State guide
Wyoming ID scanning laws
Wyoming does not restrict ID scanning, and its alcohol law gives a defense when staff asked for, were shown and reasonably relied on one of the IDs it names.
For bars, restaurants and retailers, the practical questions are when an ID check is required, which IDs support the alcohol defense, what information may be kept and how local licensing adds to state law.
Reviewed September 29, 2026 ยท 13 primary sources linked
Wyoming at a glance
- Is it legal to scan IDs in Wyoming?
- Yes.Wyoming does not specifically restrict ID scanning. Its tobacco and kratom laws also recognize either photo ID or a scan device as part of the conditions for a retailer's first-fine waiver.
- Do you have to check IDs in Wyoming, and when?
- It depends on what you sell.Every alcohol delivery requires a valid government-issued ID showing the customer is 21 or older. For sales in a bar, restaurant or store there is no statewide rule to card every customer, and federal law requires tobacco retailers to check photo ID for buyers under 30.
- Which IDs provide protection in Wyoming?
- For alcohol, Wyoming names a driver's license or qualifying state photo ID, a permanent resident card, a military ID or an internationally accepted passport.The alcohol law names no others. A separate law gives qualifying Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribal IDs the same validity as a Wyoming ID card for every purpose.
- Can you keep data from an ID scan in Wyoming?
- Yes.No Wyoming law sets which details from a scan may be kept or for how long.
- What other Wyoming laws reach the data you keep?
- Wyoming's breach-notification law can apply to a name stored with an ID number or unique biometric data.The state does not currently have a comprehensive consumer privacy law or a separate biometric privacy statute.
- Does scanning give you a defense if you serve a minor in Wyoming?
- A scan does not create the defense, but it can document the ID staff asked for and were shown.The alcohol defense applies when staff demanded, were shown and reasonably relied on one of the named documents, and it reaches both criminal prosecution and license suspension or revocation.
- Can a customer refuse an ID scan in Wyoming?
- Wyoming does not specifically regulate refusal of a scan or require a manual alternative.Where an ID check is mandatory, such as alcohol delivery, the customer still must present valid government-issued identification.
What Wyoming venues should know
Is it legal to scan IDs in Wyoming?
Yes. Wyoming gives venues flexibility to use ID scanning and expressly recognizes scan devices in its tobacco and kratom laws.
Wyoming law does not require venues to scan an ID, and it does not prohibit it. The alcohol law names the IDs that support its defense but does not say how staff must read them.
Wyoming's tobacco and kratom laws mention scanning. They waive a retailer's first fine when, among other conditions, it required staff to verify age with a photo ID or a scan device, and either one meets that condition.
Do you have to check IDs in Wyoming, and when?
It depends on what you sell.
Alcohol
Wyoming prohibits selling or serving alcohol to anyone under 21, but it does not require every customer to be carded. Retail alcohol licenses are issued by cities, towns and counties, which also regulate retail sales, so the local licensing authority can add its own rules.
Deliveries
Every alcohol delivery requires the customer to show the person delivering it a valid government-issued ID showing they are 21 or older. No order may be taken from, and no delivery made to, anyone under 21.
Tobacco and vape
Wyoming prohibits selling tobacco and vape products to anyone under 21, and its own law does not add an ID-check rule. Federal law requires retailers to check photo ID showing the date of birth for any buyer under 30.
Kratom
Since July 1, 2026, knowingly selling a kratom product to anyone under 21 is a crime. Wyoming does not require a check at every sale.
The exact wording
Any person who sells, furnishes, gives or causes to be sold, furnished or given away any alcoholic liquor or malt beverage to any person under the age of twenty-one (21) years, who is not his legal ward, medical patient or member of his own immediate family, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
No order shall be received nor shall any delivery be made to or by a person under the age of twenty-one (21) years. All deliveries shall require the purchaser to provide to the deliverer a valid government issued identification demonstrating the purchaser is twenty-one (21) years of age or older;
Incorporated cities, towns and counties within Wyoming shall license and regulate or prohibit the retail sale of alcoholic and malt beverages under this title.
No retailer shall sell, permit the sale, offer for sale, give away or deliver nicotine products to any person under the age of twenty-one (21) years.
W.S. 12-6-101W.S. 12-4-101W.S. 12-5-601W.S. 14-3-30221 CFR 1140.14W.S. 35-7-2202
Which IDs provide protection in Wyoming?
For alcohol, a driver's license or state ID card, a permanent resident card, a military ID or a passport.
Wyoming's alcohol law names four kinds of ID that support its defense:
- A driver's license or valid photo ID card issued by any US state, territory or possession, the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico
- A permanent resident card issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services
- A valid photo ID card issued to a member of the armed forces
- An internationally accepted passport with a clear date of birth and photograph
The law treats each of these as evidence of the holder's age and identity. It names no other IDs and does not mention tribal ID cards. A separate Wyoming law says an Eastern Shoshone or Northern Arapaho tribal ID card that carries the same core details as a Wyoming ID card is valid identification for every purpose a Wyoming ID card can be used for.
The tobacco and kratom laws do not name particular IDs. Their defense accepts an ID card showing the customer is over 21.
The exact wording
A motor vehicle driver's license or valid picture identification card issued by any state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a permanent resident card issued by the United States citizenship and immigration services, a valid picture identification card issued to a member of the armed forces or an internationally accepted passport document with a discernible date of birth and photograph is prima facie evidence of the age and identity of a person.
An identification card issued by the governing body of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe or Northern Arapaho Tribe that includes the requirements of W.S. 31-8-102(a)(i) through (vi) and (ix) shall be considered a valid form of identification for all purposes for which an identification card issued under W.S. 31-8-101 may be used.
Can you keep data from an ID scan in Wyoming?
Yes. No Wyoming law sets which details from a scan may be kept or for how long.
How long scan records are kept, and which details they hold, is a matter of venue policy. What a venue chooses to store can bring Wyoming's breach-notification law into play.
What other Wyoming laws reach the data you keep?
A name stored with an ID number or unique biometric data can bring Wyoming's breach-notification law into play.
A customer's name kept with an unredacted driver's license number, government-issued ID card, tribal ID card or unique biometric data is personal identifying information under Wyoming law. A business that becomes aware of a breach of computer records holding it must promptly investigate in good faith and, if the information has been or is reasonably likely to be misused, notify affected Wyoming residents as soon as possible.
A service provider that keeps the data on a business's behalf must tell the business about a breach as soon as practicable. The attorney general enforces the law, and Wyoming does not have a comprehensive consumer privacy law or a biometric privacy law.
The exact wording
(vii) "Personal identifying information" means the first name or first initial and last name of a person in combination with one (1) or more of the data elements specified in W.S. 6-3-901(b)(iii) through (xiv), when the data elements are not redacted.
Any person who maintains computerized data that includes personal identifying information on behalf of another business entity shall disclose to the business entity for which the information is maintained any breach of the security of the system as soon as practicable following the determination that personal identifying information was, or is reasonably believed to have been, acquired by an unauthorized person.
Does scanning give you a defense if you serve a minor in Wyoming?
No, but a scan record can help show which ID staff asked for and were shown.
Alcohol
Wyoming gives a licensee and its staff a defense to a criminal charge, and to a case to suspend or revoke the license, when they asked for, were shown and reasonably relied on one of the IDs its alcohol law names. The defense turns on the ID, not on how it was checked, and a scan record can help show which ID staff relied on and what it showed.
Tobacco, vape and kratom
Whoever made a tobacco or vape sale to someone under 21 has a defense if they were shown, and reasonably relied on, an ID card showing the customer was over 21, and a kratom retailer has the same defense. A scan record can help show which ID staff relied on.
Separately, a retailer is not fined for a first violation within 24 months if it can show four things: a written policy against underage sales that it enforced, staff told the law, staff required to verify age with a photo ID or a scan device, and discipline for staff who did not comply. A photo-ID check meets that condition as fully as a scan.
The exact wording
Proof that a licensee or his employee or agent demanded, was shown and acted in reasonable reliance upon the information contained in any one (1) of the above documents as identification is a defense to any criminal prosecution or action for the suspension or revocation of a license.
It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under subsections (a) and (c) of this section that, in the case of a sale, the person who sold the nicotine product was presented with, and reasonably relied upon, an identification card which identified the person buying or receiving the nicotine product as being over twenty-one (21) years of age.
Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (d) of this section, no fine for a violation of subsection (c) of this section shall be imposed for a first offense in a twenty-four (24) month period if the retailer can show it had: (i) Adopted and enforced a written policy against selling nicotine products to persons under the age of twenty-one (21) years; (ii) Informed its employees of the applicable laws regarding the sale of nicotine products to persons under the age of twenty-one (21) years; (iii) Required employees to verify the age of nicotine product customers by way of photographic identification or by means of electronic transaction scan device; and (iv) Established and imposed disciplinary sanctions for noncompliance.
It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this act that, in the case of a sale, the retailer who sold the kratom product was presented with, and reasonably relied upon, an identification card which identified the person buying or receiving the kratom product as being over twenty-one (21) years of age.
Can a customer refuse an ID scan in Wyoming?
Wyoming does not create a specific right to refuse a scan or require a manual alternative.
How a venue handles a guest who does not want a scan is generally a matter of venue policy, subject to Wyoming's public-accommodation law. That law bars discrimination in places that invite the public on account of race, religion, color, sex or national origin.
Where Wyoming requires the check, as it does for alcohol deliveries, a customer who will not show a valid government-issued ID cannot receive the delivery.
The exact wording
All persons of good deportment are entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of all accommodations, advantages, facilities and privileges of all places or agencies which are public in nature, or which invite the patronage of the public, without any distinction, discrimination or restriction on account of race, religion, color, sex or national origin.
Alcohol, tobacco and kratom
Bars and restaurants
Wyoming does not require carding every customer, and bars are licensed by their city, town or county.
The local licensing authority issues and regulates retail alcohol licenses and may refuse one, so local rules can add to state law. Under state law, the alcohol defense turns on the ID staff asked for, were shown and reasonably relied on.
W.S. 12-4-101Package stores and delivery
Every alcohol delivery requires a valid government-issued ID showing the customer is 21 or older.
The rule covers retail liquor licensees, microbreweries, wineries, manufacturers with a satellite location and contract delivery services, and no order may be taken from anyone under 21. Drive-in sales areas may not take orders from or deliver to anyone under 21. Customers under 21 may not enter a designated off-premises sales area approved by the local licensing authority unless a parent, spouse or legal guardian 21 or older is with them.
W.S. 12-5-601Tobacco and vape
Sales to anyone under 21 are prohibited, and federal law requires a photo ID check for buyers under 30.
Retailers must post a sign at or near every display saying that sales to anyone under 21 are prohibited. A retailer's first fine in 24 months is waived if it enforced a written age policy, briefed staff, required staff to verify age with a photo ID or a scan device and disciplined staff who did not comply.
Cities, towns and counties may add their own rules on tobacco and vape sales and may require a local license.
W.S. 14-3-302Kratom
Since July 1, 2026, kratom products may not be sold to anyone under 21.
Kratom retailers have the same defense and the same first-fine waiver as tobacco retailers, including the choice of a photo ID or a scan device for the age check.
W.S. 35-7-2202What this means for your AgeShield setup
These are the AgeShield settings affected by the Wyoming rules above. How you configure them is ultimately a decision for your venue.
- How long visits are kept
- Wyoming sets no retention period for ID scan data.AgeShield setting: Set your retention period based on your venue's own policy.
- Which ID fields are stored
- Wyoming does not specify which ID fields may be stored. A customer's name kept with an unredacted driver's license number is personal identifying information under the state's breach-notification law.AgeShield setting: Choose which ID fields are collected and stored. Individual fields can be switched off.
- Guest images
- Wyoming makes it a crime to photograph, copy or otherwise reproduce a Wyoming ID card or a tribal ID card in a way that could be mistaken for a valid card. Wyoming's driver's license law has no similar rule.AgeShield setting: Photo Capture has three separate controls. Auto document crop captures a full image of the ID, Auto face crop extracts only the face image from the ID and Person photo is a photo staff take of the guest. Each is switched on or off by the venue.
- Consent screen
- Wyoming does not require a consent screen for ID scanning.AgeShield setting: Enable the consent screen if your venue chooses to use one as part of its own policy.
- Manual entry
- Wyoming's alcohol defense turns on the ID staff asked for and were shown, not on how it is read. Its tobacco and kratom first-fine waivers accept either a photo ID check or a scan device.AgeShield setting: Enable manual entry so staff can document a check when an accepted ID cannot be scanned.
- Banned and watch lists
- Wyoming has no law on venue lists. Its public-accommodation law bars discrimination on account of race, religion, color, sex or national origin.AgeShield setting: Use behavior-based reasons and notes for Banned and custom list entries.
Common questions
Is it legal to scan IDs at a bar in Wyoming?
Yes. Wyoming has no law that restricts ID scanning, and its alcohol law does not say how staff must read an ID.
Do you have to check IDs in Wyoming, and when?
It depends on what you sell. Every alcohol delivery requires a valid government-issued ID showing the customer is 21 or older. For sales in a bar, restaurant or store there is no statewide rule to card every customer, and federal law requires tobacco retailers to check photo ID for buyers under 30.
Which IDs provide protection in Wyoming?
For alcohol, Wyoming names a driver's license or qualifying state photo ID, a permanent resident card, a military ID or an internationally accepted passport. A separate law gives qualifying Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribal IDs the same validity as a Wyoming ID card for every purpose. The tobacco and kratom defense accepts an ID card showing the customer is over 21.
Can you keep data from an ID scan in Wyoming?
Yes. No Wyoming law sets which details from a scan may be kept or for how long. A stored name with an unredacted driver's license or other covered government ID number can bring the breach-notification law into play.
Does scanning give you a defense if you serve a minor in Wyoming?
A scan does not create the defense, but it can document the ID staff asked for and were shown. The alcohol defense applies when staff demanded, were shown and reasonably relied on one of the named documents, and it reaches both criminal prosecution and license suspension or revocation.
Do Wyoming tobacco retailers have to scan IDs?
No. A retailer's first fine in 24 months is waived if, among other conditions, it required staff to verify age with a photo ID or a scan device, and either one meets that condition.
Can a business photograph or copy an ID in Wyoming?
Wyoming makes it a crime to photograph, copy or otherwise reproduce a Wyoming ID card or a tribal ID card in a way that could be mistaken for a valid card. Wyoming's driver's license law has no similar rule.
Can a customer refuse an ID scan in Wyoming?
Wyoming does not specifically regulate refusal of a scan or require a manual alternative. Where an ID check is mandatory, such as alcohol delivery, the customer still must present valid government-issued identification.
Who issues liquor licenses in Wyoming?
Cities, towns and counties license and regulate retail alcohol sales, so the local licensing authority where a venue operates can add rules to the state's.
Sources
- W.S. 12-6-101
- W.S. 14-3-302
- W.S. 35-7-2202
- W.S. 12-4-101
- W.S. 12-5-601
- W.S. 14-3-302
- 21 CFR 1140.14
- W.S. 12-6-101(h)
- W.S. 8-7-101
- W.S. 40-12-501
- W.S. 40-12-502
- W.S. 6-3-901
- W.S. 6-9-101
This page is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal advice. We research each rule and link its source, so you can check it against your own venue. Questions are welcome at support@ageshield.bar.
ID scanning laws in nearby states
Rules change across state lines. Compare the ID-scanning guidance for nearby states.
- State lawState law
Montana ID scanning laws
In Montana, data from a scan that checks a buyer's age can be kept up to 180 days. See how it may be used and which IDs count.
- State lawState law
Colorado ID scanning laws
Colorado sets no field or retention limits. See which venues must check ID and where a scanner counts for cannabis.
- State lawState law
Idaho ID scanning laws
Idaho allows ID scanning, and bars and lounges may not let customers under 21 inside. See which IDs count as proof of age.
Still unsure how Wyoming applies to your venue?
Tell us what type of venue you run and we'll point you to the published rules we know of that may apply.