TUESDAY, August 11, 2026|
Photo – Rawlins City Hall – Bigfoot99 file photo
Rawlins officials advanced a city rule requiring insurance for non‑owner drivers.
At the July 21st Rawlins City Council meeting, the governing body considered changing city regulations to allow Rawlins Police officers to cite drivers who lack insurance, even when they’re not the vehicle’s owner.
Section 10.15.070 of the Rawlins Municipal Code prohibits a vehicle owner from operating or allowing someone else to operate their motor vehicle without state‑mandated liability insurance. The city’s existing codes apply only to owners and say nothing about non‑owner operators.
City Attorney Pinita Maberry‑Nave explained that approving the amended ordinance would bring local regulations in line with state law.
At the time, Councilman Steve Sanger questioned the state statute the city was trying to adopt, saying it was unclear who, exactly, is responsible for ensuring the vehicle is insured. He said Wyoming law specifies that the owner must maintain coverage and asked how that wording applies to non‑owner operators.
Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward responded that as chief of police, he interprets the law to apply to the driver, even when the vehicle doesn’t belong to them. He added that by adopting the state’s language, his officers can begin ticketing non‑owner operators for failing to maintain liability coverage, allowing the charges to be handled in municipal court. Under the existing ordinance, Chief Ward said those citations would have to be heard in county court since they’re strictly violations of state law.
Councilman Steve Sanger reiterated that the state regulation the city was attempting to adopt was too vague. He said the opening of the statute states that the owner is responsible for insurance, but the wording becomes less clear as the provision continues. Still, the councilman said he understands why failure to maintain insurance cases belong in municipal court instead of county.
Despite Councilman Sanger’s concerns, he and the rest of the Rawlins City Council unanimously voted to amend the municipal code on failure to maintain liability coverage to match state statute on first reading. As with all ordinance changes, the measure must be read and passed during three separate public meetings before being adopted into law.
The amended ordinance was brought up for a second reading during the August 3rd Rawlins City Council meeting. City Attorney Pinita Maberry‑Nave explained that the proposed language had not changed since first reading, adding that it simply allows the city to adopt state law regarding vehicle liability insurance requirements.
Councilman Steve Sanger asked if the amended ordinance affects the ability of Wyoming Highway Patrol or the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office to issue failure to maintain liability insurance tickets to non‑owner drivers. Attorney Maberry‑Nave responded that state and county enforcement is unaffected. Under the proposed changes, she said Rawlins police officers will now also be able to cite for those violations of state law.
If the amended ordinance passes, Councilman Sanger asked if Rawlins police can choose which court to issue the failure to maintain liability coverage citation in. Attorney Maberry‑Nave said the ticket itself would likely be a municipal matter, but additional violations may push the citation into a higher court.
Attorney Maberry-Nave added that without the amended ordinance, she is unable to prosecute non-owner operators for liability insurance violations.
Following the discussion, the Rawlins City Council unanimously voted to approve the second reading of the ordinance amending Section 10.15.070 of the Rawlins Municipal Code, failure to maintain liability coverage. The third and final reading will take place during a future City Council meeting.
