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

Nevada's courts find jurors through a county jury commissioner, who builds a list from voter rolls, Department of Motor Vehicles records, Employment Security Division records, utility customers and public-assistance lists, then picks names at random. If you're a U.S. citizen, 18 or older, who lives in the county and understands English, you're likely to get a summons at some point.

The headline numbers: jurors earn $65 a day once they're sworn onto a jury, or from the third day of jury selection if it runs that long; a juror who isn't picked in the first two days isn't paid a daily fee. Your employer doesn't have to pay you, but it can't fire you, threaten you, make you use sick or vacation leave, or schedule you to work within 8 hours before you report. A fired juror can sue for lost wages, reinstatement and up to $50,000 in punitive damages. A juror who ignores a summons without cause is in contempt and can be fined up to $500.

The rules are in chapter 6 of the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS 6.010 to 6.190). Anyone 70 or older may decline to serve. Everything below is current as of November 2026.

Nevada jury duty at a glance

Who can serve

NRS 6.010 sets the basic test:

Except as otherwise provided in this section, every qualified elector of the State, whether registered or not, who has sufficient knowledge of the English language, and who has not been convicted of treason, a felony, or other infamous crime, and who is not rendered incapable by reason of physical or mental infirmity, is a qualified juror of the county in which the person resides.

The words "whether registered or not" matter: you don't have to be registered to vote. Clark County's jury office spells it out for its residents: you must be 18 or older, a U.S. citizen, a Clark County resident, able to understand English, and without a felony conviction unless your civil rights have been restored (Clark County Jury Services).

Felony convictions. A felony conviction bars jury service until your civil right to serve as a juror has been restored under one of the five restoration statutes the section lists (NRS 176A.850, 179.285, 213.090, 213.155 or 213.157) (NRS 6.010). Washoe County's jury office reminds people that a driver's license record doesn't show a felony conviction or citizenship, so say so on your questionnaire.

Where names come from. The jury commissioner compiles the list from five sources: the county's voter rolls, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Employment Security Division, public utilities, and the Department of Human Services' public-assistance records (unless federal law forbids it), removing duplicates. Names may be picked by computer, as long as the selection is random (NRS 6.045).

Exemptions and excuses

Nevada separates exemptions, which you're entitled to, from excuses, which the judge grants.

Exemptions. Under NRS 6.020, three groups are exempt on proof, by affidavit or otherwise, "and no others":

• members and employees of the Legislature and the Legislative Counsel Bureau, while the Legislature is in session;
• people with a fictitious address under the state's confidential address program (NRS 217.462 to 217.471); and
• police officers.

Age. Nevada lets older residents opt out. Section 6.020 says:

All persons of the age of 70 years or over are exempt from serving as grand or trial jurors. Whenever it appears to the satisfaction of the court, by affidavit or otherwise, that a juror is over the age of 70 years, the court shall order the juror excused from all service as a grand or trial juror, if the juror so desires.

A second rule covers rural distances. If you're 65 or older and live 65 miles or more from the court, you may also ask to be excused from all service (NRS 6.020). These exemptions aren't automatic. Washoe County tells jurors to claim one on the questionnaire; Clark County asks for documentation by email after you request it in the online questionnaire.

Temporary excuses. Under NRS 6.030, the court may at any time temporarily excuse a juror because of:

• sickness or physical disability;
• serious illness or death of a member of the juror's immediate family;
• undue hardship or extreme inconvenience; or
• public necessity.

The court may also temporarily excuse someone who proves they're the primary caregiver of a person with a documented medical condition that requires another person's help at all times (NRS 6.030).

Permanent disability. The court must permanently excuse a person who, because of a permanent physical or mental disability, can't serve satisfactorily. It may ask for a certificate from a physician or advanced practice registered nurse. Washoe County says a letter from your physician explaining that a medical condition keeps you from serving will get you excused.

Hardship. If you're self-employed, a single parent or work for tips, you can tell the court about the hardship. In Washoe County, the jury commissioner's office can't release you for hardship; a judge decides.

How to ask. Use your county's online questionnaire. In Clark County, request the deferral, excusal, exemption or disqualification there, then email supporting documents to the jury office; requests without documentation aren't accepted (Clark County Jury Services).

Postponing jury duty

Nevada's statute treats postponement as a temporary excuse: a juror excused for a while "shall appear for jury service as the court may direct" (NRS 6.030).

• Clark County. Ask for a deferral in the online questionnaire, or call Jury Services at least 5 business days before your reporting date if you can't come.
• Washoe County. Call the Jury Commissioner's Office, which will work with you to reasonably postpone your date, or use the online postpone request form if you're ill (Second Judicial District Court).

Juror pay

NRS 6.150 sets the fees. The first two subsections read:

Each person summoned to attend as a grand juror or a trial juror in the district court or justice court, or a trial juror in the municipal court, is entitled to a fee of $65 for each day after the second day of jury selection that the person is in attendance in response to the venire or summons, including Sundays and holidays.

Each grand juror and trial juror in the district court or justice court, or trial juror in the municipal court, actually sworn and serving is entitled to a fee of $65 a day as compensation for each day of service.

What that means:

• $65 a day once you're on a jury. Every sworn juror gets $65 for each day of service.
• No fee for the first two days of selection. If you're waiting to be picked, the $65 starts on the third day of jury selection. Clark County puts it simply: $65 a day after the second day of selection or once you're sworn in, whichever comes first. Washoe County tells jurors they're paid only if selected to serve on a jury.
• Mileage. You get 36.5 cents a mile for each mile actually traveled, but only if you live 30 miles or more from the place of trial.
• Lodging. If you live 65 miles or more away and the selection or trial lasts more than 1 day, you get a lodging allowance at the state-employee rate for each night you don't go home.
• County extras. A county commission or city council may add the per diem and travel allowance paid to state employees.
• Kept together. If the court keeps a jury together during a civil trial or deliberations, the cost of board and lodging is charged as a cost of the case (NRS 6.180).

(NRS 6.150)

Washoe County mails juror checks within 4 to 6 weeks. Counties may also let you donate your juror pay to a local agency that works to prevent child abuse and neglect (NRS 6.155).

Your job is protected

Nevada's juror protection law, NRS 6.190, works in four parts.

1. No firing, no threats. An employer, or a manager with power to fire, who fires you because of your service as a juror or prospective juror, or tells you that serving will cost you your job, "is guilty of a gross misdemeanor." That crime carries up to 364 days in jail, a fine of up to $2,000, or both (NRS 193.140).
2. A lawsuit if you're fired. You can sue for lost wages and benefits, reinstatement without loss of position, seniority or benefits, an equal amount in damages, reasonable attorney's fees, and punitive damages of up to $50,000.
3. No forced leave, no exhausting schedule. Once you're summoned, your employer can't make you use sick leave or vacation time, can't make you work within 8 hours before you're due at court, and, if your service lasts 4 hours or more that day (counting travel), can't make you work between 5 p.m. and 3 a.m. the next morning. Breaking this rule is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 6 months in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both (NRS 193.150).
4. Give your employer the notice. Every summons comes with a notice for your employer that quotes the law. If you're employed, you must give it to your employer at least 3 days before you report. Clark County recommends doing it right away.

Anyone who tries to talk you out of serving after you've been summoned also commits a misdemeanor (NRS 6.190).

Your employer needn't pay you. As Washoe County's jury office puts it: "Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) does not require your employer to pay your wage while you are on jury service, however, many do." Ask your supervisor or human resources about your company's policy.

What happens if you don't show up

NRS 6.040 sets the penalty:

Any person summoned as provided in this chapter to serve as a juror, who fails to attend and serve as a juror, shall, unless excused by the court, be ordered by the court to appear and show cause for his or her failure to attend and serve as a juror. If the person fails to show cause, the person is in contempt and shall be fined not more than $500.

So a missed date leads first to an order to come in and explain. Without a good reason, you're in contempt and can be fined up to $500. Lateness counts too: Clark County warns that a juror who is late may be fined for contempt of court. If something comes up, call the jury office before your reporting time.

Your first day

Details vary by court, so follow your summons. The two largest district courts describe a typical day:

• Check the night before. In Clark County, after 6:00 p.m. the night before, check the Juror Access website using the QR code on your postcard, or call (725) 215-1011 and select option 2. Washoe County jurors call a recorded line for reporting information, sometimes over a two-week window, and may be rolled to the following week.
• Arrive early and plan for a full day. Clark County may call you as early as 7:30 a.m. and asks you to be ready to stay until 5 p.m. You check in at kiosks at the Jury Services desk on the first floor each day of selection.
• What to bring. Washoe asks for your reporting card, your ID and your parking stub. Bring something to read; Clark allows a book, magazine, tablet or laptop but not local newspapers, which may cover a pending trial. Bring your own water, but no glass containers; Washoe also bans aerosol cans and suggests bringing food.
• Phones and social media. Electronic devices must be off in the courtroom, cameras aren't allowed, and Clark County bars social media use during service and for the length of any trial you sit on.
• Dress. No shorts, halter tops, muscle shirts, tank tops, hats or jogging suits in Clark County; Washoe adds sweat pants and shirts with offensive images. A suit and tie aren't required, and courtrooms can be cold or warm.
• Parking. Bring your parking ticket for validation in Clark County. Washoe prints parking details on the back of its reporting card.
• How long. In Clark County, if you aren't assigned to a panel or picked on the first day, you're done; average trials run three to five days. Washoe runs a one-day/one-trial system, with jury selection taking two to five hours and average trials two to three days.
• No children. Washoe asks jurors not to bring children and doesn't provide day care.

Grand jury service

Nevada grand juries have 17 members. In counties of 100,000 or more, the clerk mails questionnaires to at least 500 randomly chosen people, asking whether they're willing and available, until 100 qualified volunteers emerge; the judges narrow that list, and the presiding judge picks 17 grand jurors and 14 alternates at random (NRS 6.110). Smaller counties follow a similar process with 36 willing people, 17 grand jurors and 12 alternates (NRS 6.120). The questionnaire tells you the pay, the expected time commitment and the duties. Grand jurors earn the same $65 a day (NRS 6.150), and the age 70 exemption applies to grand juries too.

Jury duty scams

Scammers call claiming you missed jury duty and demanding a fine. Washoe County's jury office and sheriff are blunt:

The Second Judicial District Court Jury Commissioner's Office and the Washoe County Sheriff's Office DO NOT issue citations to individuals who fail to appear for jury service. Additionally, neither of these entities will call and request monetary fines for failure to appear for jury service.

Nevada's real penalty comes only after a judge orders you to show cause. If you get such a call, hang up and call the jury office at the number on your court's website; in Washoe, the court can verify a summons by the six- or seven-digit number printed on it (Washoe jury scam alert; see also the federal courts' juror scam warning).

Recent and pending changes

The Legislature meets every other year, starting on the first Monday of February after the November election (Nev. Const. art. 4, § 2), so the next regular session opens in February 2027. With no regular session in 2026, no bills changing jury service were pending as of November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in Nevada?

Nevada pays $65 a day to every juror who is sworn onto a jury. If you're still waiting to be picked, the $65 starts on the third day of jury selection, so the first two days are unpaid. Jurors who live 30 miles or more from court also get 36.5 cents a mile, and those 65 miles or more away can get lodging for multi-day service.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in Nevada?

No. Firing or threatening to fire a juror is a gross misdemeanor, and a fired juror can sue for lost wages and benefits, reinstatement, attorney's fees and up to $50,000 in punitive damages. Your employer also can't make you use sick or vacation leave or schedule you to work within 8 hours before you report. Give your employer the notice that comes with your summons at least 3 days ahead.

How do I get out of jury duty in Nevada?

You're exempt on request if you're 70 or older, or 65 or older and live 65 miles or more from the court; legislators during session, police officers and people in the confidential address program are exempt too. Otherwise, a judge may temporarily excuse you for illness, a family illness or death, undue hardship, public necessity, or full-time caregiving, and must excuse you for a permanent disability that prevents service. Make the request on your questionnaire and include documentation.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Nevada?

The court orders you to appear and explain why you didn't come. If you can't show cause, you're in contempt and can be fined up to $500. Courts can also fine jurors for being late, so call the jury office if you're delayed.

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

By statute, a person who actually served the previous year shouldn't be selected again unless the county runs short of jurors. Courts set their own breaks on top of that: Clark County says you're eligible again after 18 months, and Washoe County releases you for two years. Federal court summonses are separate.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in Nevada?

You must be 18 to serve, and there's no upper age limit. But anyone 70 or older may ask to be excused from all service, and the court must grant it. People 65 or older who live 65 miles or more from the court can do the same.

Where these rules live

• NRS 6.010 — Who is qualified
• NRS 6.020 — Exemptions, including age 70
• NRS 6.030 — Excuses
• NRS 6.040 — Penalty for failing to appear
• NRS 6.045 — Jury commissioner and source lists
• NRS 6.150 — Juror fees, mileage and lodging
• NRS 6.190 — Employer protection
• Eighth Judicial District Court: Jury Services (Clark County)
• Second Judicial District Court: Jury (Washoe County)
• Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure on this site
• Divorce in Nevada
• Law schools in Nevada