an employee who complains or testifies, is punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to six months in jail, or both.

For a recruiter, the consequence is that a starting rate set by negotiation rather than by a documented band can be reviewed by a state agency, not only in federal court. Asking about expectations instead of current pay keeps the reason for the offer clean; see salary expectation questions.

What does the Fair Employment Practices Act add?

The Act covers "the state of Wyoming or any political subdivision," and "every other person employing two (2) or more employees within the state," except religious organizations (W.S. 27-9-102(b)). Under W.S. 27-9-105(a)(i) it is a discriminatory practice to refuse to hire, promote or demote, or "to discriminate in matters of compensation" because of age, sex, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry or pregnancy, or against a qualified disabled person. The same section separately bars an employment agency from discriminating on those grounds, which matters for staffing firms setting pay for placed workers. The Labor Standards page describes filing discrimination charges with the Wyoming Fair Employment Program and the EEOC, with a compliance officer reviewing the intake.

Which federal rules apply to Wyoming employers?

• Equal pay. The EEOC says the Equal Pay Act covers "virtually all employers," and Title VII, the ADEA and the ADA add pay discrimination claims on other grounds.
• Pay discussions. Most private-sector employees may talk about pay with each other, and policies that specifically prohibit it are unlawful, according to the NLRB.
• Federal contractors. The OFCCP pay transparency rule at 41 CFR 60-1.35 no longer exists. It depended on Executive Order 11246, which Executive Order 14173 revoked on January 21, 2025, and the Labor Department's final rule removed the regulations effective October 26, 2026 (91 FR 54444). Wyoming's energy and mining contractors should read job posting requirements for federal contractors for what remains.

When does Colorado's posting law reach a Wyoming job?

For employers in Cheyenne and Laramie, Colorado is the nearest state with a posting law. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's compilation of the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act shows the parts that matter:

So a Cheyenne company with one employee in Colorado is a Colorado employer, and a remote role open to Colorado residents needs the three Colorado items. How Colorado treats remote postings and postings that exclude Colorado applicants is explained in our Colorado guide and in pay transparency for remote jobs. Wyoming's other neighbors add no posting duty: Utah and South Dakota have none, and Idaho, Montana and Nebraska are not posting states in our tracker.

What should recruiters and staffing agencies hiring in Wyoming do?

1. Ask two questions at intake: does the employer have anyone working in Colorado, and can Colorado residents apply? A yes to either means a Colorado-ready posting.
2. Write the posting once, to the Colorado standard, for any role that could reach Colorado: real range, benefits summary, close date.
3. Agencies: get the client's range and Colorado headcount in writing before posting. Wyoming's own agency rules are in staffing agency license in Wyoming; more on posting for clients is in pay transparency for staffing agencies.
4. Record why each offer sits where it does, since a Workforce Services investigator may ask.
5. Drop pay-secrecy rules from handbooks and offer letters.

Example only, with example figures: a Cheyenne engineering firm posts "Project engineer, Cheyenne or Fort Collins, $82,000 to $96,000, medical, dental, 401(k) match, applications close December 15." Wyoming requires none of it; Colorado requires all three items as soon as the Fort Collins option is in the ad. Screening rules are in background check laws in Wyoming and E-Verify requirements in Wyoming.

How do job boards display pay?

Indeed's employer help article lets an employer show an exact amount, a range, a starting amount or a maximum, and shows the pay in search results and on job descriptions. Google's job posting structured data recommends the baseSalary property, defined as the actual base salary provided by the employer. For a Wyoming-only job any of those formats is lawful; for a Colorado-reaching job, use a minimum and a maximum.

Wyoming pay rules at a glance