Current through the 2024 Budget Session
Section 20-2-101 - Void and voidable marriages defined; annulments(a) Marriages contracted in Wyoming are void without any decree of divorce: (i) When either party has a husband or wife living at the time of contracting the marriage;(ii) When either party is mentally incompetent at the time of contracting the marriage;(iii) When the parties stand in the relation to each other of parent and child, grandparent and grandchild, brother and sister of half or whole blood, uncle and niece, aunt and nephew, or first cousins, whether either party is illegitimate. This paragraph does not apply to persons not related by consanguinity.(iv) When either party is under sixteen (16) years of age at the time of contracting the marriage.(b) A marriage is voidable if solemnized when either party was sixteen (16) or seventeen (17) years of age unless a judge gave consent, if they separated during nonage and did not cohabit together afterwards, or if the consent of one (1) of the parties was obtained by force or fraud and there was no subsequent voluntary cohabitation of the parties.(c) Either party may file a petition in the district court of the county where the parties or one (1) of them reside, to annul a marriage for reasons stated in subsections (a) and (b) of this section and proceedings shall be held as in the case of a petition for divorce except as otherwise provided. Upon due proof the marriage shall be declared void by a decree of nullity.(d) An action to annul a marriage on the ground that one of the parties was under the age of legal consent provided by W.S. 20-1-102(a) may be filed by the parent or guardian entitled to the custody of the minor. The marriage may not be annulled on the application of a party who was of the age of legal consent at the time of the marriage nor when it appears that the parties, after they had attained the age of consent, had freely cohabited as man and wife.(e) An action to annul a marriage on the grounds of mental incompetency may be commenced on behalf of a mentally incompetent person by his guardian or next friend. A mentally incompetent person restored to competency may maintain an action of annulment, but no decree may be granted if the parties freely cohabited as husband and wife after restoration of competency.(f) An action to annul a marriage on the grounds of physical incapacity may only be maintained by the injured party against the party whose incapacity is alleged and may only be commenced within two (2) years from the solemnization of the marriage.(g) All decrees of annulment may include provisions for the custody and support of children pursuant to this article, W.S. 20-2-201 through 20-2-204 and 20-2-301 through 20-2-315 and for the division of property pursuant to W.S. 20-2-114.Amended by Laws 2023, ch. 73,§ 1, eff. 2/23/2023.