Statutes are laws passed by state legislatures (state laws) and by the United States Congress (federal laws). Statutes are one of the primary sources of law in the United States (sometimes referred to as statutory law) and cover a wide variety of legal topics. Courts often rely on statutes to resolve legal disputes (lawsuits) by applying the relevant statutes to the particular set of factual circumstances underlying the dispute.

Courts generally seek the clear and plain meaning of a statute, and if the court finds a statute ambiguous or “ambiguous on its face” (looking only at the words as written) the court may attempt to determine what the legislature intended in enacting the statute—known as legislative intent.

Related statutes are sometimes compiled in groups and referred to as codes—such as the penal code, the family code, or the code of civil procedure. Statutes may be amended (changed) or repealed (eliminated) by the legislature or Congress or declared unconstitutional (and thus unenforceable) by a court.

In Wyoming, as in other states, statutes are laws enacted by the state legislature. These laws, along with federal laws passed by the United States Congress, form a significant part of the legal framework governing various aspects of life and business within the state. Wyoming courts interpret these statutes when resolving legal disputes, striving to ascertain the clear and plain meaning of the legislative text. If a statute is deemed ambiguous, courts may look into legislative history and intent to interpret the law accurately. Wyoming has organized its statutes into codes that address specific areas of law, such as the Wyoming Penal Code for criminal laws, the Wyoming Family Code for family law matters, and the Wyoming Code of Civil Procedure for civil litigation processes. Statutes can be updated or modified through legislative amendments, and they can be repealed if the legislature decides to remove them from the body of law. Additionally, if a statute is challenged and found to be unconstitutional by the judiciary, it becomes unenforceable. This system of statutory law works in conjunction with case law and administrative regulations to provide a comprehensive legal structure within the state.