Jury Service

Jury Service Information & FAQs

To better serve you, the Jury Office staff has compiled Frequently Asked Questions and other relevant information.

Where are you located? Directions?

10820 Justice Center Drive, Roseville CA 95678
Click here for directions

How often do I have to serve on jury duty?

Placer County summons you for jury duty only once during the calendar year. If you become a sworn juror, you should not be summoned for another year from the time you become a sworn juror. If you get called more than once within a calendar year, it is often because your name is duplicated in our system due to a name being misspelled or being entered differently in your voter and driving records, a name change, or an address change. If this should happen to you, let us know and we will check it against our records and remove the duplicate summons.

How long will I have to serve on jury duty?

The Superior Court of Placer County has a one-day or one-trial term of jury service. This means that a trial juror serve for one day or for the duration of one trial. The majority of criminal or civil jury trials in Placer County, on the average, are three to four days in length. When you receive a jury summons, you are summoned for jury service for an entire week.  Please request a postponement if you cannot serve for at least 10 days from the Monday of your service week.  After 5:00 p.m. on the Friday before your service week, you must check your reporting status.  You can do this via the Jury Online Portal or our automated phone system.  You must continue this process each business day after 5:00 p.m. until you are instructed to report, are informed your service is complete, or it is Friday of your service week and you have not been asked to report.  Please go to the Online Jury Services page for more details on checking your status.

When will I need to report for my jury duty?

Most frequently, jurors are asked to appear in the morning starting at 8:30 a.m. But, you may also be asked to appear at any time of the day before 5:00 p.m. Potential jurors who aren’t selected for a trial or are still participating in the selection process will usually be dismissed by 4:30 p.m.

What will happen to me if I don't appear for jury duty?

When you do not appear for jury duty, you will be sent a postcard stating you failed to appear. You need to follow the instructions on the postcard. You will automatically be assigned a new date for jury duty if you do not respond. Further failure to appear could result in punishment by fine, incarceration or both. Fines can start at $250 with a maximum of $1500.

"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" (Civil Code of Procedures Section 209).

If I am selected as a sworn juror, what is a normal day? What time does court normally start and end?

If you become a sworn juror on a trial, courts are normally in session from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. You will get several intermittent breaks and at least an hour for lunch.

What is the recommended attire?

Business attire or casual wear is recommended. Please keep in mind the dignity and solemnity of court proceedings.

How much do I get paid and when?

Juror compensation is outlined in California Code of Civil Procedure Section 215(a).  There is no compensation for your first day of jury service. Starting on your second day of attendance, you will receive $15 per day.  You are also eligible for reimbursement of some travel expenses.  You may either receive mileage reimbursement of thirty-four cents ($0.34) per mile for each mile actually travelled during your round-trip to and from the courthouse from your home or you may receive reimbursement for round-trip public transit fare not to exceed a daily maximum of $12. The court mails checks to jurors every other week

Do I have to go through security screening?

Yes. Security screening is located at the entrance to each of the courthouses in Placer County. You will be required to pass through a metal detector and your bags are subject to inspection. Should you have any questions about the screening process, you may speak to a bailiff when you arrive.

Weapons, including knives, pepper spray, and firearms, are prohibited.

What are the age requirements for jury duty?

Jurors must be 18 years old or over. There is no maximum age for jurors. Individuals over the age of 70 with a health condition have the option to be excused from jury service.

Can I be assigned to a court location closer to my residence?

No. Jurors are summoned by pools. When a trial court needs jurors, we assign a pool(s) to the court(s). Pools are assigned by the need of the court, which depends on the length and nature of the trial. All jurors within a specific pool need to stay in that assigned pool.

Can I volunteer for jury service?

No. California Code of Civil Procedure states, "All persons selected for jury service shall be selected at random, from a source or sources inclusive of a representative cross selection of the population of the area served by the court."

I lost my jury summons. Do I need it?

No. We can find your name in our system without it. However, the jury process is more efficient and faster if you have it in your possession.

Is there a judge I can speak to right now so I can be excused?

No. The Jury Office is responsible for creating the pool of potential jurors. Should you have a situation that you believe prevents you from serving that cannot be addressed by the Jury Office, you will have an opportunity to address your hardship with the judge hearing the trial when you get into the courtroom.

Do I have to serve if I am still in school or going to college?

You can be deferred to your next school break whether it is a spring break, summer or Christmas break. Students are not excused from jury service. This also applies to teachers or school professionals.

I am a sole proprietor and own my own business. Can I be excused?

Your hardship will be addressed if you are asked to appear for jury duty.

How come I am always called for jury duty and my spouse (neighbor or a friend) NEVER gets summoned?

The jury selection process is random. Every fall, the Placer County jury office obtains a current list from Department of Motor Vehicles and Voter Registration/Election’s and merges the source lists to form a master list. The court anticipates expanding the master list for 2023 to include information from the Franchise Tax Board. Duplicated names are removed if they are exact in spelling of name and address. A potential juror is any person whose name appears on either source list. Each time we create a pool, names are randomly selected from the entire pool.