The Bar School

Wyoming · Updated Oct 2026

How to become a bartender in Wyoming

Wyoming doesn't require a state bartender license, but you still need to know how to do the job. Here's your path from zero experience to your first shift, plus the rules and pay to know.

Quick answer

Wyoming doesn't issue a bartender license. The bar or restaurant holds the liquor license from its city, town or county, not the bartender. You must be 21 to bartend; at 18 you can serve in a licensed restaurant. Learn the job first. Server training such as TIPS is optional, but many employers like it.

Start step 1: learn to bartendBar Ready · 100% online · $197 one-time

Your path

5 steps to bartending in Wyoming

  1. Learn to bartend

    Take Bar Ready online: tools, pours, spirits, cocktails, service and how to get hired.

  2. Earn your certificates

    Watch every lesson in full to unlock each course's certificate of completion in your dashboard. It shows employers you trained. It isn't a license.

  3. Consider server training

    Wyoming doesn't require it, but many employers prefer a course such as TIPS or ServSafe Alcohol. Your city or county may add its own rules.

    See local rules ↓

  4. Go apply

    Put your training and certificates on your resume and apply to bars and restaurants near you.

  5. Start pouring

    Pour, serve and earn tips. In Wyoming, tipped staff get at least $2.13/hr, and tips must bring them to $7.25/hr.

Wyoming rules

Wyoming bartending rules at a glance

License

Wyoming doesn't issue a bartender license. The bar or restaurant holds the liquor license from its city, town or county, not the bartender.

Wyo. Stat. §12-4-101 (Title 12)

Training

Wyoming doesn't require server training statewide. The state certifies alcohol server training courses, and your employer or your city, town or county may still require one, so ask before you start.

Wyo. Stat. §§12-2-401 to 12-2-402 (Title 12)

Tipped pay

Wyoming's own minimum wage is $5.15, but most employers must follow federal law: tipped staff get at least $2.13 an hour, and tips must bring them to $7.25 or the employer makes up the difference.

U.S. DOL state tipped wage table

Rules change and can vary by city or county. Last checked October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm with the Wyoming Liquor Division, Wyoming Department of Revenue and your employer before you apply.

Local rules

Where to check the rules

Your city, town or county licenses bars and can regulate alcohol sales locally, so rules can differ by area. Ask your employer or the local clerk what applies where you work.

Wyo. Stat. §12-4-101 (Title 12) Cheyenne Ordinance 4367

State alcohol agency

Wyoming Liquor Division, Wyoming Department of Revenue

The agency that licenses and regulates alcohol sales in Wyoming.

Open the official website

Your employer can also tell you which rules apply where you'll work.

Pay

How much do bartenders make in Wyoming?

Median hourly$10.59$22,030 a year
Average hourly$13.94$29,000 a year
Top 10% earn more than$26.48$55,070 a year
Bartenders employed2,660May 2025 estimate
Tipped base pay$2.13/hrTips must bring you to $7.25/hr

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (Wyoming, Bartenders 35-3011) and U.S. DOL state tipped wage table. BLS wages include tips reported by employers. What you earn depends on the venue, your shifts and your location, and isn't guaranteed.

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Jobs

Where to find bartending jobs in Wyoming

Open bartender listings near you on Indeed. Barback and server openings are worth a look too: they're a common way behind the bar.

Behind the bar at The Bar School, answering whether the course is a license
Is this a license to bartend?1:33

The question we hear most

Is Bar Ready a Wyoming bartending license?

  • No, and Wyoming doesn't issue one. The venue holds the alcohol license, not the bartender.
  • Server training such as TIPS is optional, but many employers like it.
  • Each course ends with a certificate of completion. It shows employers you trained, but it isn't a license or a state certification.

Questions people ask

Becoming a bartender in Wyoming: your questions, answered

Do you need a license to be a bartender in Wyoming?

Wyoming doesn't issue a bartender license. The bar or restaurant holds the liquor license from its city, town or county, not the bartender. You can learn the job first, then check whether your employer wants server training.

Wyo. Stat. §12-4-101 (Title 12)

How old do you have to be to bartend in Wyoming?

You must be 21 to bartend, which means mixing or pouring drinks. At 18 you can serve drinks to customers as an employee of a licensed restaurant, but not in a bar. Employers can set a higher minimum age, so check with the bar.

Wyo. Stat. §12-6-101 (Title 12) Cheyenne Ordinance 4367

Do you need TIPS or ServSafe certification to bartend in Wyoming?

Wyoming doesn't require server training statewide. The state certifies alcohol server training courses, and your employer or your city, town or county may still require one, so ask before you start.

Wyo. Stat. §§12-2-401 to 12-2-402 (Title 12)

Do local rules apply in Wyoming?

Your city, town or county licenses bars and can regulate alcohol sales locally, so rules can differ by area. Ask your employer or the local clerk what applies where you work.

See local rules ↑ Wyo. Stat. §12-4-101 (Title 12) Cheyenne Ordinance 4367

How much do bartenders make in Wyoming?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025), Wyoming bartenders earned a median of $10.59 an hour and a mean of $13.94 an hour ($29,000 a year), including tips reported by employers. The top 10% earned more than $26.48 an hour. Wyoming's own minimum wage is $5.15, but most employers must follow federal law: tipped staff get at least $2.13 an hour, and tips must bring them to $7.25 or the employer makes up the difference. Pay varies by venue, shifts and location.

BLS U.S. DOL state tipped wage table

Can I get a bartending job in Wyoming with no experience?

Experience is up to each employer. Learning the fundamentals first, and being able to show you finished training, helps you stand out when you apply. That's what step 1 is for.

Where can I find bartending jobs in Wyoming?

Search job boards like Indeed for bartender, barback and server openings in your city, check the websites and social pages of bars you'd like to work at, and drop off a resume in person when it's quiet. Barback and server jobs are a common way in. Jackson hires for both the winter ski season and the summer Yellowstone and Grand Teton season, and Cody gets busy with Yellowstone visitors in summer.

Find jobs by city ↑

Do you have to go to bartending school in Wyoming?

No. Wyoming doesn't require bartending school. An online course lets you learn the tools, pours, cocktails and service at your own pace.

Does The Bar School offer job placement?

No. We don't place students in jobs. Bar Ready shows you what the job involves and how to get hired, with a resume guide and template and what to expect when you apply. Then you apply to bars and restaurants near you.

How long does it take to become a bartender in Wyoming?

Bar Ready is self-paced, so you go as fast as your schedule allows. After that, timing depends on your local rules and the jobs near you.

Is the Bar School certificate a Wyoming license or TIPS certification?

No. Your Bar School certificates of completion, one for each Bar Ready course, show employers you finished our training. They aren't a government license or permit, and they don't replace TIPS, ServSafe or any state or local requirement.

Ready to start bartending in Wyoming?

Step 1 is learning the job. Start Bar Ready online today, at your own pace.

Start step 1: learn to bartend

Bar Ready · 100% online · $197 one-time · Certificates of completion

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