If you get caught with a fake ID in Wyoming, the default charge is a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $750, and the state can suspend your driver’s license on top of that. If alcohol was involved, expect a second misdemeanor stacked on the first. If you made the card yourself or used a real person’s identity, the exposure jumps to felony territory with prison time measured in years.
The Baseline Misdemeanor Charge
Wyoming’s unlawful-use-of-license statute, § 31-7-133, is broader than most people assume. You violate it by possessing a fictitious, altered, canceled, revoked, or suspended driver’s license; by lending your valid license to someone else; by displaying another person’s license as your own; by lying on a license application; or by permitting any unauthorized use of your license.1Justia. Wyoming Code 31-7-133 – Unlawful Use of License
The scope matters. Borrowing an older sibling’s real, unaltered license falls under the same statute as carrying a counterfeit card. Wyoming does not require the document itself to be fake. Using a genuine document that isn’t yours is enough.
A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $750 and up to six months in jail.2Justia. Wyoming Code 31-7-136 – General Penalties Judges work within those limits, so a first-time offender with no other record often lands well below the maximum, while someone caught using a fake ID in connection with another offense can expect the harsher end. Court fees, surcharges, and attorney costs add to the statutory fine, so the $750 figure is a floor on what the arrest actually costs, not a ceiling.
A Second Charge If You Were Buying Alcohol
Most people who get caught with a fake ID in Wyoming were trying to buy alcohol underage, and the state has a separate statute for that situation. Under § 12-6-101, anyone under 21 who falsifies or uses false identification to obtain alcoholic or malt beverages commits a misdemeanor. The general penalty under Title 12 is up to $750, up to six months in jail, or both.3Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Code Title 12 – Alcoholic Beverages
This charge stacks on top of the § 31-7-133 charge when you used a driver’s license to make the purchase. Two statutes, two misdemeanor counts, potentially double the fines from a single incident at a liquor store or bar.
License Suspension Runs on Its Own Track
Criminal court is only one piece. The Wyoming Department of Transportation can suspend your driving privileges independently for up to twelve months when you’ve permitted an unlawful or fraudulent use of a license as defined in § 31-7-133.4Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Code 31-7-129 – Discretionary Suspension of License This is an administrative action and does not depend on how your criminal case ends.
For drivers under 19, the suspension is mandatory when the conviction is for any alcohol or controlled-substance offense: 90 days for a first offense, six months if you had a prior alcohol or controlled-substance conviction within the preceding twelve months.5Justia. Wyoming Code 31-7-128 – Mandatory Suspension of License Once the suspension period ends, reinstatement costs $50.6Wyoming Department of Transportation. Reinstatement Driving during the suspension is its own misdemeanor, carrying up to $750 and six months in jail.7Justia. Wyoming Code 31-7-134 – Driving While License Cancelled Suspended or Revoked
When the Charge Becomes a Felony
The misdemeanor framework above assumes you were using a fake ID. Making one is treated very differently. Wyoming’s forgery statute reaches anyone who, with intent to defraud, alters another person’s writing without authorization, creates a document that falsely appears to be someone else’s act, or passes along a document they know is forged. The statutory definition of “writing” sweeps in credit cards, badges, stamps, seals, and other identification documents, so a counterfeit driver’s license falls squarely inside it. Forgery is a felony carrying up to ten years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.8Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Code 6-3-602 – Forgery Penalties
Possessing forged documents you intend to pass, or possessing the plates, dies, or other equipment used to create them, is a separate felony punishable by up to five years and a $5,000 fine.9Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Code 6-3-603 – Possession of Forged Writings and Forgery Devices Penalties You can be charged for owning the equipment even if you never finish a card.
Using someone’s real identifying information triggers yet another statute. Under § 6-3-901, willfully obtaining and using another person’s personal identifying information for an unlawful purpose is theft of identity. The statutory definition covers name, address, Social Security number, driver’s license number, government ID, birth certificate, and biometric data. If no economic benefit is involved, or the benefit is under $1,000, the offense is a misdemeanor with the usual six-month, $750 ceiling. At $1,000 or more, it becomes a felony punishable by up to ten years and a $10,000 fine. The court can also order restitution for the victim’s costs to repair their credit, including their attorney fees.10Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Code 6-3-901 – Unauthorized Use of Personal Identifying Information Penalties Restitution
The practical line: a card bearing a made-up name is usually a motor-vehicle misdemeanor, and possibly forgery if someone can show you made it. A card bearing a real person’s name, number, or data brings identity theft into play, and the consequences scale accordingly.
Federal Charges Are Rare but Possible
Most Wyoming fake-ID cases stay in state court. Federal prosecutors get involved when the conduct involves producing or trafficking identification documents, crosses state lines, or ties into a larger fraud scheme. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1028, producing or transferring a false driver’s license, birth certificate, or personal ID card can bring up to 15 years in federal prison; other identity-fraud conduct under the same statute carries up to five.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1028 – Fraud and Related Activity in Connection With Identification Documents A separate statute adds a mandatory two-year sentence, served consecutively, when a real person’s identity is used during a felony; probation is not available and the court cannot shorten the underlying sentence to compensate.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1028A – Aggravated Identity Theft
What the Conviction Does to You Later
A conviction, even a misdemeanor, becomes part of your criminal record. Wyoming does not automatically seal or expunge misdemeanor convictions, so a fake-ID charge from your late teens can surface in background checks for jobs, apartments, and schools years later. Fraud-related offenses draw extra attention because employers and landlords read dishonesty as a character signal.
Professional licensing is where the record bites hardest. Nursing, law, accounting, education, and real estate all require applicants to disclose criminal history, and the boards treat fraud and dishonesty as directly relevant to fitness. A felony forgery conviction within the preceding ten years can independently disqualify you from certain Wyoming business licenses.13Wyoming Legislature. Wyoming Code 31-16-103 – Denial Suspension Revocation or Refusal to Renew License
College students face a parallel problem. A conviction can complicate scholarship renewals, campus housing, and graduate-school admissions, and some universities run their own disciplinary proceedings for off-campus criminal conduct. One arrest can produce consequences in criminal court and on campus at the same time.