County planners urge repeal or clarification of Wyoming subdivision fencing law

Jeremiah Reman, appearing for the County Commissioners Association, and Joy Hill, Park County planner, told the interim committee that changes to state statute in 2023 moved subdivision fencing requirements into the subdivision code and created implementation problems for counties and developers.

"Wyoming is known as a fence‑out state historically," Hill said, and she traced the change from a 2011 statute into the 2023 amendment that placed the fencing requirement under title 18. She said the current structure has put the burden on county planners and boards of county commissioners, increased development costs and slowed subdivision progress, and left unclear questions such as how to define livestock running at large when a property boundary follows a river or irrigation infrastructure.

Reman summarized county concerns and said counties want either repeal of the 2023 change (they cited sections they would like removed) or, if repeal is not acceptable, statutory language that returns discretion to local boards to exempt small subdivisions or that clarifies terms and responsibilities.

Committee members noted the topic could be handled in brief interim work and suggested limited follow‑up meetings with county planners and stakeholders to explore options. The committee did not vote; the item was added to the interim topics list for members to rank.