Bad Check Laws In Wyoming

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A bad check is when a person writes a check and does not have adequate funds in their account to cover the amount of the check. In the state of Wyoming, if a person writes a bad check, they will have 30 days to pay the drawer of the check. The merchant or individual can add an additional fee of up to $30.00.

If an individual does not pay the amount of the check within 30 days, they will be required to pay the merchant up to three times the amount of the check. They could also be required to pay court fees and a collection fee.


If the amount of the check was less than $500, it is a misdemeanor and punishable by up to six months of jail time and $750. If the amount was more than $500, a person can face penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $10,000. Individuals can also be charged with a felony if they write more than two bad checks that total more than $500 within a period of 60 days.

It is legal for a bank to release the account information to a business or any other party if their customer has been guilty of writing bad checks. If a person writes a bad check because of poor accounting skills, they normally will not be prosecuted; however, they will still be required to pay the merchant for the products that they received. Therefore, if a person makes is a first time offender and makes an honest mistake, it is likely that they will be permitted to reimburse the business to which they wrote the bad check. However, they will still be required to pay legal fees and court costs.

Below are the civil and criminal penalties for writing a bad check in Wyoming under Statute TITLE 1; CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE, CHAPTER 1; GENERAL PROVISIONS AS TO CIVIL ACTIONS, 1-1-115. Civil liability for unpaid checks.

Civil Penalties: The dishonored check issuer has thirty days following the date of a written demand mailed to them, to pay to the holder of the check the amount of the check and a collection fee not to exceed thirty dollars $30.00. Any person who fails to pay the amount of the check and the collection fee within thirty days following the date of a written demand that was mailed or served is liable to the holder of the check for three times the amount of the check, but in no case less than one hundred dollars, a collection fee of thirty dollars, and court costs. Under certain circumstances, the court may award the prevailing party reasonable attorney fees.

Criminal Penalties: Misdemeanor - Fine of not more than $750 or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. Felony - Fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for a maximum of 10 years, or both.



For more information on bad check laws and for criminal and civil penalties in other states for writing bad checks, please read Bad Check Laws

Check with your state statutes for the most current information on Wyoming bad check laws at http://www.wysrc.org/WS_1-1-115.html.

You may want to also read Getting A Checking Account While On The Chex System

Learn how to Prevent Overdraft And Bounced Check Fees

Although all information has been written in good faith and has been reviewed, please email us at [email protected] to report any inaccuracies.