What Happens If You Miss Jury Duty, by State (2026)
What each state can do if you ignore a jury summons: contempt, fines and jail, from each state's jury law.
This table covers 34 of 51 jurisdictions (50 states and DC). A state that is not listed has no rule here that we could verify against an official source yet.
| State | Penalty for skipping jury duty |
|---|---|
| Arizona | A summoned juror who has not been excused or postponed and wilfully, without reasonable excuse, fails to appear can be fined up to $500 and ordered to serve on another date. If the person ignores a second summons, the court may issue a body attachment (an order to bring the person in) as for direct contempt of court. Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 21-223 |
| California | Anyone who fails to respond to a jury summons when required may be fined up to $1,500, jailed, or both. Judicial Branch of California, Jury Service |
| Connecticut | A summoned juror who fails to appear is subject to a civil penalty in an amount set by the Chief Court Administrator, though the court may excuse the juror from paying it. The same applies to people summoned as substitute jurors (talesmen) who fail to appear without sufficient cause. The Attorney General enforces these penalties. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 51-237 |
| Delaware | A person who ignores a jury summons or the clerk's direction to complete a juror qualification form may be ordered by the Court to appear and show cause. Failing to appear and show cause as ordered is criminal contempt, punishable by a fine of not more than $100, up to 3 days in jail, or both. 10 Del. C. §§ 4508(c), 4510(b), 4516 |
| District of Columbia | A prospective juror who fails to show good cause, or who fails to appear without good cause after a court order, may be fined not more than $300, jailed for up to seven days, or both. D.C. Code § 11-1907(b) |
| Florida | A person who is properly summoned for jury duty and fails to attend without a sufficient excuse must pay a fine of up to $100, set by the court that sent the summons. The failure may also be treated as contempt of court. Fla. Stat. § 40.23(3) |
| Georgia | A Georgia trial or grand juror who is summoned and neglects or refuses to appear, or who leaves without the court's permission, may be punished for contempt of court after notice and a hearing. The section does not set a fine amount. O.C.G.A. § 15-12-10 (secondary source: public copy of the state code; check the official code) |
| Iowa | If you fail to appear for jury duty in Iowa when told to report, without a sufficient reason, the court may order you to come in and explain why you should not be punished, and you may be punished for contempt of court. The statute does not set a fine amount. Iowa Code § 607A.36 (Iowa Code 2026) |
| Kansas | If you are summoned for jury duty in Kansas and do not show up without a reason the court accepts, the court can fine you up to $100 for each day of unexcused absence. Courts may also enforce their jury rules by attachment and a fine of up to $100. K.S.A. 43-165 |
| Kentucky | If you are summoned for jury service in Kentucky and fail to appear, the court will order you to come in right away and explain why. If you cannot show good cause, you may be punished for contempt of court; a juror who leaves or fails to finish service without the court's permission can also be held in contempt. KRS 29A.150 |
| Maine | A person summoned who fails to appear or complete jury service must be ordered to appear and show cause. A prospective juror who cannot show good cause is guilty of contempt and may be fined up to $100, jailed up to 3 days, or both. 14 M.R.S. §1217 |
| Maryland | Failing to appear for jury service as summoned can lead a jury judge to order you to show cause; without good cause you face a fine up to $1,000, up to 60 days in jail, or both. Failing to complete jury service as directed carries up to $1,000 and/or 90 days, and failing to return the juror qualification form carries up to $1,000 and/or 30 days. Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §§8-503, 8-504, 8-505 |
| Massachusetts | If you ignore a jury summons or miss your date, you become a delinquent juror. The Office of Jury Commissioner first sends a Failure to Appear notice, then a Notice of Delinquency; if you still do not respond, you receive notice of a show-cause hearing on an application for a criminal complaint. If you skip that hearing, a criminal complaint issues and you are summoned for arraignment, and if you miss the arraignment the court may issue a warrant for your arrest. Office of Jury Commissioner, delinquency process |
| Michigan | Failing to attend court without being excused when summoned as a juror, or failing to appear before the jury board when notified, is punishable by the circuit court as contempt of court. The juror questionnaire also warns that refusing to answer it or answering untruthfully can lead to a fine, imprisonment or both for contempt. MCL 600.1346(b), (e) (as quoted in the Michigan Judicial Institute Contempt of Court Benchbook) |
| Minnesota | A person who fails to appear for jury service as summoned will be ordered to appear and show cause. Without good cause, the juror is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Minn. Stat. §593.42 subd. 4; §609.02 subd. 3 |
| Mississippi | A juror who fails to appear or complete jury service as directed without a postponement can be ordered to show cause. Without good cause, the juror may be held in civil contempt and fined up to $500, jailed up to 3 days, or both, and the court may also or instead order community service at least as long as the missed jury service. Sanctions can be excused for good cause or in the interest of justice. Miss. Code Ann. §13-5-34 (secondary source: public copy of the state code; check the official code) |
| Missouri | A person who willfully fails to appear for jury service without getting a postponement or excuse, or who fails to return the juror qualification form, is in civil contempt and can be ordered to show cause. After a hearing, the court may impose a fine of up to $500 and/or order community service at least as long as the jury service would have been. The court may excuse the sanction for good cause. RSMo §494.450 |
| Montana | A summoned juror who willfully and without reasonable excuse fails to attend may be attached (brought in) and compelled to attend, and the court may impose a fine not exceeding $50. If the juror was not personally served, the fine may be imposed only after an order to show cause gives the juror a chance to be heard; the court may remit, modify, or refund the fine for good cause. MCA § 3-15-321 |
| New Mexico | A willful failure to appear as ordered in a jury summons is a petty misdemeanor in New Mexico (§ 38-5-10). A petty misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in county jail, a fine of up to $500, or both (§ 31-19-1). NMSA 1978, §§ 38-5-10, 31-19-1 |
| New York | If you fail to return a juror questionnaire or fail to attend after being summoned, the commissioner of jurors may start a noncompliance proceeding and the court may impose a civil penalty not to exceed two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and set a new date for your jury service (Judiciary Law § 527). A penalty requires proof that you received the summons and a notice of noncompliance; an unpaid penalty can become a civil judgment. Failing to obey the court's order can bring other criminal or civil penalties. N.Y. Judiciary Law § 527 |
| North Dakota | North Dakota's specific penalty section for failing to perform jury service (§ 27-09.1-16) was repealed in 1993. Contempt of court includes intentional disobedience, resistance, or obstruction of the authority, process, or order of a court; after a nonsummary contempt proceeding the court may impose a fine of up to $1,000, up to one year in county jail, or both, per contempt (summary procedure: up to $500 and 30 days). Separately, willfully misrepresenting a material fact on a juror qualification form to avoid or secure service is a class B misdemeanor, and a person who fails to return the form may be directed to appear before the clerk to fill it out. N.D.C.C. §§ 27-09.1-16 (repealed), 27-10-01.1(1)(c), 27-10-01.4(2), 27-09.1-07 |
| Oklahoma | Title 38 (Jurors) does not set a specific penalty for ignoring a jury summons. Oklahoma's contempt law treats willful disobedience of any process or order lawfully issued by a court as indirect contempt, and unless otherwise provided by law contempt is punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to six months in county jail, or both. 21 O.S. §§ 565, 566(A) |
| Oregon | Jury service in Oregon is mandatory. The Oregon Judicial Department warns that a person who does not respond may be penalized and that, in rare cases, a judge may be asked to hold the person in contempt of court or issue an arrest warrant. No fine amount is stated on the court's page. Oregon Judicial Department, Jury Service page |
| Pennsylvania | A summoned prospective juror who fails to appear and is not exempt or excused may be punished for contempt of court by a fine of up to $500, imprisonment of up to ten days, or both. 42 Pa.C.S. § 4584 |
| South Carolina | A duly summoned juror who neglects to attend without sufficient excuse must pay a civil penalty of up to $100, imposed by the court and paid into the county treasury. Violating the juror-excusal statute (§ 14-7-860) is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to 30 days in jail, or both. S.C. Code §§ 14-7-1390, 14-7-860(E) |
| South Dakota | A summoned juror who fails, refuses or neglects to appear, willfully fails to complete and return the jury questionnaire, or after appearing fails without good cause to attend as required, is guilty of contempt of court and may be fined $50 to $500. If the person still neglects or refuses to appear after a second order of attachment, the court may fine the person as above and jail the person for up to ten days in county jail. SDCL § 16-13-45 |
| Tennessee | If a summoned juror who was not excused fails to appear, the court issues a show-cause order requiring the person to come to court and explain why they should not be held in civil contempt. If the excuse is insufficient, the person is held in civil contempt and assessed a civil penalty of up to $500 plus the costs of the show-cause order; the court must suspend the part above $50 on the condition that the person completes the jury service term. If the excuse is sufficient, the person may still have to pay the costs of the order unless the judge waives them. Tenn. Code Ann. § 22-2-309(b), (c) (secondary source: public copy of the state code; check the official code) |
| Texas | A Texas juror who was properly notified and fails to attend without a reasonable excuse, or files a false exemption claim, faces a fine of $100 to $500. Separately, a person who does not comply with a jury summons, or knowingly gives false information to be exempted or excused, is subject to contempt punishable by a fine of $100 to $1,000. Tex. Gov't Code §§ 62.111, 62.0141 |
| Utah | In Utah, a person summoned for jury service who fails to appear or to complete service as directed is in contempt of court and subject to the penalties in Utah's contempt statutes (Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 3). Failing to timely answer the juror qualification questions is also contempt, and willfully misrepresenting a material fact to get excused or postponed is an infraction. Utah Code § 78B-1-115 |
| Vermont | A Vermont juror who does not appear after being summoned, and does not give the court a satisfactory excuse, can be assessed a civil penalty of up to $200 by the presiding judge, which may be waived for good cause. A person who ignores an order to come in and fill out the jury questionnaire can be held in contempt, and willfully lying on the questionnaire to avoid or get jury service can bring a fine of up to $50. 4 V.S.A. §§ 958, 961 |
| Virginia | A Virginia juror who was given proper notice and fails to appear in court without a sufficient excuse is fined $50 to $200. Va. Code § 8.01-356 |
| Washington | In Washington, a person summoned for jury service who intentionally fails to appear as directed is guilty of a misdemeanor. RCW 2.36.170 |
| West Virginia | In West Virginia, a person summoned for jury duty who fails to appear or to finish jury service as directed will be ordered to come to court right away and show cause. If the person cannot show good cause, the person is guilty of civil contempt and may be fined up to $1,000. W. Va. Code § 52-1-24 |
| Wyoming | In Wyoming, a summoned juror who willfully and without a reasonable excuse fails to attend may be arrested and brought to court, and is subject to contempt of court. W.S. 1-11-115 |
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Last verified against official sources: October 23, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.