2010 Wyoming Statutes
Title 35 - Public Health And Safety
Chapter 10 - Crimes And Offenses

CHAPTER 10 - CRIMES AND OFFENSES

 

ARTICLE 1 - DISPOSAL OF GARBAGE, REFUSE AND DEAD ANIMALS

 

35-10-101. Depositing or placing refuse matter, dead animals and garbage into rivers, ditches, railroad rights-of-way, highways or public grounds prohibited; exception.

 

The depositing, placing, or causing to be placed or put, the carcass of any dead animal or the offal or refuse matter from any slaughterhouse, butcher shop, meat market, packing house, fish house, hog pen, stable, or any spoiled meats, spoiled fish, or any animal or vegetable matter in a putrid or decayed condition or which is liable to become putrid, decayed or offensive, or the contents of a privy vault, or any refuse or garbage, or any offensive matter or substance whatever upon or into any river, creek, bay, pond, canal, ditch, lake, stream, railroad right-of-way, public or private roadway, highway, street, alley lot, field, meadow, public place or public ground, or in any other and different locality, building, or establishment in this state so located that the said substance shall directly or indirectly cause or threaten to cause the pollution or impairment of the purity and usefulness of the waters of any spring, reservoir, stream, irrigation ditch, lake or water supply whether surface or subterranean, which are used wholly or partly as a source of public or domestic water supply, or where the same may become a source of annoyance to any person, or within one-half mile of any inhabited dwelling, or within one-half mile of any public roadway, by any person or persons, association of persons, company or corporation, incorporated city, incorporated or unincorporated town in the state of Wyoming, or the knowingly permitting of such acts by the owner, tenant, or occupant of said places, upon, into, or on said places, or the permitting of said offensive substances or other offensive substances to remain thereon or therein, shall be unlawful and is hereby declared to constitute a nuisance detrimental to the public health and general welfare of the citizens of Wyoming, provided that no present or future operation of any existing municipal garbage disposal system or any extension of or changes therein, which involves substantially daily burning, and no present or future operation of any now existing municipal sewage disposal system or facilities or any extension of or changes therein, shall be considered as within the scope of the foregoing provisions of this act or as a violation thereof but further provided that the foregoing exception concerning any existing municipal garbage disposal system, whether or not such involves substantially daily burning, shall not be applicable to or except from the scope of this act, any such system which has been commenced since prior construction in the close vicinity thereof, of occupied residential buildings or occupied business properties, ten [(10)] or more in number.

 

35-10-102. Penalty for violation of W.S. 35-10-101.

 

Any person violating the provisions of this act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) nor more than two hundred dollars ($200.00) or shall be imprisoned in the county jail not to exceed six (6) months, or shall be punishable by both such fine and imprisonment.

 

35-10-103. Repealed by Laws 1982, ch. 75, 5; 1983, ch. 171, 3.

 

 

35-10-104. Failure of owner to remove or bury dead animal.

 

It shall be the duty of the owner, or person having charge of an animal which may die in this state, to remove the carcass to a distance of not less than half a mile from the nearest human habitation, or to bury it with not less than two (2) feet of soil over it; and every person failing to so remove or bury such carcass, for more than forty-eight (48) hours, shall upon conviction, be fined in a sum not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00). And should such animal be the property or in charge of some person passing through this state, then any peace officer may (without warrant) detain the owner or person in charge of such animal, or of the flock or herd from which it died, as soon as such owner or person shall have shown an intention not to so bury or remove said carcass, by removing from it, or removing such flock or herd from it a distance of half a mile or more, a reasonable time, not to exceed two (2) days, until a warrant can issue upon an information duly sworn to. And the brand upon such animal may be given in proof of the ownership of the same.

 

35-10-105. Repealed by Laws 1982, ch. 75, 5; 1983, ch. 171, 3.

 

 

35-10-106. Repealed by Laws 1982, ch. 75, 5; 1983, ch. 171, 3.

 

 

35-10-107. Repealed by Laws 1982, ch. 75, 5; 1983, ch. 171, 3.

 

 

ARTICLE 2 - FIREWORKS

 

35-10-201. Definitions.

 

(a) "Fireworks" means any article, device or substance prepared for the primary purpose of producing a visual or auditory sensation by combustion, explosion, deflagration or detonation, including any item which may be sold or offered for sale under 15 U.S.C. 1261, 21 U.S.C. 371 and 16 C.F.R., Commercial Practices, part 1507.

 

(b) "Governing body" means the board of county commissioners as to the area within a county but outside the corporate limits of any city or town; or means the city council or other governing body of a city or town as to the area within the corporate limits of such city or town.

 

(c) "Person" shall include an individual, partnership, co-partnership, firm, company, association or corporation.

 

(d) "Commercial motor vehicle" means any self-propelled or towed vehicle used on public highways in interstate commerce to transport passengers or property and the vehicle meets one (1) of the following:

 

(i) The vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of ten thousand one (10,001) pounds;

 

(ii) The vehicle is designed to transport more than fifteen (15) passengers including the driver; or

 

(iii) The vehicle is used in the transportation of hazardous materials in a quantity requiring placarding under regulations issued by the secretary of transportation under the federal Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, 49 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.

 

35-10-202. Sale and use prohibited; exception.

 

Except as hereinafter provided, it is unlawful for any person to offer or expose for sale, sell, at either wholesale or retail, give away, use, discharge or detonate any fireworks in the state of Wyoming.

 

35-10-203. Permits for public displays required.

 

 

(a) Any governing body shall have the power to grant permits, within the area under its jurisdiction, for supervised public displays of fireworks by individuals, municipalities, amusement parks and other organizations and groups, and to adopt reasonable rules and regulations for the granting of such permits. Every such display shall be handled by a competent operator and shall be of such character and so located, discharged and fired as not to be hazardous to property or endanger any person.

 

(b) No permit shall be transferable or assignable.

 

(c) Repealed By Laws 2001, Ch. 97, 2.

 

35-10-204. Construction; exceptions.

 

 

(a) This act shall not be construed to prohibit:

 

(i) Any person from offering for sale, exposing for sale, selling, or delivering fireworks to any municipality, association, amusement park, or other organization or group holding a permit issued as herein provided, or to the directors of the Wyoming state fair or of any county fair organized under the laws of this state;

 

(ii) Any person from using or exploding fireworks in accordance with the provisions of any permit issued as herein provided or as part of a supervised public display at the Wyoming state fair or of any county fair organized under the laws of this state;

 

(iii) Any person from offering for sale, exposing for sale, or selling, any fireworks which are to be and are shipped by commercial motor vehicle directly out of the state;

 

(iv) Any person from offering for sale, exposing for sale, selling, using, or exploding any article, device or substance for a purpose other than display, exhibition, amusement or entertainment; or when used for mining purposes, danger signals, or other necessary uses; or

 

(v) Any person from offering for sale, exposing for sale, selling, using, or exploding blank cartridges for theatrical or ceremonial purposes or in organized athletic or sporting events.

 

35-10-205. Further regulations by municipalities.

 

This act shall not be construed to prohibit the imposition by municipal ordinance of further regulations or prohibitions upon the sale, use and possession of fireworks within the corporate limits of any city or town, including those items defined under 15 U.S.C. 1261, but no such city or town shall permit or authorize the sale, use or possession of any fireworks in violation of this act.

 

35-10-206. Enforcement; disposal of seized fireworks.

 

Wyoming peace officers shall seize all stocks of fireworks held in violation of W.S. 35-10-201 through 35-10-208 and shall apply to the appropriate court for the disposition of the fireworks. Following a hearing determining the fireworks were held in violation of W.S. 35-10-201 through 35-10-208, the fireworks shall be destroyed or otherwise disposed of upon order of any circuit court or district court.

 

35-10-207. Penalties.

 

Any person violating any provision of W.S. 35-10-201 through 35-10-208 is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), or by imprisonment not exceeding sixty (60) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

 

35-10-208. County regulation of fireworks.

 

 

(a) For the purpose of this section "fireworks" means only those items which may be sold or offered for sale under 15 U.S.C. 1261, 21 U.S.C. 371 and 16 C.F.R., Commercial Practices, part 1507. A board of county commissioners may, subject to subsection (b) of this section:

 

(i) Prohibit the sale to Wyoming residents or use of fireworks by adopting a resolution under W.S. 35-9-301;

 

(ii) Promulgate reasonable rules and regulations for authorizing the sale of fireworks.

 

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, the proposition to prohibit, or authorize in counties that currently prohibit, the sale or use of fireworks in a county shall be submitted to the electors of the county upon receipt by the board of county commissioners of a petition requesting the election signed by a number of the electors of the county equal to fifteen percent (15%) of the total number of votes cast at the general election immediately preceding the date on which the petition is submitted, or by resolution of the board of county commissioners. The proposition shall be submitted at a primary or general election, if the petition or resolution is certified sixty (60) days prior to the primary or general election. If the proposition fails, no such petition shall be submitted for four (4) years following the election.

 

(c) Any resolution adopted by a county prohibiting the sale or use of fireworks which was in effect on February 1, 1990, is deemed to be valid unless amended or repealed by the board of county commissioners pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.

 

ARTICLE 3 - STORAGE OF EXPLOSIVES

 

35-10-301. General regulations.

 

It shall be unlawful for any person or company to store any gunpowder or any other explosive material at a less distance than one thousand (1,000) feet from any house or habitation, when more than fifty (50) pounds are stored at the same place; but it shall be unlawful to place or to keep any powder or other explosive material, in any house or building occupied as a residence, or any outbuilding pertaining thereto.

 

35-10-302. Construction of powder magazine.

 

Hereafter, any powder magazine that may be built, shall be so constructed as to provide and maintain the storage room thereof, entirely below the natural surface of the ground adjacent; and it shall be unlawful to store such powder or explosives in any other than such storage rooms.

 

35-10-303. Penalty for violation of W.S. 35-10-301; violation of W.S. 35-10-302 declared nuisance.

 

Anyone violating the provisions of W.S. 35-10-301 shall be on conviction, fined in any sum not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each and every offense, and may be imprisoned not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both fined and imprisoned, in the discretion of the court having jurisdiction. Any violation of the provisions of W.S. 35-10-302 shall be a public nuisance, and shall be abated at the suit of any person, in any court of competent jurisdiction.

 

ARTICLE 4 - MISCELLANEOUS OFFENSES

 

35-10-401. Obstructing or injuring highways, streets, bridges or navigable streams generally; offensive manufactures or businesses; pollution of waters.

 

 

(a) If any person, company or corporation shall obstruct or injure or cause or procure to be obstructed or injured, any public road or highway, or common street or alley of any town or village, or any public bridge or causeway, or public river or stream, declared navigable by law, or shall continue such obstruction, so as to render the same inconvenient or dangerous to pass, or shall erect or establish any offensive trade, or manufacture or business, or continue the same after it has been erected or established, or shall in anywise pollute or obstruct any watercourse, lake, pond, marsh or common sewer, or continue such obstruction or pollution, so as to render the same unwholesome or offensive to the county, city, town or neighborhood thereabouts; every person, company or corporation so offending, shall upon conviction thereof, be fined not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00); and every such nuisance may, by order of the district court before whom the conviction may take place, be removed and abated by the sheriff of the proper county.

 

(b) Whoever, in any manner, wrongfully obstructs any public highway, or injures any bridge, culvert, or embankment, or injures any material used in the construction of any such road, shall be fined in any sum not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00), to which may be added imprisonment in the county jail not more than three (3) months.

 

35-10-402. Entering mines, metallurgical works or sawmills while intoxicated; taking intoxicants into related structures.

 

Whoever shall, while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, enter any mine, smelter, metallurgical works, machine shops or sawmills, or any of the buildings connected with the operation of the same in Wyoming where miners or workmen are employed or whoever shall carry or haul any intoxicating liquor into the same or any logging or grading camp shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined in any sum not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) to which may be added imprisonment in the county jail for a term not exceeding one (1) year.

 

35-10-403. Boats for hire required to have life preservers.

 

Any person who shall keep for hire boats, not equipped with life preservers for the protection of every occupant, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00).

 

35-10-404. Life jackets for occupants of boats and rafts required.

 

Each and every person who shall operate a boat, raft or other navigable vessel shall have available for each occupant on said boat a life jacket of the coast guard approved type during the time the boat, raft or vessel is afloat upon any of the waters of the state of Wyoming.

 

35-10-405. Life jackets for occupants of boats and rafts; penalty.

 

Any person violating the provisions of the act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00).

 

35-10-406. Life jackets for occupants of boats and rafts; enforcement.

 

Each and every city, town, county and state law enforcement officer and the game wardens of the Wyoming game and fish commission shall enforce the provisions of this act.

 

35-10-407. Abandoned iceboxes or refrigerators.

 

Whoever abandons or stores any refrigeration unit or icebox in such a place as to be easily accessible to children without first having made adequate provision to prevent entry into such refrigeration unit or icebox or without having removed all latches, catches, locking devices or the door thereof, so that escape from the interior may be had, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor; and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum of not less than fifteen dollars ($15.00) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100.00), or be imprisoned for not more than ninety (90) days or both.

 

35-10-408. Additional authority of counties, cities and towns to regulate nuisances.

 

(a) Nothing in this act shall be construed as to prevent any city, town or village, incorporated under the laws of this state, or the proper corporate authority thereof, from passing or enforcing any ordinance, bylaw, regulation or rule, regulating, restraining, or prohibiting nuisances of any kind or character, or from enforcing any ordinance, bylaw, rule or regulation thereupon, already passed and in force.

 

(b) Nothing in this act shall be construed as to prevent any county from passing or enforcing any resolution regulating, restraining, or prohibiting nuisances which the commission determines to be a threat to health or safety pursuant to W.S. 18-2-101(a)(viii), or from enforcing any resolution already passed and in force.

 

35-10-409. Sale of metal beverage containers which are severable upon opening prohibited; penalty; definitions.

 

 

(a) No person shall sell or offer for sale in this state any metal beverage container so designed and constructed that a nonbiodegradable part of the container is severed when the container is opened, with the following exceptions:

 

(i) Metal beverage containers designed and constructed with biodegradable severed parts;

 

(ii) Metal beverage containers sealed by pressure sensitive adhesive strips; and

 

(iii) The manufacture of metal beverage containers with or without severable parts in this state for sale outside of Wyoming.

 

(b) Any person violating this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00).

 

(c) As used in this section, "beverage" means mineral waters, soda water, carbonated or noncarbonated soft drinks or alcoholic or malt beverages as defined in W.S. 12-1-101(a)(vii) and (x).