Driving Without Plates

Vehicles purchased from a dealership or private party may be operated by the new owner for 60 days from the purchase date when accompanied by a notarized bill of sale, or 45 days with a notarized title. Therefore, if a Wyoming resident purchases a vehicle from a dealership in another state, and the dealer provides a 30-day temporary registration, the owner actually has 60 days to drive the vehicle before registration is required.

Title

A title in the new owner’s name must be processed in the Clerk’s office before license plates can be purchased. However, a title is not required for sales tax to be paid. Click here for more information on titles.

Sales Tax

Sales tax must be paid within 60 days of a new purchase.

Keep in mind that you can pay sales tax before the title has been processed in the Clerk’s office. If purchased from a private party, we need the vehicle information (year, make, VIN), purchase price, and date of sale. If purchased from a dealership, we need an invoice.

Registration

A title must be processed in the new owner’s name before license plates can be purchased.

Registration fees vary, depending on the year and MSRP of the vehicle. Wyoming offers annual registration; stickers always expire one year from the month of purchase of the vehicle (unless a temporary registration has been purchased from our office). Extra months can be paid if the customer would like the stickers to expire in a specific month.

Temporary Registration
A temporary registration is an option for anyone who may need more time to produce a title for the Clerk’s office or more time to pay the annual registration fees, among other reasons.

Transfer Credit
If the stickers on a vehicle or trailer are current past the month of purchase of a new vehicle, the credit for all unused registration months can be transferred to the registration of a new purchase.

Guidelines:

• Title must be out of the owner’s name (traded, gifted, or sold)
• Credit can only be transferred to a new purchase
• Vehicle type does not matter - credit can be transferred across different plate types (e.g. truck to trailer)
• Physical plates can also be transferred if the same vehicle type, but not required