Wyoming storage lien laws

The lien clock

Each station below is a statutory checkpoint. Miss one and the sale can be challenged — this is the timeline LotWarden tracks automatically.

1. 01

   Day 0 — charges become due and unpaid under the rental agreement

   Lien attaches; default begins

   The operator's lien on the stored goods and chattels arises when the occupant fails to pay charges as they become due. No court action or external filing is required for the lien to exist. The operator has the right to retain possession of the property to perfect the lien; alternatively, the operator may file a lien statement at the county clerk's office in lieu of physical possession (W.S. 29-7-102(c)). For self-storage operators who do not retain physical possession of individual units' contents in the traditional sense, filing a lien statement is the standard path to perfection.

   W.S. 29-7-101(a)–(b); W.S. 29-7-102(c)

2. 02

   Must be filed within 180 days of the date the work, services, or storage giving rise to the lien was last furnished — after that window, the lien terminates automatically

   File lien statement (in lieu of possession)

   File a lien statement with the county clerk of the county where the property is located (W.S. 29-7-102(c)). The statement must meet the general requirements of W.S. 29-1-312(b): name and address of lien claimant, amount claimed due, name and address of record owner, itemized description of services or storage for which the lien is claimed, name of person obligated to pay, date services were last performed, and a description of the property. The lien statement must also state whether the lien claimant was in possession of the property at the time of filing, or whether the owner consented to the filing (W.S. 29-7-103(a)). Once filed, the lien statement itself expires 180 days after filing unless an action to enforce and foreclose the lien has commenced (W.S. 29-7-104(a)(iii)).

   W.S. 29-7-102(c)–(d); W.S. 29-7-103(a); W.S. 29-7-104(a)(ii)–(iii); W.S. 29-1-312(b)

3. 03

   Within 30 days of the date payment on a vehicle becomes due — this step is required to keep storage fees accruing past the 180-day default cap

   For vehicles: send certified-mail notice within 30 days of due date

   If the property is a vehicle (W.S. 31-13-101(a)(ix)), send certified mail (return receipt requested) to all known interest holders within 30 days of the due date (W.S. 29-7-102(e)(i)). The notice must include: (A) the sale information required by W.S. 29-7-105(b) — amount due, nature of sale, time/place of any public sale; (B) the lien-statement contents required by W.S. 29-1-312(b); and (C) the make, year, model, license plate number and state, and VIN. If this notice is not sent, collectable storage fees are capped at 180 days from the date service was completed (W.S. 29-7-102(e)(ii)). The lien statement must also be filed with the county clerk, who notates the lien on the certificate of title (W.S. 29-7-103(b)). Run a WYDOT title search first to identify all lienholders of record.

   W.S. 29-7-102(e)(i)–(iv); W.S. 29-7-103(b)

4. 04

   At any time before the sale is conducted

   Occupant redemption window

   Before any sale is held, any person claiming a right in the property may pay the full amount necessary to satisfy the lien and the reasonable expenses incurred under W.S. 29-7-105, and recover the property (W.S. 29-7-105(c)). The operator must release the property on full payment. The right of possession the operator holds under the lien terminates six months after the date charges first became due and payable, unless foreclosure proceedings have commenced by that date (W.S. 29-7-102(a)).

   W.S. 29-7-105(c); W.S. 29-7-102(a)

5. 05

   After lien statement is filed — no statutory minimum days between notice and sale; the sale terms must be commercially reasonable (W.S. 29-7-105(b))

   Send enforcement notice; schedule commercially reasonable sale

   The operator sends certified-mail notice (return receipt requested) to all persons known to claim an interest in the stored property. The notice must state: (i) the amount due; (ii) the nature of the proposed sale (public or private, commercially reasonable); and (iii) the time and place of any public sale. After notice, the operator may conduct a public or private sale of the property en bloc or in parcels, at a time and place and on terms that are commercially reasonable (W.S. 29-7-105(b)). The lien claimant may purchase at any public sale (W.S. 29-7-105(d)). Wyoming's statute does not require newspaper advertising — the only notice requirement is the certified-mail notice to known interest holders.

   W.S. 29-7-105(b)–(d)

6. 06

   After commercially reasonable notice; sale must be conducted within the lien-validity windows

   Conduct sale; apply proceeds

   The sale — public or private — must be commercially reasonable. A good-faith purchaser takes the property free of any rights of persons against whom the lien was valid, even if the lien claimant failed to comply strictly with all requirements of W.S. 29-7-105 (W.S. 29-7-105(e)). The lien claimant satisfies the lien from proceeds of the sale and holds any balance (surplus) for delivery on demand to the owner of the property or any other person entitled to it; the person claiming surplus must provide reasonable evidence of their right to take delivery (W.S. 29-7-105(f)). A lien claimant who fails to comply with W.S. 29-7-105 is liable for damages caused by noncompliance (W.S. 29-7-105(j)).

   W.S. 29-7-105(b), (e)–(f), (j)

Notice requirements

W.S. 29-7-105(b); W.S. 29-7-102(e)(i)

Sale rules

Method

Public or private sale, en bloc or in parcels, on terms that are commercially reasonable — after certified-mail (return receipt requested) notice to all known interest holders (W.S. 29-7-105(b)). The lien claimant may purchase at any public sale (W.S. 29-7-105(d)). A good-faith purchaser takes the property free of any rights of persons against whom the lien was valid, even if the lien claimant did not fully comply with the statute (W.S. 29-7-105(e)). The sale may also be conducted under W.S. 34.1-7-210(b) (UCC Article 7 lien enforcement) as an alternative (W.S. 29-7-105(h)).

Advertising

Wyoming law does not require newspaper advertising or any specific public advertisement before a storage lien sale. The only mandatory pre-sale notice is certified mail, return receipt requested, to all persons known to claim an interest in the property, stating the amount due, the nature of the proposed sale, and the time and place of any public sale (W.S. 29-7-105(b)). Operators may advertise voluntarily to attract more bidders, but there is no statutory obligation to do so.

Proceeds & surplus

After satisfying the lien from sale proceeds, the lien claimant must hold any surplus for delivery on demand to the owner of the property or any other person entitled to it. The person claiming the surplus must furnish the lien claimant reasonable evidence of their right to take delivery (W.S. 29-7-105(f)). The statute sets no time limit for holding surplus and does not specify an escheat obligation — consult the Wyoming Uniform Unclaimed Property Act (W.S. 34-24-101 et seq.) for what to do if the owner cannot be located.

W.S. 29-7-105(b), (d)–(f), (h)

Late fees

Wyoming has no statutory cap or rule on late fees for self-storage operators. W.S. 29-7-101 through 29-7-106 is silent on late fees. The lien covers "reasonable charges" for storage and services (W.S. 29-7-101(a)), and the lien claimant is entitled to recover reasonable expenses of enforcement (W.S. 29-7-105(c)), but no dollar cap or percentage formula for late fees is prescribed. Late fees are contract-controlled — the amount, trigger date, and any grace period are determined by the rental agreement. Operators should clearly state any late fee in writing in the rental agreement.

W.S. 29-7-101(a); W.S. 29-7-105(c) (no specific late-fee provision found in primary text)

Operator questions