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

California summons jurors at random from three lists: registered voters, people with a driver's license or state ID card, and state income tax filers. If you are an adult U.S. citizen living in the county that sent the summons, you are probably qualified, and the law gives no one a pass because of their job.

The headline numbers are modest. Jurors get nothing for the first day and $15 a day after that, plus 34 cents a mile from the second day or up to $12 a day for public transit. Your employer doesn't have to pay you, but it can't fire you or punish you for serving. A person who ignores a summons can face contempt of court or court-ordered sanctions of up to $1,500. Most people serve one day, or one trial, and are then done for at least a year.

The rules come from the Trial Jury Selection and Management Act in the Code of Civil Procedure (§§ 190 and following), the Judicial Council's Rules of Court (rules 2.1002 to 2.1010), and Government Code § 12945.8 for job protection. Each county's superior court runs its own jury office, so your summons is the place to look for local instructions. Everything below is current as of November 2026.

California jury duty at a glance

Who can serve

California starts from the premise that everyone is eligible, then lists the exceptions. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 203, you can't serve if you are:

• not a U.S. citizen;
• under 18;
• not a California domiciliary, or not a resident of the county (the court's jurisdiction) that summoned you;
• without enough English to follow a trial (losing your sight or hearing, or another disability that affects communication, doesn't by itself disqualify you);
• already serving on a grand jury or another trial jury;
• under a conservatorship;
• in jail or prison;
• on parole, postrelease community supervision, felony probation or mandated supervision for a felony;
• required to register as a sex offender because of a felony conviction; or
• convicted of malfeasance in office without having your civil rights restored.

A felony record no longer disqualifies you by itself. Since January 1, 2020, when SB 310 took effect, people who have finished their sentence and supervision can serve on trial juries. The Judicial Council notes that the change doesn't apply to grand juries, which still exclude anyone convicted of a felony (Penal Code § 893).

Names come at random from the voter rolls, the DMV's list of licensed drivers and ID cardholders, and the Franchise Tax Board's list of resident tax filers (Code Civ. Proc. § 197). If your name is spelled differently on two lists, you may get more than one summons; call the jury office if that happens.

Exemptions and excuses

California has no exemptions in the usual sense. Code of Civil Procedure § 204 rules out exemptions for occupation, economic status or any other reason, and allows only one kind of excuse:

(b) An eligible person may be excused from jury service only for undue hardship, upon themselves or upon the public, as defined by the Judicial Council.

The Judicial Council defines undue hardship in rule 2.1008(d). The jury commissioner may excuse you if:

1. you have no reasonably available way to get to court;
2. you would have to travel an excessive distance, which the rule sets at more than an hour and a half from home unless a statute or local rule says otherwise;
3. serving would be an extreme financial burden, judged by your household income, whether you would be reimbursed, and how long the service will last;
4. you face an undue risk of damage to your property, or property in your care, and can't make other arrangements;
5. you have a physical or mental disability or impairment that would expose you to undue risk of harm;
6. your work is immediately needed to protect public health and safety and no one can cover for you without cutting essential services; or
7. you must personally care for a sick, aged or infirm dependent, or a child, and no substitute care is available without undue economic hardship.

Some practical points:

• Inconvenience isn't enough. The rule says plainly that inconvenience to you or your employer is not a reason to be excused, though it can justify a postponement. Courts prefer deferring service to excusing it for temporary or minor hardships.
• Put it in writing. An excuse for hardship must be in writing (or on the court's record) and must explain why postponing your service wouldn't solve the problem (Code Civ. Proc. § 218; rule 2.1008(c)). Most courts let you do this on the summons form or through an online juror portal.
• Age. There is no upper age limit. But if you are 70 or older and ask to be excused for a disability or impairment, the court can't make you prove it with medical verification (rule 2.1008(d)(5)). San Francisco's court, for example, treats that excuse as permanent.
• Permanent medical excuse. A person with a disability that is unlikely to improve can ask to be removed from the juror rolls permanently. The request needs a signed note on a treating health care provider's letterhead and must reach the jury commissioner by the date you are due to appear (rule 2.1009). You can ask to be reinstated at any time.
• Recent service. If you served on a grand or trial jury, or were summoned and appeared, in any state or federal court during the past 12 months, the court must excuse you if you ask (rule 2.1008(e)).
• Peace officers. Certain sworn peace officers are never sent to a courtroom for jury selection (Code Civ. Proc. § 219).
• Students. Students are not excused for being in school; courts expect them to reschedule to a break. Missing class for jury duty is an excused absence for public school students (Educ. Code § 48205).

Postponing jury service

Postponing is easier than being excused. Rule 2.1004(a) tells jury commissioners that they should grant a prospective juror's request for a one-time deferral, and that you shouldn't have to come to court in person to ask if you make the request in writing, under penalty of perjury, or through the court's online system.

How far out you can move depends on the county. The Judicial Council's employer guidance mentions dates three, six or even nine months away. San Francisco caps a postponement at six months and requires you to ask before your service week starts. Give the earliest date you can actually serve.

Breastfeeding. A prospective juror who is breastfeeding a child may defer service for up to one year and can renew the request for as long as they are breastfeeding. If the request is in writing and under penalty of perjury, the court must grant it without making you appear (rule 2.1006).

Juror pay

California's juror fee hasn't changed since July 1, 2000. Code of Civil Procedure § 215(a):

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), on and after July 1, 2000, the fee for jurors in the superior court, in civil and criminal cases, is fifteen dollars ($15) a day for each day’s attendance as a juror after the first day.

What that means in practice:

• The first day is unpaid. The $15 starts on day two.
• Public employees don't get the fee if their government employer keeps paying their regular wages and benefits during jury service (§ 215(b)).
• Mileage is 34 cents a mile, for the trip to court and back, starting on the second day (§ 215(c)).
• Public transit. Courts must give summoned jurors free access to existing public transit, either through a deal with the local transit agency or by reimbursing up to $12 a day (§ 215(d)). The Judicial Council says the transit benefit starts on the first day. A court in an area without reasonably available transit is exempt.
• Telephone standby isn't paid. Days you spend on call by phone count toward your service, but you are paid only if you actually have to come in (Code Civ. Proc. § 213).
• Meals and lodging are provided only in criminal cases, when the court keeps the jury together (Code Civ. Proc. § 217).

County programs. The $15 rate is statewide, but some courts add their own help. San Francisco's superior court runs a program called Be the Jury that offers financial help to eligible jurors; ask your jury office whether your county has anything similar.

The state's juror pay pilot is gone. A 2022 law (AB 1981) had the Judicial Council test higher juror pay in at least six courts. The Legislature repealed that pilot in its 2025 budget legislation, AB 136, signed June 27, 2025.

If your employer pays you during jury service, the Judicial Council's guidance notes that you may have to hand your juror fees over to the employer; check your employer's policy.

Your job is protected

Since January 1, 2025, the jury-duty protection lives in the Government Code, enforced by the state's Civil Rights Department. Government Code § 12945.8(a) begins:

(a) An employer shall not do any of the following: (1) Discharge or in any manner discriminate against an employee for taking time off to serve as required by law on an inquest jury or trial jury.

The protection comes with one condition and a few details:

• Give notice. You must give your employer reasonable advance notice that you will be taking time off, unless advance notice isn't feasible (§ 12945.8(c)(1)). The simplest approach is to show your employer the summons as soon as it arrives.
• Leave can be unpaid. Private employers don't have to pay you for jury time. You may choose to use vacation, personal leave, paid sick leave or comp time you already have (§ 12945.8(g)).
• Interfering is illegal too. It is an unlawful employment practice for an employer to interfere with, restrain or deny your right to take the time (§ 12945.8(f)).
• Filing a complaint. Because § 12945.8 is part of the Fair Employment and Housing Act's list of unlawful practices, a complaint goes to the Civil Rights Department. The general deadline for those complaints is three years from the violation (Gov. Code § 12960(e)(5)).
• Older cases. For conduct on or before December 31, 2024, the former rule in Labor Code § 230 still applies. It entitles an employee punished for jury service to reinstatement and lost wages and benefits, and lets the employee complain to the Labor Commissioner.
• School employees. A school district must give classified (non-teaching) employees leave for jury duty and pay them the difference between their regular earnings and their juror fees (Educ. Code § 44037).

Every new juror's orientation must include notice of this protection (Code Civ. Proc. § 214). If your employer gives you trouble, the Judicial Council suggests contacting the court that summoned you as well.

What happens if you don't show up

Ignoring a summons doesn't make it go away. Code of Civil Procedure § 209(a):

(a) Any prospective trial juror who has been summoned for service, and who fails to attend as directed or to respond to the court or jury commissioner and to be excused from attendance, may be attached and compelled to attend. Following an order to show cause hearing, the court may find the prospective juror in contempt of court, punishable by fine, incarceration, or both, as otherwise provided by law.

Instead of contempt, the court may use a step-by-step sanctions process (§ 209(b)–(c)):

1. A second summons, sent no earlier than 90 days after you first failed to appear.
2. If you miss that one, a failure-to-appear notice warning that money sanctions may follow.
3. If you still don't come in, an order to show cause and a chance to be heard.
4. Sanctions of no more than $250 for a first violation, $750 for a second, and $1,500 for a third or later one, and not more than once per juror pool cycle.

Paying a sanction doesn't end your obligation; you still have to serve. If sanctions were imposed by default, you can ask the court to set them aside within 60 days by explaining why you couldn't attend, and the court must set them aside if you show good cause (rule 2.1010). Judicial Council form JURY-010 is made for that motion.

Your first day

Read your summons carefully: each county runs its own system. In practice:

• Check in before you go. Many courts put you on standby for a week and expect you to check reporting instructions by phone or online each evening. San Francisco, for example, posts instructions after 4:30 p.m. You may never be called in, and then your service is complete.
• Expect security. You will go through a metal detector, and bags may be X-rayed. Knitting needles, scissors, nail clippers, pocketknives and alcohol aren't allowed.
• Dress with respect for the courtroom. Business attire is always appropriate; shorts, tank tops and bare midriffs are not.
• Phones and laptops can't be used in the courtroom and may not be allowed in even when switched off.
• Bring something to read. Waiting is part of the day.
• Ask for accommodations early. If you need a wheelchair space, hearing amplification or other help, call the jury office before your date. Courts appoint interpreters and other service providers for deaf, hard-of-hearing and blind jurors (Code Civ. Proc. § 224).
• Get proof of service. Courts give jurors proof of their service, which you can show your employer.

If you are not sent to a courtroom by the end of your day at the courthouse, your service is usually done for at least a year. If you are picked for a trial, you serve until it ends; most California trials finish within a week.

Grand jury service

Every county seats a grand jury each year. Most of its work is civil: investigating and reporting on local government, county jails and public officials, though some grand juries also hear criminal indictments. Grand jurors usually volunteer and serve for a year. They must be citizens 18 or older who have lived in the county for at least a year, and anyone convicted of a felony is barred (Penal Code § 893). Pay is $15 a day plus the county employee mileage rate, unless the county sets a higher amount (Penal Code § 890). The Judicial Council's civil grand jury page links to each county's application.

Jury duty scams

Scammers call or text pretending to be court officers, claim you missed jury duty, and demand payment to cancel a warrant. California courts will not ask for bank or credit card details over the phone or by email. They also never ask jurors to buy gift cards or cryptocurrency, use payment apps or wire money. If you get a call like that, hang up and contact your local police department's fraud unit and your court's jury office. See the Judicial Council's jury scam alert and the federal courts' juror scam warning.

Recent and pending changes

• AB 2499 (2024), effective January 1, 2025. Moved the ban on punishing employees for jury service out of the Labor Code and into Government Code § 12945.8, under the Civil Rights Department.
• AB 406 (2025), effective October 1, 2025. Amended § 12945.8 and restored the old Labor Code § 230 for conduct on or before December 31, 2024.
• AB 136 (2025), signed June 27, 2025. Repealed Code of Civil Procedure § 241, ending the state's pilot program testing higher juror pay.
• AB 223 (2025), signed July 14, 2025. Revised the acknowledgments jurors give before and after jury selection under Code of Civil Procedure § 232.
• Rules of Court, effective July 1, 2026. The Judicial Council amended rules 2.1002, 2.1006, 2.1008 and 2.1010, which govern one-day/one-trial service, breastfeeding deferrals, hardship excuses and motions to set aside sanctions. The rules quoted on this page are the current versions.
• AB 1359 (2026), signed September 14, 2026; operative January 1, 2028. People 80 or older will be able to get a permanent medical excuse by giving the jury commissioner a written statement that they have an impairment permanently preventing them from serving, with no doctor's note required (Chapter 195, Statutes of 2026).
• AB 1277 (2025), which would have required the Judicial Council to post the juror pay pilot's report online, died in committee on January 31, 2026.

No bill raising the $15 daily fee was pending as of November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in California?

Jurors get $15 a day starting on the second day of service, plus 34 cents a mile for the round trip from the second day on, or up to $12 a day for public transit. The first day is unpaid, and public employees whose employers keep paying them don't receive the fee. Some counties, such as San Francisco, run their own programs that add financial help for eligible jurors.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in California?

No. Government Code § 12945.8 bars employers from firing or discriminating against an employee who takes time off to serve on a jury, as long as the employee gives reasonable notice. Your employer doesn't have to pay you for that time, but you may use vacation or other leave you've earned. Complaints go to the California Civil Rights Department.

How do I get out of jury duty in California?

You can be excused only for undue hardship, such as no transportation, a long commute, extreme financial burden, a disability, or caregiving no one else can cover. Ask in writing through your summons or the court's juror portal and explain why a postponement wouldn't solve the problem. If you just need a different date, ask for a one-time postponement instead, which courts grant far more readily.

What happens if I miss jury duty in California?

Usually the court sends a second summons, then a failure-to-appear notice. If you still don't respond, the court can hold a hearing and impose sanctions of up to $250 for a first violation, $750 for a second and $1,500 for a third, or hold you in contempt. Paying a sanction doesn't excuse you from serving, so the faster fix is to call the jury office and reschedule.

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

You can be summoned more than once in a year, but if you served on a jury, or appeared for jury service, in any state or federal court within the past 12 months, the court must excuse you if you ask. Some counties set a longer break. Most people's service is one day or one trial.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in California?

No. California has no maximum age and no automatic exemption for older people. If you are 70 or older and have a disability or impairment that makes serving risky, you can ask to be excused without medical proof. Starting January 1, 2028, people 80 or older can get a permanent excuse by signing a written statement, with no doctor's note.

Where these rules live

• Code Civ. Proc. § 203 — who is eligible
• Code Civ. Proc. § 204 — no exemptions; hardship excuses only
• Code Civ. Proc. § 209 — failure to appear, contempt and sanctions
• Code Civ. Proc. § 215 — juror fees, mileage and transit
• Gov. Code § 12945.8 — employment protection
• Cal. Rules of Court, rule 2.1002 — one day or one trial
• Cal. Rules of Court, rule 2.1008 — excuses for undue hardship
• Cal. Rules of Court, rule 2.1009 — permanent medical excuse
• Penal Code § 893 — grand juror qualifications
• California Courts: Jury Service

This site also carries the full text of California's Trial Jury Selection and Management Act, starting at Code of Civil Procedure § 190, along with the rest of the state's civil procedure rules. For other California guides, see divorce in California and California law schools, or compare states on the jury duty hub.