Wyoming MLS Choice Initiative
Your license.
Your choice.
One MLS. Equal standards. Freedom to choose.
A stronger MLS begins with a simple choice.
We support a Wyoming MLS where qualified real estate professionals can participate without being required to join the National Association of REALTORS®. Association membership should be earned through value, not required for MLS access.
Common questions
Your questions, answered
1Are we trying to eliminate NAR?
No. NAR and local associations can continue to provide advocacy, education, networking, and member benefits. We support each professional's freedom to choose.
2Will this weaken our industry?
It does not have to. All MLS participants would still follow applicable licensing laws, MLS rules, data standards, and enforcement requirements.
3Will current REALTORS® lose their benefits?
No change to member benefits is proposed. Those who choose to belong can continue receiving association services; nonmembers would not automatically receive them.
4Will this disrupt listings or cooperation?
Our goal is the opposite: one reliable marketplace with broad participation, consistent listing data, and clear cooperation standards.
5Will MLS fees go up?
No fee outcome is guaranteed. We advocate transparent financial modeling, fair pricing, and no punitive surcharge simply for choosing not to join NAR.
We also support pricing non-member access at its full cost, including the services members fund through their dues, and reviewing that fee every year. Members should never be subsidizing anyone else's MLS access.
6Why support this if I plan to stay a REALTOR®?
Because supporting your association and supporting professional choice are compatible. Choice encourages organizations to demonstrate their value.
7Would non-members follow the same rules as members?
Yes. Same data, same rules, same enforcement. We support binding every participant, member or not, by contract to the MLS rules and a conduct standard, with a published fine schedule and clear suspension and termination steps.
8Would non-members have to share their listings?
Yes. A firm that draws data from the MLS should contribute its listings on the same terms and timelines as everyone else, including a set window to submit a listing once a property is publicly marketed.
9How does this protect sellers and buyers?
Broad participation helps sellers get full exposure and gives every buyer a fair chance to see available homes. We support fair-housing training for every participant and clear disclosure rules when a seller chooses limited marketing.
10What happens if a member and a non-member disagree?
Disputes over cooperation or procuring cause should have one clear place to go. We support requiring participation in association mediation and arbitration as a condition of MLS access.
11Could non-members use the association's transaction forms?
Forms are an association benefit, not part of MLS access. Whether non-members can license them is up to Wyoming REALTORS®. If they can't, non-members would use their own attorney-drafted forms that meet Wyoming law, at their own cost and liability.
12What about continuing education and training?
Every Wyoming licensee already needs continuing education to renew a license. We support requiring an MLS-rules orientation for everyone with MLS access, opening general CE classes to non-members at a cost-recovery fee, and keeping free CE as a member benefit.
13Has this been done anywhere else?
Yes. A 1991 federal appeals court decision opened the door for brokers in Florida, Georgia and Alabama to use many MLSs without joining a REALTOR® association, and a 1976 California Supreme Court decision did the same in California. In Chicago, MRED lets brokerages operate as REALTOR® or non-REALTOR® offices where the local association offers that option, and North Carolina's Doorify MLS offers an MLS-only subscription.
The guiding principle
Same data. Same rules. Same enforcement.
Opening the MLS to licensed non-members doesn't mean lowering the bar. Every MLS rule should apply equally to every participant, member or not. MLS access is one thing; association benefits are another. Benefits can stay with membership. MLS rules can't differ.
Ground rules for the conversation
- 1Focus on rules and outcomes, not on any individual firm or business model.
- 2Every MLS rule applies equally to every participant.
- 3Keep MLS access separate from association benefits.
- 4Frame every decision around sellers, buyers and fair housing.
- 5Have association counsel review the framework before any vote.
Let Wyoming agents have a choice.
Learn the facts. Ask questions. Support local MLS access reform. Share your feedback and help shape the next step.