Most Wyoming businesses that hire for physical or skilled-trade work need workers compensation, general liability that clients and landlords insist on, and property coverage for their space and equipment, often bundled into one package policy. Workers comp is the one Wyoming law can force on you, and it works unlike almost any other state: you buy it only from the State of Wyoming through the Department of Workforce Services (DWS), because private insurers are not allowed to sell it here. Wyoming also does not count heads. It looks at your industry, and if the kind of work you do sits on the state's extra-hazardous list, coverage is required from your very first employee, before work begins.
Who this is for: Wyoming owners, from a one-truck contractor in Gillette to a 30-person shop in Cheyenne, who want to know what the state requires, what their contracts require, and how to buy it without overpaying.
The short version
- Workers comp is required by industry, not headcount. If your work is on Wyoming's extra-hazardous list, which covers most construction and skilled trades, you need coverage from your first employee, before work begins. If it is not, you can choose to cover your whole team.
- You buy it only from the state, not a private company. Wyoming is one of four states where mandatory workers comp is sold only through the state, here the DWS Workers' Compensation Division. There is no private carrier and no shopping around on price.
- Owners start off the policy. Sole proprietors, partners, corporation officers, and LLC members are left off by default and file a state form to opt in, the opposite of many states.
- One coverage is missing from the state policy. The state fund pays a hurt worker's bills but will not defend you if a worker sues, so most owners add a private coverage for exactly that, called stop-gap employers liability.
- Skipping required coverage is a crime here. Going without can bring criminal charges, back premiums, and a lawsuit because you lose your legal protection. Wyoming does not use a simple daily fine.
What Wyoming actually requires
Only a couple of these are true legal mandates. The rest get required by the people you do business with, which in practice is just as binding.
| Coverage | Required by Wyoming law? | Who needs it | What is at stake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workers compensation (from DWS) | Yes, if your industry is extra-hazardous, from your first employee | Every employer doing extra-hazardous work with one or more employees | Criminal charges, back premiums, and a lawsuit because you lose your legal protection |
| Stop-gap employers liability | No state mandate, but the state fund does not include it | Any employer that wants a defense if it is sued over a workplace injury | Paying your own legal defense out of pocket |
| Commercial auto | Yes, if you own or use business vehicles | Any business-owned or leased vehicle | Registration problems, uninsured liability |
| General liability | No state mandate | Required by most leases, clients, and general contractors | Lost contracts, blocked from a job site |
| Commercial property or a package policy | No state mandate | Anyone with a space, inventory, or equipment; landlords often require it | Out-of-pocket losses, lease default |
Who oversees it in Wyoming
The DWS Workers' Compensation Division is unusual: it is the insurer, the rate-setter, and the enforcement agency all in one. It runs the state fund that sells your coverage, it sets its own industry base rates by your industry code through a yearly study that the Governor approves, rather than the national rating system other states use, and it audits and penalizes employers who go without. Because no private carrier sells the mandatory coverage in Wyoming, there is nothing to compare on price. There is also no assigned-risk pool, the last-resort coverage other states use for businesses no insurer will take, because the state fund cannot turn away an eligible employer. It is the single seller for every covered business.
What business insurance costs in Wyoming
These are illustrative annual ranges for small Wyoming businesses, not quotes. Your real workers comp price is a share of the wages you pay in each kind of work, set by the state's own base rates rather than a private carrier. Those base rates were cut about 15 percent for 2026 as of mid-2026, part of a multi-year downtrend, so many employers saw their comp cost drop.
| Business type | Workers comp (est.) | General liability (est.) | Package policy (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office or professional services | 300 to 1,500 dollars | 500 to 1,800 dollars | 1,000 to 3,500 dollars |
| Restaurant or cafe | 1,500 to 6,000 dollars | 1,400 to 4,500 dollars | 3,500 to 12,000 dollars |
| Landscaper or small contractor | 2,500 to 10,000 dollars | 1,200 to 4,000 dollars | Usually separate policies |
| Cleaning or janitorial | 2,000 to 8,000 dollars | 900 to 3,200 dollars | Usually separate policies |
| Retail store | 800 to 3,500 dollars | 800 to 3,000 dollars | 2,000 to 7,000 dollars |
The 14 workers comp questions Wyoming owners ask
Workers comp is where most of the confusion and most of the risk live, so we wrote a plain-English guide for every common situation. Start with the Wyoming workers comp overview, then jump to the one that matches your business:
- I own an LLC
- I am a sole proprietor
- I own a corporation (C-corp or S-corp)
- We are a partnership
- We are a nonprofit
- My workers are 1099 contractors
- I only have part-time or seasonal staff
- I only employ family members
- My team is remote or out of state
- What happens if I do not have it
- How much it costs
- How to get it
- What I need for a contractor license
A Casper example
Illustrative, not a quote. A four-person heating and cooling company in Casper runs as an LLC with two members and two field techs. Heating and cooling work sits on the state's extra-hazardous list, so Wyoming requires a DWS account, and the two techs must be covered before their first day. The two members are left off by default and can file a state form to add coverage for themselves if they want their own injuries paid. When the crew pulls a permit, the city wants proof the business carries workers comp, and because the DWS account is open the owner can show it the same day. See the trade detail on our workers comp for contractors page.
Real questions Wyoming owners ask
Do I need business insurance in Wyoming?
It depends on the coverage. Workers comp is required by state law if your industry is extra-hazardous and you have any employee, and you buy it from the state fund at DWS. General liability and property are not state-mandated, but leases, clients, and lenders usually require them.
Where do I buy workers comp in Wyoming?
Only from the state, through the Department of Workforce Services, known as DWS. Wyoming does not allow private companies to sell the mandatory workers comp, so you open a state account rather than shopping carriers. There is no assigned-risk pool either.
How many employees before I need workers comp in Wyoming?
It is not about headcount. Wyoming goes by your industry. If your work is on the state's extra-hazardous list, coverage is required from your first employee, before work begins. If it is not, coverage is optional and you can elect to cover everyone.
Do I have to cover myself as the owner?
Usually not by default. Sole proprietors, partners, corporation officers, and LLC members are left off unless they file a state form to opt in. Your regular employees in covered work always have to be covered.
What is not covered by the Wyoming state policy?
The state fund pays a hurt worker's medical care and lost wages, but it does not defend you if a worker sues you over an injury. Owners add a private stop-gap employers liability coverage to fill that gap.
What happens if I skip required workers comp in Wyoming?
It is a crime. Going without can bring a misdemeanor charge, or a felony for a repeat, plus back premiums, and the injured worker can sue you because you lose your legal protection. Wyoming does not use a flat daily fine.
Is general liability insurance required in Wyoming?
The state does not make general liability mandatory for most businesses, but landlords, clients, and general contractors almost always require it before they will sign with you, so in practice you usually need it.
Why Wyoming owners choose Morrow
- We shop the right market for you. In Wyoming, mandatory workers compensation is sold only through the state, by the Department of Workforce Services (DWS), with no private carrier selling that mandatory coverage, so we help you open and run your state account correctly and place the stop-gap employers liability and other business coverages the state fund does not include.
- We catch pricing mistakes. Your price depends heavily on the category your work falls into for pricing (the class code). Put people in the wrong category and you overpay for years. We review your payroll and classifications before you buy.
- Proof of coverage, fast. Need a certificate (proof of coverage) for a general contractor or a landlord before Monday? We turn those around the same business day for most carriers.
- We help lower the score that drives your price. Insurers give you a score based on your past claims that raises or lowers your cost (the experience modification rate). We review it each year, flag errors, and connect you with return-to-work and safety resources that bring it down.
- Real people when a claim happens. When someone gets hurt, we stay involved through the life of the claim, not just at renewal.
Related Wyoming guides
Every Wyoming business is set up a little differently. These companion guides answer the same question for other situations, plus the national explainers behind the terms used here.
- Business insurance in Wyoming (start here)
- Workers comp: the owner's overview
- I own an LLC: do I need workers comp?
- I'm a sole proprietor: do I need workers comp?
- I own a corporation (C-corp or S-corp): do I need it?
- We're a partnership: do we need workers comp?
- We're a nonprofit: do we need workers comp?
- My workers are 1099: do I still need it?
- Only part-time or seasonal staff: do I need it?
- I only employ family: do I need workers comp?
- Remote or out-of-state staff: do I need coverage?
- What happens if I don't carry workers comp?
- How much does workers comp cost?
- How do I get workers comp (even if turned down)?
- What insurance do I need for a contractor license?
- Workers compensation insurance, explained
- What workers comp costs (national guide)
- Hiring your first employee: what changes
- What workers comp does not cover
- Wyoming contractor workers comp
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Wyoming rules and penalty amounts can change, so verify current requirements with Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS), Workers' Compensation Division or a licensed advisor before you rely on them. Last updated: July 2026.