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

Arizona draws its jurors at random from a master list that combines each county's voter rolls with Arizona Department of Transportation driver records. If you are an adult U.S. citizen who lives in the county, you have no unrestored felony conviction, and a court hasn't found you mentally incompetent, you are qualified.

The headline numbers are modest at first and generous later. The county pays $12 a day plus mileage, and in superior court a trial juror who loses wages can claim at least $40 and up to $300 a day from a state fund, starting on the first day. Your employer doesn't have to pay you, but it can't fire or penalize you for serving, or make you burn vacation or sick leave. Ignoring a summons can bring a fine of up to $500. If you are 75 or older, you can be excused simply by asking in writing.

The rules are in Title 21 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, chiefly §§ 21-201 through 21-336. Superior courts, justice courts and city courts all summon jurors, so your summons is the place for local instructions. Everything below is current as of November 2026.

Arizona jury duty at a glance

Who can serve

A.R.S. § 21-201 sets the same qualifications for trial and grand jurors. You must be at least 18 and:

• be a U.S. citizen;
• live in the jurisdiction that summoned you (if your name and address are on the master jury list, the law presumes you do);
• never have been convicted of a felony, unless your civil rights have been restored; and
• not currently be adjudicated mentally incompetent or insane.

Felony convictions. The Arizona Judicial Branch explains that for a first felony, civil rights, including the right to sit on a jury, are restored automatically once every term of the sentence is complete. A second or later felony requires an application to restore them. If you aren't sure, the records department of the court that sentenced you can tell you what the conviction was.

Which court can call you. Superior court summonses are countywide. City courts may use only jurors who live within city or town limits, and in counties of two million people or more, a justice court may use only jurors who live in its precinct (A.R.S. § 21-302).

Answer the questionnaire carefully. The jury office uses a questionnaire to decide whether you qualify. If you are disqualified because you said you aren't a citizen or don't live in the county, your voter registration will be canceled, and the jury office reports those answers to the Secretary of State and the county recorder (A.R.S. § 21-314).

Exemptions and excuses

Arizona has no category of people who are exempt by occupation. The state's policy, in A.R.S. § 21-202(A), is that every qualified citizen serves unless excused. Instead, the law lists grounds on which the judge or jury commissioner must excuse you temporarily if you apply in time and show the ground applies:

• a mental or physical condition that makes you incapable of serving, backed by a written statement from a licensed physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner (or, if you have none, a professional caregiver);
• service that would substantially and materially harm the public interest or welfare;
• not currently being able to understand English;
• undue or extreme physical or financial hardship to you or someone in your care;
• being a certified peace officer employed by the state or a local government;
• good cause based on undue or extreme hardship, such as being temporarily out of the jurisdiction or having no transportation;
• being summoned within four years after your last day of service on an Arizona grand jury (alternates don't count); or
• working in the correctional officer series at the state Department of Corrections.

Hardship has a narrow meaning. It is limited to three situations: you would have to abandon someone in your care because no substitute caregiver can be found; the cost would substantially harm your ability to pay necessary living expenses, or those of people who depend on you for work or support; or you would suffer physical hardship leading to illness or disease. Missing work, by itself, is not a hardship. You must bring supporting papers, such as tax returns, payroll records or medical statements, and get a ruling before your report date. Those documents aren't public records (A.R.S. § 21-202(B)(4)).

Age 75. This one requires no proof of anything else. A.R.S. § 21-202(C):

C. Notwithstanding subsection B of this section, a prospective juror who is at least seventy-five years of age may submit a written statement to the court requesting that the person be excused from service. The prospective juror may request to be excused temporarily or permanently. On receipt of the request, the judge or jury commissioner shall excuse the prospective juror from service.

The Judicial Branch says to mark that option on your summons and send it back to the jury office.

Permanent excuses. A temporary excuse simply expires, and you become eligible again. You can be excused permanently only if your grounds are permanent, such as a lasting disability, or under the age-75 rule, and the court must tell you in writing that the excuse is permanent (A.R.S. § 21-202(D)-(F)).

What won't work. The Judicial Branch says excuses are granted infrequently, and not for religious or moral beliefs, for owning a business, or for being a doctor or lawyer. You can raise your beliefs with the judge during jury selection instead.

Nursing mothers. No statute excuses breastfeeding jurors, but Maricopa County Superior Court provides a Mother's Room at all of its locations.

How to ask. Requests go in writing to the court that issued the summons, with documentation. Most jury offices let you respond online; the Judicial Branch posts a standard Request for Medical Excuse form.

Postponing jury duty

Under A.R.S. § 21-336, you may postpone your first appearance two times. The court must grant a postponement if you haven't already had two, you ask in person, by phone, by email or in writing, and the new date falls within the period the jury commissioner sets on a day court is in session. After that, a further postponement requires an extreme emergency you couldn't have foreseen when the earlier one was granted.

Inconvenience to you or your employer isn't a reason to be excused, but the Judicial Branch notes it is a fine reason to postpone.

In Maricopa County, a first postponement must be requested at least 10 days before your date, online, by phone, by email or by chat, and you can pick a new date within 90 days. Part-time residents can ask for a 60- or 90-day postponement to when they return.

Small employers. If you work for an employer with five or fewer full-time employees and a co-worker is already serving, the court must postpone and reschedule you. That postponement doesn't count against your two (A.R.S. § 21-236(D)).

Juror pay

The county's base pay is set in A.R.S. § 21-221(A):

1. For each day's attendance upon the superior court or justice court, twelve dollars.

The same subsection adds mileage for every mile you necessarily travel from home to court and back, at the rate paid to state employees. Maricopa County says that rate is currently $0.76 per mile, measured from the middle of your home ZIP code. If you are excused on your first day, the statute pays mileage only (§ 21-221(B)), though the Judicial Branch notes some courts pay the $12 anyway.

The Fair Jury Improvement Fund. Superior court trial jurors who don't receive full pay from their employers can ask for more. A.R.S. § 21-222(C)(1):

1. Pay full or partial earnings replacement or supplementation to jurors who serve as petit jurors in the superior court and who receive less than full compensation. The amount of replacement or supplemental earnings shall be at least $40 but not more than $300 per day per juror beginning on the first day of jury service.

How it works:

• The amount. You can receive the gap between the $12 fee and your normal earnings, up to $300 a day, minus whatever your employer pays you for the same days. If you earn less than $40 a day, the calculation uses $40 (§ 21-222(D); Ariz. Code of Judicial Admin. § 5-109).
• Unemployed and retired jurors are eligible for $40 a day, even if they receive spousal maintenance, a pension, retirement, unemployment or disability benefits (§ 21-222(E)).
• Paperwork. You file a claim form with the jury commissioner disclosing your regular earnings and what your employer will pay, plus employer verification such as a recent pay statement. Self-employed jurors file a sworn statement of approximate weekly income (§ 21-222(D)). Every day of service counts, including jury selection.
• Subject to funds. The statute pays these amounts "Subject to the availability of monies" in the fund, and the fund is set to be repealed after June 30, 2031, unless the Legislature extends it again.

Other courts. The fund covers only superior court trial jurors, so jurors in justice and city courts don't receive it.

Donating your pay. Maricopa County lets jurors donate their fees and mileage to its Jury Donation Fund, which pays for juror services and amenities.

Your job is protected

A.R.S. § 21-236 protects working jurors. Subsection B says:

B. An employer shall not refuse to permit an employee to serve as a juror. No employer may dismiss or in any way penalize any employee because the employee serves as a grand or trial juror. An employer is not required to compensate an employee when the employee is absent from employment because of jury service.

The rest of the section adds:

• No forced leave. Your employer can't require or even ask you to use annual, vacation or sick leave for time spent responding to a summons, going through jury selection or serving (§ 21-236(A)).
• Seniority is kept. You don't lose seniority or precedence while you serve, and you return to your old position or a higher one your seniority would ordinarily earn (§ 21-236(C)).
• It's a crime. Violating any part of the section is a class 3 misdemeanor (§ 21-236(E)).

Pay is up to your employer. Arizona law doesn't require it, so check your company's policy. If your employer doesn't pay you, that is exactly the case the Fair Jury Improvement Fund was built for. The Judicial Branch says jurors who have problems with their employers should contact the jury office for help.

What happens if you don't show up

A.R.S. § 21-223:

It is unlawful for a juror who is summoned and who fails to obtain a postponement or who is not excused from jury service to wilfully and without reasonable excuse fail to attend on the date scheduled for jury service. If the person fails to respond to a second summons the court may issue a body attachment as for a direct contempt of the court. The person may be fined an amount not to exceed five hundred dollars and may be compelled to attend for jury service on another date.

In practice, Arizona gives you a second chance. If you miss a summons that came by first-class mail, the jury office must send a second one, and you can't be fined or arrested on a body attachment unless you also ignore that second summons (A.R.S. § 21-331(D)). Paying a fine doesn't end the obligation; you can still be ordered to serve.

Being late counts. Maricopa County Superior Court does not accept late jurors. If you arrive after your check-in time, you'll get a failure-to-appear summons and a new date within 60 to 90 days. If you missed your date, Maricopa asks you to write to the jury office with your juror ID number and an explanation.

Your first day

Each court runs its own process, so read your summons. These points come from the Arizona Judicial Branch and the Maricopa County Superior Court jury office:

• Respond first. Use your summons to confirm, postpone or ask to be excused. Maricopa may also send a text or email asking you to fill out a case-specific questionnaire from home; it isn't spam, and it can get you excused without coming in.
• Plan for the whole day. Maricopa's juror hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring your summons or postponement card, and something to read or work on.
• Parking. Maricopa provides free juror parking at the Forensic Building, 701 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix, with a free shuttle to the Jury Assembly Room from 7:30 a.m. It doesn't reimburse meters or private garages. If you have no transportation, Maricopa can provide bus passes.
• Dress. Business casual is the rule. Shorts, tank tops and rubber sandals are out, and Maricopa turns away anyone in a work uniform, including scrubs. Dress in layers; courtrooms run cold.
• Security. You'll be screened. Firearms and knives, including pocketknives, aren't allowed.
• Phones and laptops are allowed in Maricopa's Jury Assembly Room, which has free Wi-Fi and a business center.
• Proof for your employer. Ask the jury commissioner or bailiff for written proof of service.

Your service is complete when you serve on one trial; when you appear but aren't sent to a courtroom by day's end; when you are sent to jury selection on one day and stay until it ends or you are excused; when you call in or check the court's website on four days within 30 days; or when you stand ready by phone for two days (A.R.S. § 21-332). If you are seated, the judge will estimate the trial's length during selection; the Judicial Branch says most trials end within three to five days. Arizona jurors may take notes, submit written questions for witnesses and, in civil cases, discuss the evidence with each other during the trial.

What the lawyers see. Maricopa explains that your questionnaire answers, including your name, employer, education and ZIP code, are shared with the parties and their lawyers for jury selection only. Your street address, phone number and email are not.

Grand jury service

Grand juries decide whether to indict. Grand jurors meet the same qualifications in § 21-201 and receive the same $12 fee and mileage. In counties of 200,000 people or more, a new county grand jury is called every four months and serves up to 120 days; smaller counties call one when needed, for up to 180 days (A.R.S. §§ 21-402, 21-403). A grand jury has 12 to 16 members (§ 21-404). The state grand jury, convened at the Attorney General's request, sits for six months (§ 21-421). Once you've served, you can ask to be excused from any jury summons for four years.

Jury duty scams

Maricopa County Superior Court warns of callers who claim to be police or jury office staff, say a warrant is out for your arrest because you missed jury duty, and demand cash or a prepaid debit card. That is a scam. Write down the caller's number, hang up, give no personal information or money, and report it to your local police. To check your status, call the jury office directly (Maricopa: 602-506-5879). The federal courts keep a similar juror scam warning.

Recent and pending changes

• S.B. 1006 (2025), Laws 2025, ch. 55, approved April 18, 2025. Renamed the Arizona Trial and Digital Evidence Fund the Fair Jury Improvement Fund and pushed its repeal date from June 30, 2027, to June 30, 2031. The $40 floor and $300 cap didn't change. The Supreme Court updated its administrative code to match, effective September 26, 2025.
• S.B. 1673 (2024), Laws 2024, ch. 175, approved April 23, 2024. Added dates of birth and, where available, phone numbers and email addresses to the master jury list, which is why jury offices may now text or email you.
• S.B. 1655 (2026), not enacted. Would have let some summoned jurors work as temporary election board workers instead. It passed the Senate but failed in the House Judiciary Committee.

We found no other jury bills enacted or pending as of November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in Arizona?

The county pays $12 a day plus round-trip mileage at the state employee rate. If you serve on a superior court trial and your employer doesn't pay you in full, you can claim at least $40 and up to $300 a day from the Fair Jury Improvement Fund, starting with your first day. Unemployed and retired jurors can get $40 a day.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in Arizona?

No. An employer can't refuse to let you serve, fire you or penalize you in any way for serving, and it can't make you use vacation or sick leave. You keep your seniority and get your job back. A violation is a class 3 misdemeanor. Your employer doesn't have to pay you, though.

How do I get out of jury duty in Arizona?

Ask for an excuse in writing, with documents, before your report date. The law requires an excuse for a disabling medical condition, limited English, narrowly defined physical or financial hardship, grand jury service in the past four years, and a few occupations such as peace officers. If you are 75 or older, a written request is enough. If the date is the problem, postpone instead; you get two.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Arizona?

You'll first get a second summons. If you willfully ignore that one too, the court can issue a body attachment, fine you up to $500, and order you to serve on another date. If you missed your date by mistake, contact the jury office right away.

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

Names are drawn at random, so you can be summoned again. But if you were selected and served on a jury, you don't have to serve again in any Arizona court for two years after your last day. After grand jury service, you can be excused for four years. Maricopa County also exempts people who appeared but weren't chosen for 18 months.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in Arizona?

There's no upper age limit, but anyone 75 or older can be excused by sending the court a written request, and can ask for the excuse to be permanent. The court must grant it. You must be at least 18 to serve.

Where these rules live

• A.R.S. § 21-201 — qualifications
• A.R.S. § 21-202 — excuses, including age 75
• A.R.S. § 21-221 — juror fees and mileage
• A.R.S. § 21-222 — Fair Jury Improvement Fund
• A.R.S. § 21-223 — failure to attend; fine
• A.R.S. § 21-236 — employment rights
• A.R.S. § 21-332 — term of service
• A.R.S. § 21-335 — frequency of service
• A.R.S. § 21-336 — postponement
• Arizona Judicial Branch: Jury Service

For the rules that govern Arizona civil trials themselves, see the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure. Other Arizona guides: divorce in Arizona and Arizona law schools. To compare states, visit the jury duty hub.