Under Wyoming law, when may private property be taken for public use?

• A. Without compensation
• B. Only by vote of the people
• C. When the property is underutilized
• D. With just compensation

Answer: (D)

Private property can be taken for a public use only if just compensation is paid. This reflects the eminent domain principle: the government may use private land for projects that serve the public, but the owner must be paid fair value for the taking. In Wyoming, as in the broader Takings framework, compensation protects the property owner while allowing necessary public work to proceed.

That’s why the other ideas don’t fit: taking without compensation is not allowed, since it would improperly burden the owner; a vote of the people isn’t the controlling mechanism for condemnation; and taking property merely because it’s underutilized isn’t a valid trigger—public use and fair compensation, via the eminent domain process, are the essential requirements.