Wyoming Liquor License Quota by City and County: Retail Licenses by Population, Bar and Grill Caps That Rise 2023 and 2028

October 29, 2026

A Wyoming liquor license is not something you can simply apply for and receive. Each city, town and county caps how many retail liquor licenses it can issue, and bar and grill licenses have a separate, lower cap. Before you spend money on a lease or a business plan, you need to know whether your city or county still has room under its Wyoming liquor license quota. This guide shows you how to work out that ceiling, what the local fees look like, and where to confirm the official numbers.

This article is informational only. It is not legal or tax advice. Liquor rules come from state statute and local ordinance, and both can change. Confirm every figure with your licensing authority, and talk with a Wyoming attorney or CPA before you buy a license, sign a purchase agreement or commit to a lease.

Materials You Will Need

• The 2020 census population for your city, town or county, from the U.S. Census Bureau (census.gov). Use the 2020 count, not a newer estimate.
• The name and contact details of the city or town clerk, or the county clerk, who handles liquor licensing for your location.
• The current local fee schedule from that office.
• Wyoming Statutes Title 12, Chapter 4, including sections 12-4-201, 12-4-401, 12-4-407, 12-4-408, 12-4-411, 12-4-413, 12-4-416, 12-4-601 and 12-4-604.
• A spreadsheet or calculator for the quota formula.
• For a purchase, a way to check the seller's sales tax standing. The Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax Division (excise-tax-div.wyo.gov) is the agency to contact.

Step 1: Identify Who Controls Your Location

Incorporated cities and towns license and regulate retail alcohol sales inside their limits. Counties handle the areas outside cities. Your physical location decides which authority applies, not your mailing address or the county where you live. Every authority may issue fewer licenses than its maximum, or refuse a license altogether, so an open quota on paper is not a guarantee of approval.

Step 2: Use the Right Population Figure

Quotas start from the decennial census. That count is revised by a state estimate made within five years of census publication. The Wyoming Liquor Division certifies the maximum number of licenses for each licensing authority. Start with the 2020 census figure, and ask the clerk which certified number they are using. Do not use a 2025 population figure for quota purposes, even if a city website displays one.

Step 3: Calculate the Retail License Quota

Retail licenses, for both on and off premises sales, follow this formula under 12-4-201(d):

• A place of 500 or fewer people may have up to 2 retail licenses.
• Add 1 license for each additional 500 people (or major fraction of 500) up to 9,500.
• Above 9,500, add 1 license for each additional full 3,000 people.

Take Cheyenne at 65,132 people as an example. The first 9,500 people produce 20 licenses (2 plus 18). The remaining 55,632 people contain 18 full blocks of 3,000, adding 18 more, for a total of 38. Licenses at commercial service airports sit outside this limit, so confirm with the clerk whether an airport location applies to your plan.

Step 4: Calculate the Bar and Grill Cap

Bar and grill licenses use their own cap under 12-4-413. The cap for cities rises on July 1, 2028:

City population	Cap from July 1, 2023	Cap from July 1, 2028
7,500 or less	4	6
7,501 to 20,000	10	14
20,001 to 30,000	14	18
Over 30,000	14, plus 1 per additional 5,000 over 30,000	18, plus 1 per additional 3,000 over 30,000

Counties allow 4 bar and grill licenses per 7,500 residents outside cities (6 from 2028).

Step 5: Compare Your Figure With the Local Table

The table below uses 2020 census populations. The retail column is computed from the formula in Step 3, and the bar and grill columns apply the caps in Step 4. Treat these as planning figures. The Liquor Division or city clerk certifies the official number, so check it before you make decisions.

City	2020 population	Retail licenses (formula)	Bar and grill from 2023	Bar and grill from 2028
Cheyenne	65,132	38	21	29
Casper	59,038	36	19	27
Gillette	33,403	27	14	19
Laramie	31,407	27	14	18
Rock Springs	23,526	24	14	18
Sheridan	18,737	23	10	14
Evanston	11,747	20	10	14
Green River	11,825	20	10	14
Riverton	10,682	20	10	14
Jackson	10,760	20	10	14
Cody	10,028	20	10	14
Rawlins	8,221	17	10	14
Lander	7,546	16	10	14
Powell	6,419	14	4	6
Douglas	6,386	14	4	6
Torrington	6,119	13	4	6
Worland	4,773	11	4	6
Buffalo	4,415	10	4	6

Lander sits just over the 7,500 line, which is why its bar and grill cap is 10 rather than 4. For any city not listed here, run the Step 3 and Step 4 formulas yourself, then confirm with that city's clerk.

Step 6: Choose the Right License Type

Each license type has its own rules, so do not treat them as interchangeable.

• Retail: subject to the population quota. Annual fee of $300 to $1,500. It can be assigned to a new owner by a good-faith sale with approval.
• Restaurant: no population formula applies. A food permit is required. Renewal requires 60% of gross sales from food, plus an annual report. Fee of $500 to $3,000.
• Bar and grill: capped, as shown above. At least 60% of revenue must come from food service or entertainment. Fee of $1,500 to $10,500. A bar and grill license cannot be sold, transferred or assigned.
• Resort retail: $1,000,000 invested, excluding land, with a restaurant, a 100-seat convention facility and 100 rooms, or a $10,000,000 ski resort.
• Resort hotel: $5,000,000 including land, with 20 sleeping rooms, a full-service restaurant and 50-person meeting space.
• County malt beverage permit: not limited by population. Fee of $100 to $1,500.

Step 7: Confirm Availability With the Clerk

Ask the clerk four questions: how many licenses the authority is certified for, how many are currently issued, whether a public hearing applies to your application, and whether the authority limits itself below its maximum. Do not assume an open number from a table or an online post. Only the clerk can tell you how many licenses are open today.

Step 8: Budget the Local Fees

Fees vary by city and county. These 2026 figures are a starting point:

Jurisdiction	Retail	Restaurant	Bar and grill	Other fees
Jackson (Resolution 26-19, effective October 1, 2026)	$1,500	$3,000	$10,500 new, $4,471 renewal	Club $543; microbrewery and winery $500; special malt beverage $1,000; 24-hour permits $50
Teton County (2026 page)	$1,500, but the page notes no retail licenses are available	$3,000	$3,000	Malt beverage $350; club $1,500; microbrewery $500; transfer $100
Casper (city page)	$1,500	$1,500	$10,500 first year, $3,000 renewal	Not listed

For other cities and counties, check with that licensing authority's clerk. Budget for renewal fees as well as the first-year fee.

Step 9: If You Are Buying an Existing License

A retail license can be assigned through a good-faith sale, but only with the licensing authority's approval after a public hearing. The transfer fee is up to $100. Approval is refused if the seller is certified 60 or more days delinquent in sales tax. A bar and grill license cannot be transferred at all. No government source publishes sale prices for licenses, so check with the clerk and a licensed broker to estimate value.

Step 10: Plan for Sales Tax on Alcohol

Alcohol is a taxable sale in Wyoming. The state sales tax rate is 4%, with county option taxes and resort district taxes added on top. There is no city sales tax. County rates change quarterly, so date any rate you record and check the Department of Revenue rate chart. Wyoming has no general statewide business license, but a business making taxable sales must hold a sales and use tax license, which carries a $60 non-refundable application fee. Register your entity with the Wyoming Secretary of State at sos.wyo.gov.

Tips and Common Mistakes

• Using the wrong population. Use the 2020 census figure, not a 2025 estimate or a figure from a city brochure.
• Treating the table as an official count. The retail numbers are computed. The Liquor Division or city clerk certifies the number that counts.
• Assuming the bar and grill cap stays at 2023 levels. Caps rise on July 1, 2028, so plan for both dates if your project spans that period.
• Confusing license types. Restaurant licenses have no quota. Bar and grill licenses are capped and cannot be sold. Retail licenses are quota-limited and can be assigned.
• Buying a bar and grill license. It cannot be sold, transferred or assigned, so any agreement that treats it as a sellable asset is a serious problem.
• Ignoring the seller's tax status. A seller 60 or more days delinquent in sales tax will block approval of a retail transfer.
• Assuming an open quota means approval. Authorities may issue fewer licenses than their maximum or refuse any license.

Expected Results

After working through these steps, you should have a reasonable planning estimate of how many retail and bar and grill licenses your city or county may allow, which license types fit your concept, and what the first-year fees may look like. Results depend on the certified count your clerk confirms, the local fee schedule in effect on the day you apply, and any approval steps the authority requires. The figures in this guide may be out of date by the time you read them, so verify each one before you commit money.

Liquor licensing involves state statute, local ordinance and practical approval steps. Before you rely on any of these figures, consult a qualified Wyoming attorney for the license, and a CPA for the tax side.