Wyoming Alcohol Laws
Where to Buy Alcohol State-owned, or package, stores sell wine and hard liquor in Wyoming. Beer is usually available in most grocery stores and convenience marts. Local ordinances regulate the hours that alcohol may be sold.
Legal Age for Drinking/Serving Alcohol
You must be 21 to drink alcohol in Wyoming as well as to work as a bartender or to work in a liquor store. However, a person can be 18 years old to serve in a restaurant that sells alcohol.
Open Container Laws
It is legal for passengers in a vehicle to consume alcohol as long as the driver is not drinking and is not intoxicated.
BAC Limits
DUI charges can be brought against a driver with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) over .08 percent, as is normal in all states. At this level, s/he is considered to be ‘per se intoxicated’ and the state requires no further evidence in order to prosecute for DUI (driving under the influence)
Wyoming laws do not support enhanced penalties for drivers with excessive BAC levels.
As in all states, ‘zero tolerance laws’ target drivers under the legal drinking age of 21. Those underage drivers who operate a vehicle with a .02 percent blood-alcohol level or above are subject to DUI penalties.
Penalties
Laws requiring drivers suspected of intoxication to comply with a police officer’s request to breath, blood, or urine testing are called ‘implied consent laws.’ Refusing to cooperate carries a penalty that can include mandatory suspension of a driver’s license for up to one year.
Driver’s license suspension can be imposed on those convicted of DUI for 90 days for the first conviction, one year for the second DUI, and three years for the third offense. The DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) handles driver’s license suspensions.
Vehicle confiscation as a penalty is not a possibility in Wyoming.
The courts can order that an ignition interlock device be attached to the convicted DUI offender’s vehicle at the driver’s expense. With a third DUI conviction, the courts can order treatment, assessment, or classes for alcohol abuse.
DUI is a felony with the fifth conviction within seven years.