What an expired-registration ticket costs in Wyoming

Wyoming gives no grace period. A registration expires on the last day of its annual registration month (W.S. 31-2-206(a)), owners must renew not later than that day (31-2-201(a)(i)), and the plates and stickers may be used only through it (31-2-206(d)); the Laramie County Treasurer states plainly that there is no grace period on plate expiration. From the first day of the next month, driving can be charged under W.S. 31-4-101(e), which bars operating a vehicle on any highway or other publicly maintained roadway “with an expired or improper registration, permit, decal or any other department approved registration,” or under 31-4-101(a)(ii), which bars knowingly operating a vehicle unless valid license plates or permits are displayed. No statute, court rule or WYDOT page we found says which subsection officers must write for a lapsed renewal. No statute sets a separate penalty for either, so the general penalty in W.S. 31-4-104 applies: a fine of up to $750, with no minimum and no jail. What you actually pay is set statewide, not by county, but it depends on the subsection on the ticket. The Wyoming Supreme Court’s Uniform Bail and Forfeiture Schedules (Appendix I to Rule 3.1, Wyo. R. Cr. P., revised September 22, 2026), which “shall be used in all circuit courts,” list 31-4-101(e) (labeled “Expired temporary license permit/improper registration”) in category C, a $150 bail, and 31-4-101(a)(ii) (failure to display valid license plates, validation stickers (tabs) or permits) in category B, a $100 bail. The schedule’s other registration lines under 31-4-101 land on the same two amounts: subsection (a) (no registration in the vehicle, improper display of tabs) is category B and (a)(i) (valid title, registration and plates required) is category C. Every category amount already includes $20 in court costs, a $40 court automation fee and a $10 civil legal services fee, so the fine itself is $80 of a $150 bail and $30 of a $100 bail. Unlike subsection (e), subsection (a) applies only to someone who knowingly operates the vehicle or an owner who knowingly permits it. You can forfeit the bail instead of going to court only if the officer checked the “may forfeit bond in lieu of appearance” box on the citation; otherwise you must appear on the day and at the time shown. If the citation notes that you and your passengers were belted, W.S. 31-5-1402(e) entitles you to a $10 reduction in the fine, and the schedule notes that the Wyoming Supreme Court has applied it to bail as well, so a $150 bail becomes $140 and a $100 bail becomes $90. If you contest the ticket and are convicted, the judge fixes the fine anywhere up to $750 (W.S. 6-10-104), and W.S. 6-10-103 requires the $40 court automation fee and the $10 indigent civil legal services fee in every criminal case that ends in a guilty finding or plea. Renewing late costs nothing extra: no late or delinquency fee appears in the registration fee statutes (W.S. 31-3-101 and 31-3-102), WYDOT’s titles, plates and registration page lists none and sends owners to the county treasurer, and the Converse County Treasurer’s FAQ answers “No” to whether there is a penalty for renewing late, saying the price is the same and the stickers stay in the same expiration month (searched October 2026). The penalties county treasurer pages do list are for sales tax on a newly bought vehicle, not for renewals.