The state establishes a homestead program allowing eligible individuals to purchase state land lots for single-family residential use only.
Full legal title
AN ACT relating to state lands; establishing the Wyoming Homestead Opportunity Program; making legislative findings; providing for the establishment and disposal of lots to eligible purchasers as specified; prohibiting ownership of lots by business entities; requiring the use of lots for single-family residential purposes; providing for reversion of lots; requiring rulemaking; requiring reports; providing definitions; making conforming amendments; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.
Establishes the Wyoming Homestead Opportunity Program to dispose of state lands to eligible individual purchasers for single-family residential use at nominal cost while preventing business entity ownership and speculative acquisition.
Creates the Wyoming Homestead Opportunity Program with legislative findings that the state has nonessential real property suitable for disposal to owner-occupants to address housing supply constraints and promote homeownership while preventing speculative and business entity acquisition. (Section 1, W.S. 36-9-201)
Defines key terms including eligible parcels (surplus state lands suitable for single-family residential use, excluding school lands, state parks, wildlife refuges, and other protected lands), eligible purchasers (U.S. citizens domiciled in Wyoming for at least 12 consecutive months), homestead clusters (contiguous planned offerings of lots with internal access and services), and lots (10-acre tracts of surface estate only, excluding mineral rights). (W.S. 36-9-202)
Assigns the Office of State Lands and Investments to identify and develop 10 to 20 homestead clusters statewide, each containing 300 to 1,000 lots, and to conduct surveys, environmental reviews, platting, and coordination with local authorities for access, zoning compliance, and emergency services. (W.S. 36-9-203)
Authorizes disposal of lots via warranty deed at $1.00 per acre with buyer responsible for recording and closing costs, utilizing a random allocation procedure established by rule without discretionary selection among eligible applicants. (W.S. 36-9-204)
Restricts lot acquisition to eligible purchasers only, limits each purchaser to no more than 25 acres statewide across all acquisitions, prohibits business entity ownership or conveyance to business entities, and voids transfers to business entities with reversion to the state. (W.S. 36-9-205)
Requires perpetual covenants in each deed restricting use to single-family detached residential purposes with customary accessory structures and incidental agricultural and recreational uses, and prohibiting commercial, multi-family, subdivision, short-term rental units, and higher-density uses. (W.S. 36-9-206)
Actions (3)
2/13/2026(House)
H Did not Consider for Introduction
1/22/2026(House)
H Received for Introduction
1/21/2026(LSO)
Bill Number Assigned
Roll Call Votes (0)
No roll call votes recorded.
Mandates eligible purchasers obtain a certificate of occupancy and occupy the dwelling as their primary residence within 20 years of closing and maintain continuous primary residence occupation for at least 5 consecutive years after initial occupancy. (W.S. 36-9-207)
Limits lot transfers for 5 years after certificate of occupancy to other eligible purchasers under the same covenants and acreage caps, and establishes automatic reversion procedures for violations of covenants, occupancy requirements, acreage limits, or transfer restrictions, with refund of purchase price and closing costs upon reversion. (W.S. 36-9-208, W.S. 36-9-209)
Requires eligible purchasers to comply with local building, sanitation, water, wastewater, road, and fire codes while clarifying the state has no obligation to provide or extend utilities and may establish minimum access and sanitation standards by rule. (W.S. 36-9-210)
Authorizes the State Board of Land Commissioners to promulgate rules implementing the program, including cluster designation, allocation procedures, eligibility verification, deed covenants, and operational modifications, while prohibiting rules that permit business entity ownership, allow subdivision exceeding single-family use, waive acreage caps, eliminate random allocation, or remove reversion remedies. (W.S. 36-9-211, W.S. 36-9-212, W.S. 36-9-213)
