A Wyoming hardship license — also called a restricted or occupational license — is the legal bridge between a suspension and getting your full license back: limited driving for the trips you genuinely cannot skip, granted while the suspension runs. This guide covers who qualifies in Wyoming, the actual application steps, the fees, and the insurance strings attached. Officially, Wyoming calls it: Probationary License (Wyoming’s hardship/restricted license, granted on a showing of “undue hardship” under W.S.
31-7-105 and 045-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-20). Wyoming separately offers an Ignition Interlock Restricted License (W.S. 31-7-401 through 31-7-404) and a 24/7 Restricted License (045-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-27). The term “hardship license” is not the official Wyoming name.. All details are for general guidance, verified against Wyoming sources as of August 2026.
In This Wyoming Guide:
Wyoming Hardship License: Does It Exist Here?
Yes. YES In Wyoming paperwork and statute, look for the term: Probationary License (Wyoming’s hardship/restricted license, granted on a showing of “undue hardship” under W.S. 31-7-105 and 045-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-20). Wyoming separately offers an Ignition Interlock Restricted License (W.S. 31-7-401 through 31-7-404) and a 24/7 Restricted License (045-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-27). The term “hardship license” is not the official Wyoming name..
Who Qualifies for a Wyoming Hardship License
You must hold an unexpired permanent Wyoming driver’s license (or a current out-of-state license and be suspended in Wyoming) and prove “undue hardship” — that being unable to drive would leave you or your dependents unable to obtain the basic necessities of life (food, clothing, shelter) or access to education. Wyoming grants only one probationary license for one suspension action in any five-year period.
If the suspension is alcohol-related, you must first complete a substance abuse evaluation by a counselor certified by the Wyoming Department of Health, Substance Abuse Division; WYDOT will not issue without it even if the judge did not order one.
The evaluation must recommend at minimum an approved alcohol/substance abuse class (WYDOT’s minimum is a standard 8-hour DUI education class), and the license is issued when you are enrolled in a class to be completed no later than 30 days after the suspension start date, or upon proof of completion. Separately, for an ignition interlock restricted license after a DWUI-related suspension, W.S. 31-7-402 requires serving at least 45 days of the suspension period before applying.
Not eligible: Undue hardship does NOT exist — and the request will be denied — if another licensed driver in your household is able to do the required driving. Probationary licenses are not issued for indefinite suspensions (those the driver can clear themselves, such as insurance-verification or failure-to-comply suspensions); you must clear the underlying status instead.
You cannot get a second one if you already used a probationary license within the past five years. Probationary licenses apply to the noncommercial driving privilege only — a CDL disqualification cannot be softened by one, and federal/Wyoming CDL major-offense disqualifications (including a lifetime CDL revocation for a second hazmat-related violation) remain in force.
WYDOT’s discretion under W.S. 31-7-105 is limited and extended only where failure to do so would cause undue hardship, so any suspension type where you cannot make that showing is effectively excluded. Whether a specific DWUI, refusal, or repeat-offense suspension qualifies is decided case by case — UNVERIFIED as a blanket rule; check with WYDOT Driver Services and your court.
How to Apply for a Wyoming Hardship License, Step by Step
This is a WYDOT (state DMV) administrative process, not a court petition. 1) Mail a written request for a record review to WYDOT–Driver Services, 5300 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82007, along with the 15 dollar record review fee, explaining how the suspension will cause undue hardship. 2) Include documentation for everything you claim — a schedule of work or school hours and the places you must drive to.
3) If the suspension is alcohol-related, complete the certified substance abuse evaluation and enroll in the recommended class. 4) WYDOT reviews the record and notifies you whether you qualify; drivers commonly report waits of several weeks for a decision.
5) If eligible, WYDOT mails you the forms to complete. 6) Pay the issuance fee and file SR-22 proof of financial responsibility where required. 7) WYDOT issues the order granting the probationary license with your approved driving restrictions. A related but separate route is a contested case hearing or record review under 045-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-19; check with WYDOT and your court about which applies to your suspension.
Application fee: 15 for the record review that determines eligibility, plus 55 for issuance of the probationary license if approved (some sources state 50 for issuance — confirm the current amount with WYDOT Driver Services before mailing). Separately, the standard reinstatement fee is 50 for most suspensions (5 for nonpayment-of-child-support suspensions), and the ignition interlock administrative fee is 100. By statute W.S. 31-7-401 the ignition interlock restricted license application fee may not exceed 125.
Ignition interlock: Wyoming has a separate Ignition Interlock Restricted License under W.S. 31-7-401 through 31-7-404. Under W.S. 31-7-402, a person suspended for an alcohol-related driving violation — or otherwise suspended and required to drive only interlock-equipped vehicles — who has served at least 45 days of the suspension must apply to WYDOT for an ignition interlock restricted license. No restricted license is issued until WYDOT receives a certificate of installation from a certified ignition interlock service provider for every vehicle the device must be installed on.
WYDOT charges a 100 ignition interlock administrative fee; the statutory program fee is capped at 125. Device installation and monthly monitoring costs are charged by the private certified provider and are UNVERIFIED as a fixed statewide amount — get a quote from a Wyoming-certified provider.
Common denial reasons: Another licensed driver in the household is able to do the required driving; failure to prove that loss of driving would cut off basic necessities or education; already having received a probationary license within the past five years; an indefinite suspension you can clear yourself (insurance verification, failure to comply with a court, unpaid fines); an expired or non-permanent license; not completing the required certified alcohol/substance abuse evaluation or not enrolling in the recommended class within the required window; failure to file or maintain SR-22 insurance; failure to pay the record review or issuance fee; incomplete documentation of your claimed work, school, or medical schedule; and, for an interlock license, no certificate of installation on file for every required vehicle.
What a Wyoming Hardship License Lets You Drive For
Driving is limited to the specific purposes you documented and WYDOT approved — typically to and from employment, to and from school/education, medical and doctor appointments, court appearances required by the State of Wyoming, and required treatment or class attendance. You must submit a schedule showing work or school hours, the places you need to go, and what you must be able to drive to; the license is written to those approved purposes only.
To change or add a purpose later, you must send WYDOT a letter explaining the circumstances and, if the change can be added, they will mail a new application.
For an ignition interlock restricted license (W.S. 31-7-401 et seq.), driving is allowed only in vehicles equipped with a certified ignition interlock device, and no restricted license issues until WYDOT receives a certificate of installation from a certified provider for every vehicle involved.
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How long it lasts: A probationary license covers one suspension only, and Wyoming issues only one per driver in any five-year period.
The privilege runs for the period WYDOT sets in its order, which is tied to the underlying suspension term. Full reinstatement is possible once the suspension period is served, all conditions (evaluation, class, interlock where ordered) are met, the 50 reinstatement fee is paid, and SR-22 proof of financial responsibility is on file — with the SR-22 itself typically required for three years from the suspension start date.
Drive outside the allowed purposes and you are right back in criminal territory — the same exposure as driving on a suspended license in Wyoming, plus the near-certain loss of the restricted license you fought for.
SR-22 Insurance and Your Wyoming Rates
Most drivers applying for a Wyoming hardship license discover the insurance requirement at the worst moment — mid-application. YES, where required. 045-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-20 conditions issuance of a probationary license on the person filing and maintaining an SR-22 for a three-year period when required. The SR-22 certificate must be filed with WYDOT directly by your licensed insurer — you cannot file it yourself.
Wyoming commonly requires SR-22 after DUI/DWUI convictions, uninsured-accident violations, and certain point-threshold suspensions, and the filing runs three years from the suspension start date. If the policy lapses, the insurer files an SR-26, which triggers an immediate WYDOT suspension and may restart the filing period.
Wyoming does not use the Florida-style FR-44. An SR-22 is not a separate policy — it is a certificate your insurer files with the state proving you carry coverage, and insurers treat drivers who need one as high-risk, which raises premiums for several years. Because rates for the same driver vary widely between companies after a suspension, comparing quotes matters more here than anywhere else.
A ticket can raise your premium for years — compare cheaper car insurance at Car Cover Guide to see what high-risk coverage actually costs in Wyoming.
Wyoming FAQ: Wyoming Hardship License
How long does it take to get a Wyoming hardship license?
Budget weeks, not days. Court petitions need filing, hearings need scheduling, insurance filings need processing, and any interlock needs installing before the license issues. Drivers who gather the paperwork — proof of employment, proposed driving schedule, insurance documents — before applying consistently move fastest through the process.
Can I drive anywhere once I have a Wyoming hardship license?
No — the license is the restrictions. It authorizes the specific purposes, and often the specific hours and routes, listed on the order, and nothing else. A stop outside those bounds is treated like driving while suspended, plus the near-certain loss of the restricted license itself. Keep a copy of the order in the vehicle and drive the schedule exactly.
What happens if I am denied?
A denial is rarely the end. Common causes — incomplete petitions, missing insurance filings, applying before an eligibility waiting period ran — are fixable, and courts generally allow renewed applications once the defect is cured. Ask the court to state the reason on the record so you know exactly what to fix, and use the waiting time to keep the reinstatement requirements moving.
What a Wyoming Hardship License Is Actually For
A Wyoming hardship license exists because total suspension backfires: a driver who cannot legally reach work loses the income that pays the fines and the insurance that reinstatement requires, and the state inherits the fallout. The restricted license is the compromise — essential trips only, on the record, under conditions. That origin story matters when you apply, because the strongest applications speak the program’s language: this license keeps me employed, insured, and on schedule toward full reinstatement.
Treat a Wyoming hardship license as a contract, not a suggestion. Every condition on the order — routes, hours, purposes, interlock, insurance filings — is enforceable, and a violation usually costs the restricted license itself plus new exposure. Drivers who keep the order in the glovebox and the schedule tight sail through stops that would sink anyone winging it.
And keep the endgame in view: a Wyoming hardship license is a bridge, not a destination. The same months you spend driving on it are the months to clear the underlying issue, keep the insurance filing unbroken, and line up reinstatement the day you become eligible.
Official Wyoming Sources & Resources
- Wyoming DMV: https://www.dot.state.wy.us/home/driver_license_records/suspensionsignition-interlock/probationay_licenses.html
- Wyoming Courts: https://www.wyocourts.gov/circuit-courts/
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: nhtsa.gov
- Cornell Legal Information Institute: law.cornell.edu/wex
Statute reference: Wyo. Stat. § 31-7-105 (administrative hearings; discretion to modify a suspension order limited to undue hardship); Wyo. Stat. § 31-7-117 (restricted licenses); Wyo. Stat. §§ 31-7-401 through 31-7-404 (ignition interlock restricted licenses); 045-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-20 (probationary licenses); 045-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-21 (undue hardship); 045-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-19 (contested case hearings and record reviews); 045-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-26 (ignition interlock restricted licenses); 045-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-27 (24/7 restricted licenses)
Other Wyoming rules to know: Wyoming’s household-driver rule is unusually strict and is the single biggest reason applications fail — by rule, undue hardship does not exist if another licensed driver in your home can do the driving, so a spouse or adult child with a valid license can defeat an otherwise strong application. The one-probationary-license-per-five-years cap means many drivers should think carefully about which suspension to spend it on.
The alcohol evaluation is mandatory through WYDOT even when the sentencing judge did not order one. Wyoming also runs a separate 24/7 Sobriety Program restricted license (045-1 Wyo. Code R. § 1-27) and the ignition interlock restricted license track, which are distinct from the probationary license — many drivers can pursue whichever fits their suspension, and some pursue interlock relief after serving 45 days.
The undue hardship rule was amended effective July 2, 2024, so verify the current text before relying on older summaries. Out-of-state license holders suspended in Wyoming may apply if they hold a current license. Because WYDOT decides these case by case, you may be able to qualify even in a close case, but no outcome is guaranteed — check with WYDOT Driver Services and your court.
This Wyoming hardship license guide was last verified against official sources in August 2026. Confirm current forms and fees with the Wyoming DMV before applying.
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Disclaimer: This guide is informational only and is not legal advice. Fines, points, and procedures are estimates for general guidance and change when state laws change. Always verify the exact amount and process with your state DMV or the court listed on your citation, and consult a licensed traffic attorney in your state for advice on your specific situation.