Laramie.Free

Defending property rights in Laramie County and the Cheyenne area.

In August 2025, 350 citizens showed up and won a unanimous victory against overreaching home occupation permits. We thought we were done. We were wrong.

Read about our first victory →

Current Issue: Cheyenne's Administrative Warrant Ordinance

Your Fourth Amendment rights are under attack. The Cheyenne City Council is voting Monday, January 13, 2026 on a new ordinance (Chapter 1.28) that would allow city officials to obtain warrants to enter and search your property with a dramatically lowered standard—one that may violate the Wyoming Constitution.

What's the Problem?

Under current law, the government needs probable cause—specific facts suggesting wrongdoing—to get a warrant to search your property. Cheyenne's proposed ordinance creates a new category of "administrative inspection warrants" that can be issued merely to "determine, discover, or verify compliance" with city codes.

That's not a standard. That's a rubber stamp.

• Every older home has code "violations." Outlet spacing, handrail heights, window egress—codes change constantly. If "wanting to check" is enough for a warrant, every property owner is vulnerable.
• City officials claim it's just for abandoned buildings. But the ordinance language contains no such limitation. As one citizen noted: "There is nothing in the wording that limits this to abandoned properties."
• The Fire Chief admitted current tools work fine. Chief Dykshorn told the council the city "works very well with our community" on consent-based inspections. So why do they need forced-entry powers?
• Mission creep is inevitable. Today it's fire inspections. Tomorrow it's business licenses, rental properties, home occupations. Once the tool exists, it expands.

The Constitutional Problem

Wyoming's Constitution (Article 1, Section 4) requires warrants be issued only upon "probable cause, supported by affidavit." This is stronger protection than the federal Fourth Amendment provides.

Cheyenne's ordinance standard—authorizing warrants to "determine, discover, or verify" compliance—describes the goal of every inspection, not evidence of a problem. When a judge can't say no, there's no judicial oversight at all.

Read the full ordinance (PDF) →

Councilman Wolfe's False Citation

When citizens raised constitutional concerns on Nextdoor, Ward 1 Councilman Larry Wolfe responded:

"The law is quite clear that such warrants are valid, legal and don't violate 4th Amendment or other constitutional protections. There is a recent case decided by the Wyoming Supreme Court, Hale v. The City of Laramie that I would encourage you to read."

We read it. He apparently didn't.

Hale v. City of Laramie, 2025 WY 133 (Dec. 15, 2025) is about a welder who built a shed without a permit. The Wyoming Supreme Court reversed because the district court refused to rule on a motion. The case says nothing about:

• Administrative warrants
• Fourth Amendment protections
• Search and seizure law
• Municipal inspection authority

The case is about Rule 60(b) civil procedure motions. It contains zero constitutional analysis.

If this is the best legal authority the council can cite, they haven't done basic homework.

Read our fact-check document (PDF) →
Read the actual Hale opinion →

Take Action: Monday, January 13, 2026

Key Arguments (for public comment)

• "A man's home is his castle. If the government can enter without evidence of wrongdoing, do you really own it?"
• "This ordinance treats property owners as having fewer rights than suspected criminals. Police need probable cause to search for stolen goods; code enforcement needs only a desire to 'verify compliance.'"
• "Government asking for more power is not a solution—it's a problem."
• "The ordinance language doesn't limit this to abandoned properties, despite what officials say verbally. Once this passes, expansion is inevitable."
• "Under this standard, on what grounds could a judge ever deny a warrant? If the standard is 'wanting to check,' the answer is never."

Questions to ask the council:

1. "How many times has the city been unable to conduct a necessary inspection due to lack of consent? What specific incidents prompted this ordinance?"
2. "Has the City Attorney provided a formal opinion on compliance with Wyoming Constitution Article 1, Section 4?"
3. "Why doesn't the ordinance explicitly limit warrants to abandoned properties, as officials have described?"

Resources & Documents

The Ordinance:

• Chapter 1.28 Full Text (PDF)

Legal Analysis:

• Hale v. City of Laramie Fact Check (PDF)
• Hale v. City of Laramie - Full Opinion
• Wyoming Constitution Article 1, Section 4

News Coverage:

• Cheyenne Proposal To Expand Warrants To Inspect Homes Has Some Crying Overreach — Cowboy State Daily (Jan. 8, 2026)
• Council members weigh new inspection warrant ordinance — Wyoming Tribune Eagle

National Resources:

• Institute for Justice - Rental Inspections Project
• Wyoming Liberty Group

Updates

We'll post developments here as the fight progresses.

Past Victories

In August 2025, Laramie County tried to impose permit requirements on all home-based businesses. 350 citizens showed up. The commissioners voted unanimously to remove all permit, application, plot plan, and fee requirements.

Read the full story of that fight →