Welcome to the Hot Springs County, Wyoming County Treasurer Department

 PROPERTY TAXES:

Property taxes in Wyoming run approximately nine months in arrears.  Taxes are assessed as of January 1st.  That means in accordance with state statute, that the name of the owner as of that date must be noted on the tax bill, even if the property is sold prior to the bill coming out.  You should expect to receive your tax bill around the 1st week of September each year.  Tax bills are always sent directly to taxpayers.  Mortgage companies are provided tax information at their request. 

If you have a question regarding the payment of taxes, please contact our office. 

If you have a question regarding property value, Veteran's Exemptions, ownership or address corrections, please contact the County Assessor.

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Starting July 1, 2023 owners of light trailers – defined as trailers weighing less than 1,000 lbs. – may purchase a permanent plate for their trailer.

Light trailers that are less than 6 years old would incur a $350 one-time permanent registration fee for the plate.

To register older trailers, owners will need to pay a $50 one-time administration fee, a one-time fee equal to 5-times the county registration fee that would be due at 6 years of service, and a one-time fee equal to 5-times the state registration fee. 

For example, if you currently pay $12.50 for your yearly registration fee on a lightweight trailer, you would pay the $50 administrative fee plus $12.50 x 5 = $62.50.  Your total fee would then be $112.50.

If the trailer is sold, the plate expires and the customer must remove the plate. Plates cannot be transferred to a new owner.

Any license plate renewing from 2025 to 2026 will be issued a new plate.

Some commonly asked questions are:

I love the current plate, why aren’t we doing a scenic shot this year? Beautiful pictures don’t reproduce well on our license plates.

What is the purpose of plates? To identify the vehicle.

Why do we change plates? Wyoming state statutes mandate a redesign every eight years.  The current series was issued in 2017.  The new plates will be issued in 2025 with a 2026 expiration date.

Are the new plates black?  No, the plate is based off of the Wyoming state flag.  When DOT was going through the testing process, they started with a light blue background with black numbers.  The plates were hard to read, so they moved to white letters on a navy blue background.  Keep in mind that these plates will be on our cars out in the sun for the next eight years.  They expect some fading to occur.

Do I have to get the new plate?  Yes.  In accordance with state law, every registered vehicle must display the new design if expiring in 2026.  We also have a few other plate designs available to you to purchase if you prefer.

Will the University of Wyoming license plate change?  Yes.  A new design was selected on May 1^st and will roll out at the same time as the standard issue license plate.

I have a custom or prestige plate; can I keep that?  You will need to reapply for your plate and pay any applicable fees.  First preference for specific combinations will be given to the current plate holder.

What number will I get?  We have reserved the first 2000 car and truck plates.  That means whoever had that number in the current plate series has first option to reclaim it in the new plate cycle.  If you have a number above 2000, you will be issued a new number.  We issue in sequential order.

I am already seeing these plates on cars.  How did people get them early?  Wyoming allows you to pay for 12-23 months of registration at one time.  If your plate currently expires in August of 2024, you could pay for 17 months of registration which would change your expiration date to January moving forward, and you would then qualify for the new plate design.

I have a low number in another county, how do I claim my plate?  You will need to contact the county that plate is from and provide them with a copy of your current registration.  You will have to renew in that county when renewing to 2026 to claim your number.  Hot Springs County can only issue Hot Springs County (15) plates.

Vehicle sales tax exemption for tribal member now only applies if the sale occurs on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

The Treasurer’s office will require evidence that the property was delivered by the seller to a location on the Wind River Indian Reservation.  Acceptable evidence will be a shipping document provided by the common carrier or an Affidavit Of Delivery.

The Wyoming Department of Revenue is requesting that the Affidavit of Delivery be placed on company letterhead and the purchaser has to sign it as well.This also applies to person-to-person sales.

Requirements to license a vehicle:

Wyoming Title - proof of insurance on motorized vehicles - proof that the vehicle was registered in another state to you or proof that you paid sales tax. If this is a new purchase, you will be charged sales tax based on the rate in effect in your Wyoming place of residence. Sales tax must be paid within 65 days of purchase or be subject to penalty and interest on the tax amount.

Motor Vehicle county fees are based on the original MSRP (factory price) of the vehicle from the factory to the dealer: year, make, model and trim package.

This gives the valuation which is then multiplied by 3% which gives the county fee. This fee is an ad valorem tax in lieu of property tax. The state fee is a flat fee of $30.00 for passenger vehicles. Trucks, trailers, motor home`s and campers state fee is based on weight.

Example: Brand new car factory price $35,000.00 x 60% = $21,000 x 3% = County fee $630.00. This fee is pro-rated downward for the first 6 years of the life of the vehicle till the formula would be $35,000.00 x 15% = $5250.00 x 3 % County fee $157.50.  The % is as follows: 60% - 50% - 40% - 30% - 20% - 15%

Please feel free to contact us to receive assistance in calculating your registration fees.

As you can see the more expensive your vehicle the more it costs to license in Wyoming.  Wyoming is not cheap when it comes to motor vehicle fees.  Please contact us for more information if you plan to move to our state.

As per Wyoming Statute 31-2-201, registration is required immediately upon becoming a resident in the case of a previous nonresident owner.