Wyoming VIN Check

Vehicle History

Over 50 registered car dealerships throughout Wyoming offer a wide range of used vehicle makes and models to potential buyers. Running a VIN check on vehicles you wish to purchase lets you get a detailed vehicle history, enabling you to verify if their specifications, features, and current condition align with the information advertised (whether it’s a car dealer or private seller).

Title Verification

Title verifications are essential due diligence when engaging in auto transactions in Wyoming. With a VIN check, you can confirm that a vehicle seller has the legal right to transfer ownership of the vehicle to you and that its title matches its VIN. There are over 890,285 titled and registered vehicles in the state, at an average of 3.8 vehicles per household. In addition to ensuring that your transaction is legitimate, title verification also helps uncover undisclosed issues like liens or salvage titles, helping you avoid problematic vehicles.

Accident History

According to data published by the Wyoming Department of Transportation, an average of 13,812 crashes were reported statewide annually from 2019 to 2023. These figures and the increasing number of recorded crashes nationwide make it crucial to thoroughly vet a used car's accident history before purchasing. VIN checks let you do this by providing access to the vehicle's accident history and revealing hidden structural issues resulting from these incidents.

Mileage Verification

Odometer tampering is illegal in Wyoming (and many states across the country). However, unscrupulous operators still do this to defraud consumers, and hundreds of thousands of vehicles are still sold each year with inaccurate odometer readings, costing American car buyers over $1 billion annually. You can protect yourself from this scam by using a VIN check to compare a vehicle's reported/displayed mileage with historical records and identify any discrepancies; this way, you can accurately assess its overall condition and pay a fair price for it. You should also contact the Wyoming Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at 1-800-438-5799 to report matters involving odometer fraud.

Recalls and Safety Standards

Vehicle history reports generated via a VIN check typically include a section on NHSTA recalls and safety issues linked to the vehicle that details open recalls and associated problems, enabling buyers to take the required actions to resolve these issues or use the details during price negotiations. It is estimated that over 4.2 million vehicles across the country have unresolved recall repairs. Driving vehicles with these unresolved recalls poses an unnecessary risk that could lead to accidents and serious injuries.

Theft Check

Theft checks are an integral part of running VIN lookups, especially with auto thefts continuing to increase across the county - over one million vehicles were stolen in 2023, one percent more than the figure from the previous year. With these VIN lookups, you can verify whether a vehicle has been reported stolen and confirm its legal status before making a purchase. Doing this helps protect your investment by ensuring the vehicle’s legitimate ownership, gives you peace of mind, and helps you avoid the financial and legal consequences of being caught with stolen property.

Disaster-related Damages

Wyoming faces various disasters, such as wildfires, floods, severe storms, landslides, droughts, winter storms, avalanches, and earthquakes, and has experienced 14 disaster declarations between 2013 and 2023. Running a VIN check on a car you are interested in helps you assess whether it has any disaster-related damages not visible during a casual visual inspection, ensuring you make an informed purchase.

The Title Transfer Process

To transfer a vehicle’s title in Wyoming, all listed owners must sign the original title as sellers (regardless of how their names are joined on the title) and complete the odometer disclosure statement for vehicles manufactured within the last ten years. The buyer’s name and address must be filled in the back of the title, and they must also sign the title. All signing (by both the seller(s) and buyer) must be done in the presence of a notary. If transferring the title of a used car purchased from a state-licensed dealer, the dealer should provide a Dealer Reassignment Form, which should be signed by the buyer and notarized.

Note that, for vehicles previously titled in another state, notarization is optional if the title does not include a place for this; only one owner listed may also sign the title as a seller, depending on the original titling state's requirements. In situations where the out-of-state title does not have space for an odometer mileage disclosure or the buyer's acknowledgment of the disclosed odometer mileage, then a separate odometer disclosure statement must be completed by both parties. Once all this is done, the buyer must present these documents and a $15 titling fee to their local County Clerk to get a new title in their name.

Wyoming Insurance and Registration Requirements

In Wyoming, drivers are required to have auto liability insurance with minimum coverage limits of $25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $50,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more people, and $20,000 for property damage in a single accident.

To register your vehicle in Wyoming, visit your County Treasurer’s Office with the following documents:

• Your Wyoming title (obtained from your County Clerk’s Office)
• Proof of auto insurance
• A valid ID
• Proof of sales tax payment

Be aware that additional documents may be requested. Registration fees vary by vehicle type and value.

Wyoming Titling Requirements and Sales Tax

Wyoming titling is handled by County Clerks' Offices. You will typically need to provide proof of vehicle ownership in the form of the vehicle's original title signed by you (the buyer) and all listed owners as the sellers and properly notarized. An odometer disclosure statement must also be included for vehicles manufactured within the last ten years. Some Wyoming auto dealers may handle the titling process for customers who purchase vehicles through them. However, if this is not the case, they should provide a Dealer Reassignment Form if you buy a used car from them; you must also sign and notarize this form. Titling fees typically cost $15.

Non-resident, active-duty military personnel are generally not exempt from paying sales or use taxes on vehicle purchases in Wyoming; however, you can contact your local County Clerk’s Office for specific titling and sales tax questions.

Wyoming-Assigned VINs

The Wyoming Department of Transportation issues state-assigned vehicle identification numbers (VINs) to the following vehicles:

• Homemade trailers, factory-made trailers, and mobile homes without a VIN
• Trailers that have been significantly modified from one style to another
• Motor vehicles with no VIN or more than one VIN
• Motor vehicles that have been modified to remove a part where the VIN appears or to include a part containing a different VIN

These state-assigned VINs start with an “S” and end with a “W” and can only be issued to Wyoming residents, who will be required to fill out an Application for Assignment of Special Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Form and pay a $20 fee. Note that separate fees are charged for VIN inspections, which must be conducted by a law enforcement officer. Once the Wyoming VIN is assigned and stamped onto the vehicle, it becomes its unique identifier for records and official purposes within the state.