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

Maryland's circuit courts draw jurors at random from voter registration lists and the Motor Vehicle Administration's lists of driver's license and ID card holders. If you're a U.S. citizen, an adult, and a resident of the county (or Baltimore City) where you're summoned, you qualify unless the law rules you out. Each circuit court runs its own jury office under a written jury plan, so details such as call-in times and the length of service vary by county.

The State pays jurors a $30 per diem for each day of service, rising to $50 for each day after the fifth day of a single trial, and a county may add a supplement. Your employer doesn't have to pay you, but it can't fire or threaten you for serving or make you use your leave, and it faces a fine of up to $1,000 if it does. A person who ignores a summons can be fined up to $1,000 and jailed for up to 60 days.

The rules are in title 8 of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article of the Maryland Code (§§ 8-101 to 8-507). A 2026 law narrowed who is disqualified by a criminal conviction; it took effect October 1, 2026. Everything below is current as of November 2026.

Maryland jury duty at a glance

Who can serve

Every adult citizen of Maryland has the "opportunity for jury service" and, when summoned, "the duty to serve" (§ 8-102). Section 8-103(a) sets the test:

(a) Notwithstanding § 8–102 of this subtitle, an individual qualifies for jury service for a county only if the individual:

The three requirements that follow are that you're an adult on the day you're selected, a U.S. citizen, and a resident of the county on the day you're sworn.

Who is disqualified. Subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act, § 8-103(b) rules out people who:

• can't understand or speak English, or can't read and write it well enough to fill out the qualification form;
• have a disability that, documented by a health care provider's certification, prevents satisfactory jury service;
• have a pending charge in a federal or state court for a crime punishable by more than one year; or
• have a disqualifying conviction (see below).

The conviction rule changed on October 1, 2026. Before that date, a conviction for a crime punishable by more than a year, with a prison sentence of more than a year, disqualified you for life unless you were pardoned. Chapter 875 of 2026 (Senate Bill 322) rewrote the rule. Now a conviction for a crime punishable by more than a year disqualifies you only while you're still serving the sentence, including parole or probation. A conviction for a crime involving perjury, witness intimidation, jury intimidation, or fraud and related crimes under title 8 of the Criminal Law Article disqualifies you regardless. The pardon exception was repealed (2026 ch. 875). As of November 2026, the General Assembly's online statute text and the printed qualification form in § 8-302 still show the old wording; the chapter law controls.

Where names come from. Each county's source pool must include every adult on the statewide voter registration list and on the MVA's lists of driver's license and identification card holders who live in the county (§ 8-206). You can't volunteer: the statute says "Volunteers for jury service shall be refused" (§ 8-102(d)).

The qualification form. Most people first get a juror qualification form, which must be completed, signed and returned within 10 days. You must attach documents for a disability excusal, a military or militia exemption, or prior jury service (§ 8-302). The Judiciary lets you complete it online at mdcourts.gov/juryservice.

Exemptions and excuses

Maryland separates exemptions, which are few and fixed, from excuses, which a jury judge or commissioner may grant.

Exemptions. Section 8-306 is short:

An individual is exempt from jury service only if the individual:

The four exemptions are for a person who:

1. is at least 70 years old and asks the jury commissioner, in writing, for an exemption;
2. is an elected official of the federal legislative branch (a member of Congress);
3. is an active-duty member of the armed forces exempted under 10 U.S.C. § 982; or
4. is a member of Maryland's organized militia exempted under § 13-218 of the Public Safety Article.

(§ 8-306) There is no exemption for lawyers, doctors, police or public officials, and none for prior service as such, though the three-year rule below usually covers it.

Excuses. Under § 8-402(c), you must show, on the questionnaire, in an interview, or by other competent evidence, one of these grounds:

• "Extreme inconvenience, public necessity, or undue hardship requires excusal";
• you are a breastfeeding mother, which the law defines to include a mother who expresses milk and bottle-feeds (§ 8-101(b)); or
• you have legal custody of and personal responsibility for a child under 3 who needs your continuous care during court hours.

The last two grounds date from October 1, 2025, and the statute says the judge or commissioner "may, but is not required to," excuse you for them. An excuse lasts only as long as the judge or commissioner thinks necessary, and you can be excused no more than twice without an extraordinary circumstance. When the excuse runs out, you'll be summoned again (§ 8-402(c)).

Health and disability. A disability that prevents satisfactory service disqualifies you, but only with a health care provider's certification (§ 8-103(b)(3)). In Baltimore City, the jury office asks for a medical form completed by your provider, and exclusively breastfeeding mothers can use the same form for a 12-month temporary excusal (Baltimore City Sheriff's Office). If you can serve with an accommodation, tell the jury office as soon as you get your summons.

Postponing jury duty

Section 8-402(a) lets the jury judge, or the jury commissioner if the county's plan allows, "reschedule jury service." The details are local:

• Montgomery County describes its policy as very strict. For a significant conflict, such as a prepaid vacation or business trip, you get a one-time courtesy rescheduling through the Online Juror Portal, or you can send a written request with your questionnaire and documents within 10 days of receiving the summons (Montgomery County Circuit Court).
• Baltimore City asks you to call the Jury Commissioner at (410) 333-3775 and, where possible, picks a new date with you (Baltimore City Sheriff's Office).

Juror pay

Section 8-426 sets the State per diem:

(b) A trial juror is entitled: (1) For the first 5 days of jury service in one trial, to a State per diem of $30; and (2) For each day of jury service in one trial in excess of 5 days, a State per diem of $50.

Every juror required to attend gets the $30 State per diem for each day, plus the "supplement, if any, authorized by the county" (§ 8-426(a)). How it works:

• County supplements. Each county may set a supplement by ordinance. Unless it changes the amount, the supplement must keep the total equal to what the county paid as of June 30, 2001 (§ 8-427). So the total varies by county.
• Examples. Montgomery County pays trial jurors $30 a day, rising to $50 a day from the 6th consecutive day of a trial (Montgomery County Circuit Court). Baltimore City pays $30 a day (Baltimore City Sheriff's Office).
• What a "day" is. The per diem covers each 24-hour period, midnight to midnight, in which the court requires you to attend (§ 8-425). There's no separate mileage or parking allowance in the statute.
• Donating it. You may donate your per diem through a program your county's jury plan authorizes (§ 8-430). Montgomery's Generous Juror Program gives donors a tax deduction receipt.

The $30 rate took effect October 1, 2022, doubling the old $15 (2022 ch. 545).

Your job is protected

Section 8-501 protects your job:

(a) An employer may not deprive an individual of employment or coerce, intimidate, or threaten to discharge an individual because the individual: (1) Loses employment time in responding to a summons under this title or attending, or being in proximity to, a circuit court for jury service under this title; or (2) Exercises a right to refrain from work under subsection (b) of this section.

Four things follow:

1. No firing, coercion or threats because you lose work time to answer a summons or serve.
2. No late shift after a long day. If you appear for jury service for four or more hours, counting travel, your employer can't make you work a shift that begins at or after 5 p.m. that day or before 3 a.m. the next day (§ 8-501(b)).
3. No forced leave. "An employer may not require an employee to use the employee’s annual, sick, or vacation leave to respond to a summons" (§ 8-502).
4. No pay requirement. Maryland law doesn't require your employer to pay wages while you serve.

A person who violates § 8-501 or § 8-502 is subject to a fine of up to $1,000. The statute doesn't create a separate lawsuit for lost wages; if your employer retaliates, contact the jury office or a lawyer. For proof of service, the jury commissioner must give each juror a signed certificate showing the days you attended (§ 8-429).

What happens if you don't show up

Section 8-504 sets the penalty for not appearing:

(a) A person may not fail to appear for jury service as summoned under this title. (b) A jury judge may order a person who violates any provision of this section to appear and show cause for each violation. (c) A person who fails to show good cause for a violation of this section is subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 60 days or both.

The process starts with a show-cause order, and a good reason is a defense. Related penalties:

If you don't return the form, the commissioner may also summon you to fill it out in person (§ 8-304).

Your first day

Each circuit court sets its own routine, so read your summons. The Judiciary's brochure and the Montgomery County Circuit Court give a good picture:

• Check the night before. The Judiciary's brochure tells jurors to call the number on the summons the night before to confirm they still must appear, and to report as scheduled if the message is unclear (Jury Service brochure). Montgomery jurors call the Juror Information Line or check the court's site after 5:00 p.m.; if your call-in number isn't in the range called, you don't report.
• Arrive early. Montgomery's courthouse opens at 7:30 a.m., and the court suggests allowing 15 to 20 minutes to park, clear security and check in at the Jury Lounge. Jurors park free in two county lots; bring your summons to enter.
• Bring your summons, something to read, and a sweater. Electronic devices are generally allowed in the building but restricted or banned in courtrooms and deliberation rooms. Children may not come with you.
• Dress for an office job. The brochure says shorts, logo T-shirts, uniforms and revealing tops are generally not permitted.
• How long. In Montgomery, a juror not assigned to a trial is released by 4:30 p.m. and is done for at least 12 months; a juror picked for a trial serves for that trial, which averages 2 to 3 days. Baltimore City also uses one day or one trial, with trials usually ending at 5 p.m. The brochure says most trials last one to two days.
• Proof for your employer. Ask the jury office for your certificate of attendance (§ 8-429).
• Emergencies. If something comes up during service, tell the court staff right away.

Grand jury service

Grand jurors come from the same qualified juror pool. A sworn grand jury has 23 members plus alternates (§ 8-412), and a county administrative judge may call extra grand juries at the State's Attorney's request (§ 8-413). You can't be made to sit on two grand juries at once, or on a grand and a trial jury at the same time (§ 8-403). Grand jury proceedings are secret; disclosing them is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and a year in jail (§ 8-507). The term of grand jury service is set by each county's jury plan.

Jury duty scams

The Maryland Judiciary warns about callers who claim to be from a sheriff's office or the court, say you missed jury duty, threaten a bench warrant, and demand payment through a payment app or prepaid card. The Judiciary says to hang up and give no information, and that no Judiciary employee will ask for your Social Security number (Maryland Judiciary scam alert). Real penalties come only after a judge's show-cause order and a chance to explain (§§ 8-503 to 8-505). You can report a scam call to the Federal Trade Commission; see also the federal courts' juror scam warning.

Recent and pending changes

Earlier, the State per diem rose from $15 to $30 on October 1, 2022 (2022 ch. 545, HB 208).

Pending: none found as of November 2026. The General Assembly's 2027 session opens in January.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in Maryland?

The State pays $30 for each day you're required to attend, and $50 a day once a single trial runs past five days. Counties may add a supplement, so totals vary; Montgomery County and Baltimore City pay $30 a day. Your employer doesn't have to pay your wages.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in Maryland?

No. Your employer can't fire, coerce, intimidate or threaten you because of time lost to jury service, can't make you use annual, sick or vacation leave, and can't require a late-night shift after four or more hours of service. Each violation can bring a fine of up to $1,000.

How do I get out of jury duty in Maryland?

Only four groups are exempt: people 70 and older who ask in writing, members of Congress, and some active-duty military and militia members. Others may be excused for extreme inconvenience, public necessity or undue hardship, or, at the court's discretion, for breastfeeding or caring for a child under 3. You can also ask to reschedule; many counties allow one change online.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Maryland?

A jury judge can order you to appear and show cause. Without a good reason, you face a fine of up to $1,000, up to 60 days in jail, or both. Not returning the qualification form or not finishing your service carries similar penalties.

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

The statute says you can't be required to serve or attend more than once in any three-year period, except to finish a case or where your county's jury plan provides otherwise. Some counties use a shorter period: Montgomery says one day without a trial completes your service for at least 12 months, and Baltimore City says you can be called once a year.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in Maryland?

You must be an adult. There's no upper age limit, but anyone 70 or older can ask the jury commissioner, in writing, for an exemption, usually by checking the box on the qualification form.

Where these rules live

• Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 8-103 — Qualifications
• 2026 Laws of Maryland ch. 875 — New conviction rule
• Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 8-306 — Exemptions
• Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 8-402 — Excusal and rescheduling
• Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 8-310 — Three-year limit
• Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 8-426 — Juror per diem
• Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 8-501 — Employer protection
• Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 8-504 — Failure to appear
• Maryland Judiciary: Jury Service
• Maryland Rule 2-512 — Jury selection in civil cases
• Maryland Rules of Civil Procedure on this site
• Law schools in Maryland