Municipal and County Airports

Wyo. Stat. Ann. tit. 10, ch. 5
in effect

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 10-5-101 Powers of municipalities and counties generally; rules and regulations.

(a) Municipal corporations and counties within the state are authorized at the discretion of their governing boards, acting either singly or jointly to: (i) Acquire, by lease, purchase, or otherwise, lands and other property for airport purposes, and to construct, maintain and operate these facilities for the landing, housing, care and departure of air-borne craft; (ii) Construct, maintain and operate terminal office, traffic control and nonaviation buildings; warehouses; barracks; meteorology facilities; maintenance, repair and assembly shops; runways and taxiing strips; accommodations for mail, freight and express services; and all other attendant facilities; (iii) Install, maintain and operate markers, lights and other aids to air navigation; (iv) Lease or let any portion of the area, buildings or facilities to any private person or corporation, upon terms deemed satisfactory. Notice shall be given by publication at least once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks in a newspaper published in a town or county in which the airport is located when it is proposed that all the area and total facilities are to be leased; (v) Direct, manage, conduct or contract for air shows, exhibitions and other public entertainment and, if desired, set a fee for admission; (vi) Appoint a board of trustees to act under any authority granted to the governing body of the municipality or county acting separately or jointly; (vii) Enter into cooperative agreements with federal agencies; and (viii) Do all things necessary in the discretion of the city, town or county governing authority for the purpose of making effective the powers conferred by W.S. 10-5-101 through 10-5-204. (b) Any city, town or county governing authority in the state, either singly or jointly, may prescribe and enforce rules and regulations not in conflict with W.S. 10-5-101 through 10-5-204 by ordinance or resolution, governing these airports. The municipal court of the city or town has jurisdiction to punish any violator of the ordinances of the city or town governing an airport whether the airport is within or without the city limits.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 10-5-201 Authority of county commissioners to levy taxes and issue bonds; funds to be paid into "airport fund"; expenditure generally.

For the purposes of W.S. 10-5-101 through 10-5-204, the board of county commissioners may levy taxes, issue bonds or incur indebtedness as authorized by law for other county purposes. The board of county commissioners by resolution may also issue revenue bonds, notes, warrants and other revenue securities in the manner provided by W.S. 35-2-424 through 35-2-435, as from time to time amended, for trustees of hospital districts for the purposes of W.S. 10-5-101 through 10-5-204. All taxes collected, together with other monies received from the sale of bonds, cities or towns, rents and revenue, donations, federal grants and aid or other sources for this purpose, shall be placed in an airport fund which shall be expended only by the authority provided by law.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 10-5-202 Airport board; organization; corporate powers; personal liability; compensation; appointment of manager.

(a) The authority and powers granted in W.S. 10-5-101 through 10-5-204 and the control of funds named may be under the control of an airport board. Upon majority vote of board members the board may issue revenue bonds, notes, warrants and other revenue securities in the same manner provided by W.S. 35-2-424 through 35-2-435 for trustees of hospital districts for the purposes of W.S. 10-5-101 through 10-5-204. The board shall be appointed by the municipal or county governing body and consist of five (5) members, all of whom shall be qualified electors of the county in which they serve. One (1) member of the board to be appointed for one (1) year; one (1) for two (2) years; one (1) for three (3) years; one (1) for four (4) years; and one (1) for five (5) years, and in each case until the first Monday in February following the expiration of the year. The municipal or county governing body in their January meeting of each year shall appoint a successor to the board member whose term shall expire during the year. Thereafter appointments for a full term shall be for five (5) years. Vacancies for unexpired terms shall be filled by appointment by the municipal or county governing body. (b) The board shall organize each year by selecting a president, a vice president, a secretary and a treasurer from its membership. The secretary shall notify the municipal or county governing body of the board's organization and shall file with the county clerk and the secretary of state a certificate showing their organization. Upon the filing of the certificate the airport board shall become a body corporate, empowered to sue and be sued under the name and style of ".... Airport Board" and shall be the successor to any similar organization or corporation. The corporation shall have perpetual existence. No individual member of the board shall be personally liable for any action or procedure of the board. Members of the board shall serve without compensation, but shall be entitled to payment for travel and other necessary expenses incurred while attending to business or meetings of the board. (c) Meetings of the board shall be held quarterly at a place designated by the board and at other times as may be desirable upon call of the airport board. (d) The board may appoint a full or part time manager and other personnel as necessary to operate and maintain the airport and its allied facilities and pay to appointees a reasonable compensation as the board deems proper.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 10-5-203 Airport board; dissolution and discontinuance.

Any airport board, created under W.S. 10-5-101 through 10-5-204, may be dissolved by resolution of the municipal or county governing body in a regular and public meeting. No board will be dissolved within the two (2) year period following the date of its creation. Within ninety (90) days after the passage of a resolution dissolving the board, the board shall proceed to terminate its existence. After payment of all obligations, any monies remaining under the control of the board shall be credited to the general fund of the municipality or county and be apportioned among the bodies politic comprising the board in the same manner as the cost of maintaining the board was apportioned among the bodies politic and credited to their respective general funds.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 10-5-204 Airport board; withdrawal of bodies politic.

Any municipality or county may withdraw from the board by resolution of its governing body. No municipality or county may withdraw from a board within the two (2) year period following the establishment of the board and then only after ninety (90) days written notice given to the board and to the other sponsoring political bodies. In the event of withdrawal of a body politic from the board, any funds which had been appropriated by the municipality or county before withdrawal, to cover its proportionate share of maintaining the board, shall not be returned to the municipality or county withdrawing.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 10-5-301 Power of counties, cities and towns.

(a) The governing body of each incorporated Wyoming municipality and county may regulate and restrict by ordinance the number of stories and size of buildings and the height of other structures constructed upon land within one-half (1/2) mile of the boundaries of airports owned or controlled by the town, city or county. They may provide zoning for airspace beyond one-half (1/2) mile of the boundaries and within the county, to assure aircraft reasonable safety for visual and instrument approach and departure. The right to zone shall be confined to the geographical limits of the current applicable approach zone established by the federal aviation administration for the particular airport and in no case shall the right to zone extend beyond six (6) nautical miles along the approach path from the end of the instrument runway. (b) The powers herein granted to towns and cities shall apply to all municipal airports whether situated within or without the incorporated limits of a city or town.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 10-5-302 Manner of establishing regulations; appeals.

Zoning regulations shall be established by the municipal council and by the board of county commissioners in the manner provided by law and appeals may be taken accordingly.
Source: WY Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title10.pdfFetched: 10/4/2026