Jury Duty in Alabama: Pay, Exemptions, Excuses and What to Expect (2026)

Alabama draws jurors at random from a master list each county keeps, built from voter rolls, driver's license records and similar lists. If you're a U.S. citizen over 19 who has lived in the county for more than a year, you can expect a summons sooner or later, and the law starts from the idea that every qualified citizen has "an obligation to serve as jurors when summoned for that purpose." (§ 12-16-55)

The headline numbers are better than in most states. Courts pay jurors $25 a day plus $0.625 a mile, an amount the Alabama Supreme Court now sets. Alabama is one of the few states that make employers keep paying: a full-time employee is entitled to his or her usual pay while serving, and can't be made to use vacation or sick leave. A juror who ignores a summons without a good excuse can be held in contempt and fined up to $300 and jailed up to 10 days.

The rules are in Chapter 16 of Title 12 of the Code of Alabama, with juror pay in § 12-19-210. Two recent laws matter: nursing mothers can be excused since October 1, 2025, and people 80 or older can ask for a permanent exemption since October 1, 2026. Everything below is current as of November 2026.

Alabama jury duty at a glance

Who can serve

Section 12-16-60 sets the test. A juror must be "generally reputed to be honest and intelligent and is esteemed in the community for integrity, good character and sound judgment," and must also meet four requirements:

(1) Is a citizen of the United States, has been a resident of the county for more than 12 months and is over the age of 19 years;

The other three: you must be able to read, speak, understand and follow a judge's instructions in English; you must be physically and mentally able to serve, without a permanent disease or weakness that makes you unfit; and you must not have lost the right to vote through a conviction for a crime involving moral turpitude (§ 12-16-60).

Where names come from. Each county's jury commission keeps an alphabetical master list that may include registered voters, licensed drivers, vehicle registrations, utility customers and property tax rolls, and updates it at least every four years (§ 12-16-57). No one may be excluded because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or economic status (§ 12-16-56). Shelby County, for example, draws from driver's license and state ID records (Shelby County).

The questionnaire. People drawn get a juror qualification form and must return it within 10 days. Ignoring the form and the court's follow-up order is criminal contempt, and willfully lying on it to get on or off a jury is a misdemeanor (§ 12-16-58). Most circuits now have you answer online at juror.alacourt.gov; Shelby County asks you to finish within 7 days of getting your summons.

If you're found unqualified. The jury commission tells you, and you have 10 days to ask the court to review the decision (§ 12-16-60(b)).

Exemptions and excuses

Alabama abolished its long list of occupational exemptions decades ago. Section 12-16-62 now reads:

(a) No qualified prospective juror is exempt from jury service, except as provided in subsection (b).

Age 80 or older. Subsection (b), added by Act 2026-529 and in force since October 1, 2026, lets anyone 80 or older send the court a written statement asking to be permanently exempt. The court then removes you from the master jury list (§ 12-16-62). Before that date, Alabama had no age exemption at all. Some courts excuse older jurors more freely as a local practice: Mobile County asks retired people over 70 to request an excuse by email or letter (Mobile County).

Excuses the court may grant. Everyone else must show one of four grounds. Section 12-16-63(b) allows an excuse "only upon a showing of one of the following":

1. Undue or extreme physical or financial hardship. The statute limits this to three situations: you'd have to abandon someone in your care because no substitute caregiver can be found; the costs would substantially harm your ability to pay necessary living expenses for yourself or those you support; or the service would cause illness or disease. Missing work alone doesn't count. You must get a ruling by your reporting date and bring documentation if the court asks.
2. A mental or physical condition that incapacitates you.
3. Nursing mothers. A mother who is nursing when she receives the summons can be excused. She must give the court a written statement that she is nursing and a birth certificate, other government document or medical record showing the child's birth. This ground, known as Parker's Law, took effect October 1, 2025.
4. Public necessity.

(§ 12-16-63)

An excuse lasts 24 months. If you're excused under § 12-16-63, you're exempt for 24 months, after which the court can call you back. Being excused doesn't use up your automatic postponement.

How to ask. Follow your summons. Mobile County requires you to register online first, then email your request with documentation; it won't take requests by phone. Shelby County says it reads the law strictly and generally excuses only people physically or mentally unable to serve (Mobile County; Shelby County).

Postponing jury duty

Alabama gives every juror one postponement as of right. Section 12-16-63.1 provides:

(a) Individuals scheduled to appear for jury service have the right to postpone the date of their initial appearance for jury service one time only.

To get it, you must not have postponed before, you contact the clerk in person, by phone, by email or in writing, and you pick a firm date within six months of your original date when court will be in session. A second postponement takes a judge's approval and an extreme emergency you couldn't have foreseen, such as a death in the family, a sudden serious illness or a natural disaster (§ 12-16-63.1).

Small employers. If you work for an employer with five or fewer full-time employees and a co-worker has been summoned for the same period, the court must automatically postpone and reschedule you. That doesn't count against your one automatic postponement (§ 12-16-8(e)).

Juror pay

Section 12-19-210 now leaves the amount to the Alabama Supreme Court:

(b) The Alabama Supreme Court, by order or rule, shall establish the amount of expense allowance and mileage to be paid to each juror.

Until Act 2023-403 changed this, the statute itself fixed the allowance at $10.00 a day and mileage at five cents a mile. The money comes from the State Treasury through the Administrative Office of Courts, so the rate is the same in every county (§ 12-19-210).

The current rate (as of November 2026). Alabama's circuit courts tell jurors the same figures. Jefferson County says jurors "are entitled to be paid an expense allowance of $25 per day for each day of service and mileage of $.625 per mile traveled in going to and returning from the court location in which the juror provided service." Mobile County adds that mileage is round trip, and Shelby County pays it for each day you're asked to report (Jefferson County; Mobile County; Shelby County). The Supreme Court order that sets these amounts isn't posted alongside the statute, so the figures here come from the courts' own juror pages.

What else to know:

• Grand and petit jurors get the same allowance, and so do jurors summoned for a capital trial or a coroner's jury (§§ 12-19-210, 12-19-211).
• Kept overnight. If the court keeps a jury together overnight or for an unusual stretch, the state provides lodging and meals (§ 12-16-10).
• A pay statement. Whoever pays you must give you a statement of your daily and total pay (§ 12-16-8(d)). Courts mail your check and a certificate of service after your service ends.

Your job is protected

Alabama goes further than most states: it protects your job and your paycheck. Section 12-16-8 says:

(c) Notwithstanding the excused absence provided in subsection (a), any full-time employee shall be entitled to his or her usual compensation received from such employment.

Here's how the pieces fit together:

1. Show your summons. On your next workday after you get it, show the summons to your immediate supervisor. You're then excused from work for the days you serve (§ 12-16-8(a)).
2. Full-time workers keep their pay. A full-time employee is entitled to his or her usual compensation. Shelby County notes that the Attorney General has read "full-time employee" to cover hourly workers as well as salaried ones.
3. No forced leave. Your employer can't require or even ask you to use annual, vacation, unpaid or sick leave for time spent answering the summons, going through jury selection or serving (§ 12-16-8(b)).
4. No firing or retaliation. Under § 12-16-8.1, an employer may not fire you or take adverse action against you "solely because he or she serves on any jury," as long as you report back for your next regularly scheduled hour of work after the jury releases you.
5. You can sue. An employee fired or punished for jury service may sue in any Alabama court of competent jurisdiction and recover "both actual and punitive damages" (§ 12-16-8.1).

Jefferson County reminds jurors to return to work if they're released during the week and gives a Certificate of Jury Service as proof for your employer (Jefferson County FAQ).

What happens if you don't show up

Section 12-16-82 treats a missed summons as contempt:

If any person summoned as a grand or petit juror shall fail to obey such summons without good excuse, to be determined by the court, he or she shall be deemed guilty of a contempt of court;

If you don't offer a sufficient excuse at the time, the court orders you to show cause why you shouldn't be punished. If you still have no excuse at the next session after that notice, the court may fine you up to $300 and jail you for up to 10 days. In courts with sessions longer than 30 days, the order is returnable in 20 days and you have 10 days after service to appear and explain (§ 12-16-82). If something comes up, use your postponement or contact the court before your date.

Your first day

Details vary by circuit, so follow your summons. The circuit courts' pages give a good picture:

• Register online. Most circuits ask you to register at juror.alacourt.gov as soon as you get the summons. Summonses go out at least 15 days ahead when mailed (§ 12-16-73).
• Call in the night before. Shelby County gives you a number to call each night after 6:00 p.m. for the next day's instructions; you may be told to report at 9:00 a.m., to call again the next evening, or that you're done for the week.
• Arrive early. Mobile County asks jurors to arrive 15 minutes before the report time because elevators get crowded, and says late jurors won't be let into the courtroom.
• Security and phones. Expect a search. Weapons, sharp objects and recording devices aren't allowed, and phones must be off in the courtroom. Mobile County lets jurors bring phones in by showing their summons.
• Dress. Wear comfortable clothes that reflect the seriousness of the job. Mobile County bars hats, shorts and flip-flops and suggests a light jacket, since courtrooms get cold.
• How long. In Mobile, if you aren't picked the day you report, your service is over; for most people it begins and ends the same day. Shelby says service can run from one morning to one week. Once you're on a jury, you serve until the trial ends unless the judge excuses you (§ 12-16-75(a)).
• Proof for your employer. Part 1 of the Mobile summons serves as proof you were summoned, and courts issue a certificate of service showing your dates and pay at the end. Shelby says its certificate usually comes within 7 days.

(Mobile County; Shelby County; Jefferson County)

Grand jury service

Grand jurors come from the same summoned pool. When a grand jury is needed, the court randomly picks 18 qualified people from those in attendance and swears them in (§ 12-16-74). Counties under 50,000 people must hold at least two grand juries a year, and larger counties at least four (§ 12-16-190). At least 12 grand jurors must agree to return an indictment (§ 12-16-204). Grand jurors are paid the same daily allowance and mileage as trial jurors.

Jury duty scams

Scammers call claiming you missed jury duty and threaten arrest unless you pay a fine or hand over personal data. Jefferson County's courts put it plainly:

State courts do not require anyone to provide any sensitive information in a telephone call.

Real court contact comes mostly by U.S. mail, and genuine state court email comes from an alacourt.gov address. If you get a suspicious call, don't give any information; hang up and call the court administrator's office at the number on the court's website (Jefferson County jury scam information; see also the federal courts' juror scam warning).

Recent and pending changes

(SB 99 enrolled; SB 76 enrolled; SB 106 enrolled)

No other pending jury bills were found as of November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in Alabama?

Alabama jurors get $25 a day plus $0.625 a mile for the round trip, the same in every county, under rates the Alabama Supreme Court sets. If you work full time, your employer must also keep paying your usual wages while you serve.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in Alabama?

No. Your employer can't fire you or take adverse action against you because you served, as long as you report back for your next scheduled hour of work. It also can't make you use vacation or sick leave, and full-time employees keep their usual pay. A worker who is fired or punished can sue for actual and punitive damages.

How do I get out of jury duty in Alabama?

Only a few grounds work: undue or extreme physical or financial hardship as the statute defines it, a condition that incapacitates you, being a nursing mother, or public necessity. Missing work isn't a hardship by itself. People 80 or older can ask in writing to be exempt for good. If the timing is the problem, use your one automatic postponement.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Alabama?

Missing a summons without a good excuse is contempt of court. The court will order you to explain, and if you can't, it may fine you up to $300 and jail you for up to 10 days. Contact the court before your date if you can't make it.

How often can you be called for jury duty in Alabama?

After you serve on a petit jury, you can't be summoned again as a petit juror in any Alabama court for 24 months. If you were excused for hardship or another ground, you're exempt for 24 months too. Some courts, such as Shelby County, may excuse you if you served there within the last three years.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in Alabama?

You must be over 19 to serve. There's no upper limit, but since October 1, 2026, anyone 80 or older may send the court a written statement asking to be permanently exempt, and the court must remove you from the master list.

Where these rules live

• Ala. Code § 12-16-55 — Policy of random selection
• Ala. Code § 12-16-60 — Qualifications of jurors
• Ala. Code § 12-16-62 — Exemption at 80
• Ala. Code § 12-16-63 — Excuses
• Ala. Code § 12-16-63.1 — Postponement
• Ala. Code § 12-16-75 — Length of service and the 24-month break
• Ala. Code § 12-16-8 — Employer duties and pay
• Ala. Code § 12-16-8.1 — No firing or adverse action
• Ala. Code § 12-16-82 — Failure to obey a summons
• Ala. Code § 12-19-210 — Juror pay
• Ala. R. Civ. P. 47 — Jurors (on this site)
• Law schools in Alabama