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SF0088 • 2026

Sex offenders-residence near child care facilities.

AN ACT relating to crimes and offenses; prohibiting sex offenders from residing near child care facilities as specified; providing definitions; and providing for an effective date.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Senator Salazar
Last action
2026-03-06
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
7/1/2026

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Law to Keep Sex Offenders Away from Child Care Centers

This law stops sex offenders from living near child care centers and requires police to check if they are too close.

What This Bill Does

  • Stops sex offenders from living within one thousand feet of a child care center, unless the offender lived there before July 1, 2026 or before the child care center was built at that spot.
  • Requires law enforcement to verify if registered sex offenders live near any child care centers.
  • Tells police to inform each child care facility within one thousand feet of a sex offender's home.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Sex offenders who are required to register with the government.
  • Child care facilities licensed by the state department of family services.
  • Law enforcement agencies that must verify and report on sex offender residences near child care centers.

Terms To Know

sex offender
A person who has been convicted of a sexual crime and is required to register with the government.
child care facility
A place licensed by the state that provides care for children, such as daycares or preschools.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not apply if a sex offender lived near a child care center before July 1, 2026.
  • It is unclear how this will affect existing residences of sex offenders near new child care facilities.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-06 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 59

  2. 2026-03-06 Governor

    Governor Signed SEA No. 0052

  3. 2026-03-05 House

    H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0052

  4. 2026-03-05 Senate

    S President Signed SEA No. 0052

  5. 2026-03-04 LSO

    Assigned Number SEA No. 0052

  6. 2026-03-02 House

    H Appointed JCC01 Members

  7. 2026-03-02 Senate

    S Appointed JCC01 Members

  8. 2026-03-02 Senate

    S Concur:Failed 1-30-0-0-0

  9. 2026-03-02 Senate

    S Received for Concurrence

  10. 2026-03-02 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 58-0-4-0-0

  11. 2026-02-27 House

    H 3rd Reading:Laid Back

  12. 2026-02-26 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  13. 2026-02-25 House

    H COW:Passed

  14. 2026-02-25 House

    H Placed on General File

  15. 2026-02-25 House

    H01 - Judiciary:Recommend Do Pass 7-0-2-0-0

  16. 2026-02-23 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H01 - Judiciary

  17. 2026-02-20 House

    H Received for Introduction

  18. 2026-02-20 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 25-6-0-0-0

  19. 2026-02-19 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  20. 2026-02-18 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  21. 2026-02-17 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  22. 2026-02-17 Senate

    S01 - Judiciary:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0

  23. 2026-02-11 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S01 - Judiciary 28-3-0-0-0

  24. 2026-02-10 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  25. 2026-02-09 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 26LSO-0272

Bill No.:

SF0088

Effective:

7/1/2026

LSO No.:

26LSO-0272

Enrolled Act No.:

SEA No. 0052

Chapter No.:

59

Prime Sponsor:

Salazar

Catch Title:

Sex offenders-residence near child care facilities.

Has Report:

No

Subject:

Prohibits sex offenders from living near child care facilities.

Summary/Major Elements:

This act prohibits sex offenders from living within one thousand ($1,000.00) feet of a child care center, unless the sex offender's residence was established before July 1, 2026 or before the child care center was established at that location.

This act requires law enforcement to verify the residential address of sex offenders to determine whether the offender lives near a child care facility.

Law enforcement must provide notice to each child care facility established within one thousand ($1,000.00) feet of a sex offender's residence.

The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
26LSO-0272

ORIGINAL Senate

ENGROSSED
File No
.
SF0088

ENROLLED ACT NO. 52,

SENATE

SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2026 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to crimes and offenses; prohibiting sex offenders from residing near child care facilities as specified; providing definitions; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 6
‑
2
‑
320(a) by creating a new paragraph (v) and (e) by creating a new paragraph (iii), 7
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19
‑
302 by creating a new subsection (w) and 7
‑
19
‑
303(c)(ii) are amended to read:

6
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2
‑
320.

Prohibited access to school facilities and child care facilities by adult sex offenders; exceptions; penalties; definitions.

(a)

Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, no person who is eighteen (18) years of age or older who is required to register as a sex offender pursuant to W.S. 7
‑
19
‑
302 shall:

(v)

Reside within one thousand (1,000) feet of the property where a child care facility is located, measured from the nearest point on the exterior wall of the registered offender's dwelling unit to the child care facility's property line, except that this paragraph shall not apply if the registered offender's residence was established before July 1, 2026 or before the date when the child care facility was established at the location.

(e)

As used in this section:

(iii)

"Child care facility" means one (1) or more of the following:

(A)

A facility licensed as a child care provider by the department of family services;

(B)

A facility that is administered, owned or supervised by a governmental entity, including the state, local governments and school districts, and that provides care for children in exchange for consideration at the request of the parents, legal guardians or an agency responsible for the children. A facility under this subparagraph shall not include an elementary, middle or high school.

7
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19
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302.

Registration of offenders; procedure; verification; fees.

(w)

Upon receiving information from an offender under this section, the division shall verify the residential address of the offender to determine whether the offender lives near a child care facility as defined by W.S. 6
‑
2
‑
320(e)(iii) and whether any of the exceptions in W.S. 6-2-320(a)(v) apply. Upon request by an offender, the sheriff or the division shall determine whether an address provided by the offender is within one thousand (1,000) feet of a child care facility as defined by W.S. 6
‑
2
‑
320(e)(iii).

7
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19
‑
303.

Offenders central registry; dissemination of information.

(c)

The division shall provide notification of registration under this act, including all registration information, to the district attorney of the county where the registered offender is residing at the time of registration or to which the offender moves. In addition, the following shall apply:

(ii)

If the offender was convicted of an offense specified in W.S. 7
‑
19
‑
302(h) or (j), notification shall be provided by mail, personally or by any other means reasonably calculated to ensure delivery of the notice to residential neighbors within at least seven hundred fifty (750) feet of the offender's residence, organizations in the community, including schools, religious and youth organizations by the sheriff or his designee.
The division shall provide notice to each child care facility as defined by W.S. 6
‑
2
‑
320(e)(iii) within at least one thousand (1,000) feet of the offender's residence.
In addition, notification regarding an offender employed by or attending school at any educational institution shall be provided upon request by the educational institution to a member of the institution's campus community as defined by subsection (h) of this section;

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2026
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

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