Wyoming Motor Vehicle Title Bond

What a Wyoming title bond does

When you hold a vehicle but cannot produce a properly assigned certificate of title, Wyoming will not issue a new title on your word alone. Under Wyo. Stat. § 31-2-105, the state accepts a surety bond in place of the missing proof of ownership. The bond, which Wyoming calls a bonded title, promises that anyone who later proves a better claim to the vehicle (a prior owner, a lienholder, a subsequent purchaser) will be paid their loss up to the bond amount. On the strength of that promise Wyoming County Clerks (title issuers) and WYDOT Motor Vehicle Services issues a title in your name. It is a real title: you can register, insure, drive and sell the vehicle. The only difference is a brand on the face of the title that lapses when the bond term runs without a claim.

Three parties sign on. You are the principal. Wyoming County Clerks (title issuers) and WYDOT Motor Vehicle Services and every potential claimant are the obligees. Surety One, Inc. is the surety that guarantees your claim. If the surety ever pays, it looks to you under the indemnity agreement in the application, which is why we ask for evidence of how you came to possess the vehicle before issuing.

How much bond do you need in Wyoming?

Wyoming fixes the penal sum at 2.0× vehicle value. We round up to the next $1,000 because sureties issue in whole thousands and the DMV never objects to a bond that exceeds the requirement.

At $20 per $1,000 that $17,000 bond carries a premium of $340.00, plus the $85 administrative fee, for a total of $425.00 covering the full 3-year term. Nothing renews and nothing is refunded; the premium is fully earned when the bond is executed.

Where the value comes from. The applicant documents retail value with a current national appraisal guide (KBB, NADA), a current or past registration showing value, or a written statement certified by a licensed Wyoming dealer, reviewed by the county clerk.

How to get a bonded title in Wyoming

1. The process runs through the county clerk: a Wyoming law enforcement VIN or HIN inspection (MV-300A) with a stolen check; a WYDOT title search (MV-220) with a privacy release and a color photo; certified letters with return receipt to the prior owner and any lienholders (lien releases on letterhead); documentation of retail value; the sworn MV-147 affidavit; and the surety bond for twice the value.
2. No bond is required if the vehicle or watercraft is valued under $2,500, and the county clerk may waive the bond.
3. Covers vehicles and watercraft; non-operational restoration vehicles receive a title marked non-transferable for 180 days.

Once the bond is in hand, file it with the title application at Wyoming County Clerks. The executed bond carries the surety's power of attorney, is signed and witnessed as the state requires, and matches the vehicle description on your application exactly. Any discrepancy between the bond and the application (a transposed VIN digit, a name that does not match your ID) is the most common reason a bonded title is rejected.

Wyoming title bond FAQ

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Written and reviewed by C. Constantin Poindexter, MA, JD, CPCU, AFSB, ASLI, ARe, AINS, AIS, CPLP, founder of Surety One, Inc. and CEO of Janus Assurance Re, with more than thirty years of surety and reinsurance underwriting experience. Author of The Contractor's Guide to Surety Bonds. Reflects state law and DMV practice as of November 5, 2026. More about the author →