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

Alaska builds its jury list from an unusual source: the people who applied for a Permanent Fund Dividend that year, plus anyone who volunteered, with driver's license records added when the court system needs them. If you're a U.S. citizen and Alaska resident, at least 18, and able to read or speak English, you can be summoned by mail or by email.

The headline numbers: the court pays $50 a day, but only from the second day you appear; the first day is unpaid. Your employer doesn't have to pay you, but it can't fire, threaten or penalize you for jury service, and you can sue for lost wages if it does. Ignoring a summons is contempt of court. Charged as a crime, that's a class A misdemeanor, which can mean a fine of up to $25,000 and up to 1 year in jail.

The rules are split between the Legislature and the courts. Qualifications, exemptions, deferrals and job protection are in Alaska Statutes, Title 9, Chapter 20 (AS 09.20.010 to 09.20.100). Pay, terms of service and most excuse procedures are in Administrative Rules 14 and 15 and the administrative director's bulletins. Everything below is current as of November 2026.

Alaska jury duty at a glance

Who can serve

AS 09.20.010 sets six qualifications:

(a) A person is qualified to act as a juror if the person is (1) a citizen of the United States; (2) a resident of the state; (3) at least 18 years of age; (4) of sound mind; (5) in possession of the person's natural faculties; and (6) able to read or speak the English language.

The court rules explain that "natural faculties" means normal abilities to reason (Admin. R. 15(l)). A disability is not a bar: you aren't disqualified "solely because of the loss of hearing or sight in any degree or a disability that substantially impairs or interferes with the person's mobility," and the court must provide and pay for an interpreter or reader when one is needed (AS 09.20.010). You can ask for an accommodation on your questionnaire, on the jury dashboard, or by calling the jury clerk (Alaska Court System).

Who is disqualified. Under AS 09.20.020, you can't serve if you served as a juror in Alaska within one year, or if you were convicted of a felony and haven't been unconditionally discharged. The trial jury handbook explains that this covers people still in jail, on electronic monitoring, or on parole or probation for the felony (Trial Jury Handbook).

Where names come from. Each year the administrative director builds the jury list from the Department of Revenue's list of everyone who applied for a Permanent Fund Dividend with an Alaska address, plus people who volunteered. The Department of Administration's driver's license list is added if the director thinks it necessary (AS 09.20.050). Alaska also lets you volunteer: a qualified person may contact the administrative director and ask to be added (AS 09.20.050(d)).

Which court. Each court draws from its own community and the areas within 50 miles of it, unless the presiding judge assigns them differently. Communities more than 50 miles from any court stay unassigned unless the presiding judge assigns them (Admin. R. 15(c)).

Exemptions and excuses

Alaska has no list of occupations that are exempt automatically. Instead, the statute lets you claim an exemption for personal reasons, and the court rules let the clerk or judge excuse you for a short time, a year, or for good.

The statute. AS 09.20.030 provides:

(a) A person may claim exemption and may be excused from service as a juror if it is shown that the person's health, the health or proper care of the person's family, a permanent physical or mental disability, or other substantial hardship expected to last more than two years makes it necessary for the person to be excused, or if the person is a judicial officer.

A second subsection excuses teachers at low-performing schools during the school term. It covers a person who teaches in a classroom, must hold a certificate for the job, and works at a school designated as low performing under state Board of Education and Early Development regulations (AS 09.20.030(b)).

Permanent excuse at 70. There's no upper age limit, but on request the clerk will permanently excuse a person who "is over age 70," or who is permanently unable to serve for medical reasons verified in writing by a licensed physician, psychologist, nurse practitioner or physician's assistant (Admin. R. 15(f)(2)). The administrative director's bulletin adds that a person who will turn 70 within 10 months after the term begins can also be excused permanently, and it lets chiropractors verify a medical excuse (Admin. Bulletin 66.2). The handbook tells you to answer "yes" to the permanent excuse question on the Jury Questionnaire.

One-year excuses the clerk can grant. Under Administrative Bulletin 66.2, unless a local judge orders otherwise, the jury clerk may excuse you for one year if:

• Medical. You have a medical reason and a note from a licensed medical professional on business stationery or a prescription pad. The note doesn't need to name the condition.
• Caregivers. You are the sole caregiver for a family member who needs your full-time care, with a medical professional's note saying that's why you can't serve.
• Parents at home. You care for your own children under 12, don't work outside the home during the day, and have no reasonable free child care.
• Distance. You have moved, or will move, out of the court's selection area, or you live, study, or work outside it and won't be back within the next 10 months.
• Night shift. You work nights and ask to be excused.
• No way to get there. You have no transportation to court, such as no working vehicle or no public transit, or the trip would be dangerous or burdensome.

Excuses only a judge can grant. The bulletin sends other requests to a judge, including excuses based on your job (and military commanders' letters), religious beliefs, a medical excuse without a professional's note, and caregiving or child care that doesn't meet the clerk's rules. A judge may excuse you temporarily if your health, your family's health or care, a physical or mental disability, or another substantial hardship makes it necessary, either for part of your term or for one year (Admin. R. 15(f)(1)). If the clerk can't grant your request, you can write to the judge or come in when your number is called and explain during jury selection.

Breastfeeding and students. Neither the statute nor the court rules has a specific excuse for breastfeeding. A student who lives outside the court's area may be excused by the clerk, as noted above; otherwise, ask under the general hardship rule.

How to ask. Write your request and reason in the Comments section of the Jury Questionnaire, or use the online Jury Dashboard to send a request to the jury clerk. If you've already sent in your questionnaire, call the jury clerk as soon as you can (Trial Jury Handbook).

Postponing jury duty

The statute allows a deferral for hardship to you or someone else, for temporary transportation problems, or for election officials whose service falls in the month of a primary or general election. You must agree to the new date, and service "may not be deferred for more than 10 months from the date the initial jury service was to begin" (AS 09.20.035).

The court rules make the first deferral easy:

• Once, no reason needed. Before your term starts, you may defer one time without a reason if you pick a new term that starts within 10 months. Courts may allow more deferrals within that limit (Admin. R. 15(e)(2)).
• Not in one-year courts. In small communities where the term is a full year, you can't defer, but you can ask for short excusals (Admin. R. 15(e)(3)).
• Shift workers and fishermen. If your work schedule keeps you away for part of every term, the clerk can move that part to a later term (Admin. R. 15(e)(5)). The bulletin says commercial fishermen may get the same treatment.
• Short absences. For a medical appointment or a short trip, the clerk can excuse a few business days, from none in a one-week term to up to 30 in a one-year term (Admin. Bulletin 66.2).

To reschedule, pick a new term on the Jury Questionnaire or the Jury Dashboard. Ask early; the handbook says not to wait until your reporting date. If you defer to the last term allowed and then don't appear, the judge may excuse you, move you to a later term, or impose a sanction (Admin. R. 15(e)(6)).

Juror pay

Administrative Rule 14 leaves the daily rate to the administrative director, who sets it by bulletin. Administrative Bulletin 66, revised July 7, 2022, says:

The court will pay jurors at the rate of $50 per day beginning on the second day a juror appears for service. The court will not pay jurors for the first day of service.

What that means:

• $50 a day, statewide, after day one. The first day you're summoned to the courthouse is unpaid. The rate is the same for trial and grand jurors and doesn't rise for long trials.
• Mileage over 30 miles. If you drive more than 30 miles one way, you're reimbursed at the state-employee mileage rate. If jurors carpool, only one gets mileage. When you must fly or take the ferry, the court arranges the trip (Admin. R. 14(b)).
• Lodging and meals. A juror who can't get home at the end of the trial day gets lodging and meals at court expense (Admin. R. 14(c)), with meals paid through vouchers (Admin. Bulletin 66.1). Otherwise the court buys meals only while the jury is deliberating.
• State employees. Because the State of Alaska keeps paying its employees, the court doesn't pay them for jury service, though they still get travel costs (Admin. R. 14(d)). The handbook says they're paid for days they weren't scheduled to work.
• No pay for a mistaken trip. If you show up because you didn't call in as told, or after being excused or deferred, you aren't paid or reimbursed (Admin. R. 14(e)).
• When checks come. Jury pay is processed twice a month, and checks arrive about 15 days after the pay period ends (Trial Jury Handbook). A lost check under six months old can be reissued by the Administrative Jury Office in Anchorage.

Your job is protected

AS 09.20.037 protects jurors at work:

(a) An employer may not deprive an employee of employment or threaten, coerce, or penalize an employee because the employee receives or responds to a summons for jury service, serves as a juror, or attends court for prospective jury service. This section does not require an employer to pay wages to an employee for time spent on jury service or in court for prospective jury service.

Three things follow:

1. The protection starts with the summons. It covers receiving or answering a summons, waiting in court as a prospective juror, and serving on a jury.
2. No pay is required. Your employer doesn't owe you wages for jury days. The handbook notes that some employers keep paying anyway, so ask about your company's policy.
3. You can sue. If your employer breaks the law, you may bring a civil action "to recover wages lost as a result of the violation, other damages that resulted from the violation," and ask for an order reinstating you (AS 09.20.037(b)). The statute doesn't set its own deadline, so talk to a lawyer promptly if you were fired or punished.

If your employer wants proof, ask the jury clerk for a Certificate of Jury Attendance at the end of each day or of the trial. It shows the dates and times you served (Trial Jury Handbook).

What happens if you don't show up

Alaska has no fixed fine for missing jury duty. Instead, the contempt statute lists this among the acts that are contempts of court:

(11) when summoned as a juror in a court, neglecting to attend or serve, or improperly conversing with a party to an action or proceeding to be tried at the court or with another person in relation to the merits of the action, or receiving a communication from a party or other person in respect to it without immediately disclosing it to the court;

(AS 09.50.010)

The penalty depends on how the court treats it. Under AS 09.50.020, "A person who commits a criminal contempt is guilty of a class A misdemeanor," and civil contempt can bring damages and "a civil penalty of $5,000 or less for each violation." A class A misdemeanor carries up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $25,000 (AS 12.55.135, AS 12.55.035). Those are maximums; a judge decides what fits.

The court rules also let a judge "impose a sanction authorized by law" on a juror who deferred to the last available term and then didn't appear (Admin. R. 15(e)(6)). The text reminders are a courtesy only; the court says you remain responsible for showing up even if a reminder never arrives (Alaska Court System). If an emergency comes up, such as a sudden illness or a death in the family, call the jury clerk right away.

Your first day

How service works depends on your court's term. Here is what the Alaska Court System tells jurors:

• The summons. It comes by regular mail or email, with instructions for the qualification questionnaire, which you can complete online or by mail (Admin. R. 15(d)). After that, the court sends a service reminder, deferral notice or excusal notice.
• Calling in. During your term you may have to call a recorded message and report only on the days you're told to. Trial jurors who sign up for text reminders get one the Friday before their term, telling them to call the recorded message after 5:00 p.m. for their service number (Jury Service Reminders). Text reminders are offered in Anchorage, Bethel, Fairbanks, Juneau, Kenai, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Nome, Palmer and Utqiagvik, and to all grand jurors.
• How long. Terms run 1 week in courts with lists of 100,000 or more, 1 month in mid-sized courts, 3 months in smaller ones, and a full year where the list has fewer than 2,000 people (Admin. R. 15(k)). In Anchorage, the handbook says, the term is 5 consecutive days or the length of your trial. No one has to appear more than 30 days a year, except to finish a trial, and calling in doesn't count as a day. The statute caps service at three months in any two-year period (AS 09.20.025).
• Expect to wait. Bring a book or other quiet activity. Phones, laptops and tablets are allowed, but they must be off in the courtroom and jury room, and you can't use them to talk about or look up the case.
• What not to bring. Weapons of any kind, including knives of any size, bear spray, mace and ammunition, are banned from courthouses. There's no child care, so don't bring children.
• Parking. Free parking is available at most courts; check your service reminder for local instructions.
• Trial days. The judge explains the schedule. Trials sometimes run past normal hours, and juries are rarely sequestered. Superior court juries have 12 members and district court juries have six (Admin. R. 15(i)).

(Trial Jury Handbook)

You only earn the break from future service if you actually had to appear in court. Calling in without being needed doesn't count, according to the handbook.

Grand jury service

Grand jurors have the same qualifications and are drawn the same way as trial jurors (AS 12.40.010). A grand jury has 12 to 18 members (AS 12.40.020). It decides whether there's enough evidence to charge someone with a felony, and under the Alaska Constitution it may also investigate and make recommendations about public welfare or safety (Alaska Court System). Grand jurors serve until the presiding judge discharges them, but no longer than four months unless the judge has good cause to extend the term. Pay is the same $50 a day after the first day (Grand Jury Handbook).

Jury duty scams

Scammers call pretending to be police officers, say a judge has issued a warrant because you missed jury duty, and tell you to buy gift cards to pay a fine. The Alaska Court System's warning is plain:

The Alaska Court system does not attempt to collect money from any person for failing to serve as a juror. Police will not be sent by the court to anyone’s home to collect unpaid fines for failing to serve as a juror.

(Alaska Court System press release, August 9, 2023)

Email scams exist too. The court does send summonses by email, but it directs you to its Jury Dashboard, and it says it "will never send you an email threatening you with fines or imprisonment" (email scam alert). Report suspicious calls to your local police. See also the federal courts' juror scam warning.

Recent and pending changes

No law changing trial jury service, pay or job protection was enacted in 2024, 2025 or 2026. As of November 2026, the Legislature's bill page showed SB 270 still in the Senate State Affairs Committee, with Judiciary next. Bills that don't pass by the end of the 34th Legislature (2025-2026) don't carry over.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in Alaska?

The Alaska Court System pays jurors $50 a day, starting with the second day you appear; the first day is unpaid. If you drive more than 30 miles one way, you also get mileage at the state-employee rate, and the court arranges flights or ferries when needed. State employees keep their regular state pay instead.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in Alaska?

No. Under AS 09.20.037, an employer can't fire, threaten, coerce or penalize you for answering a summons or serving on a jury. Your employer doesn't have to pay you for jury days, but if it retaliates you can sue for lost wages and other damages and ask to get your job back.

How do I get out of jury duty in Alaska?

You can ask to be excused for your health, your family's health or care, a disability, or another substantial hardship. The clerk can excuse some people for a year, such as sole caregivers with a medical note and parents at home with children under 12. Anyone over 70 can ask to be excused permanently. Most people can also defer once, without giving a reason, to a term within 10 months.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Alaska?

Neglecting to attend after being summoned is contempt of court. Criminal contempt is a class A misdemeanor, which can carry up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $25,000, and civil contempt can bring a penalty of up to $5,000. If you have an emergency, call the jury clerk right away.

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

After you appear for jury service in a state or federal court in Alaska, you can't be required to serve again for one year after your term ends, or two years in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Palmer. The statute also caps service at three months in any two-year period. Calling in without having to appear doesn't earn the break.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in Alaska?

You must be at least 18. There's no upper limit, but anyone over 70 may ask the clerk to excuse them permanently, and the clerk may also do so for someone who will turn 70 within 10 months after the term begins. You can make the request on the Jury Questionnaire.

Where these rules live

• AS 09.20.010 — Qualifications of jurors
• AS 09.20.020 — Disqualification
• AS 09.20.030 — Exemptions
• AS 09.20.035 — Deferral of jury service
• AS 09.20.037 — Protection for employees on jury duty
• AS 09.50.010 — Contempt, including a juror's failure to attend
• Alaska Administrative Rules 14 and 15 — Juror fees, selection and service
• Administrative Bulletin 66 — Juror pay rate
• Alaska Trial Jury Handbook (Alaska Court System)
• Alaska Rule of Civil Procedure 47 — Jurors, on this site
• Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure on this site