Jury Duty Excuse Letter in Utah
A short letter asking the court to excuse you from jury duty or postpone it. Follow the instructions on your summons first, because courts handle these requests differently, and keep following the summons until the court answers.
What Utah law says
| Who can be excused from jury duty | Utah law says no qualified prospective juror is exempt from jury service, but a court may excuse a person who shows undue hardship, public necessity, that she is a mother breastfeeding a child, or that the person is incapable of jury service, for as long as that reason lasts. The showing is made by affidavit, sworn testimony or other evidence, and the court may also postpone service for good cause. In any two-year period, a person generally may not be required to attend court as a trial juror more than one court day (except to finish a case) or to serve on more than one grand jury. |
|---|---|
| Penalty for skipping jury duty | 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. Source: Utah Code § 78B-1-115 |
| Jury duty pay and your job | A Utah employer may not fire, threaten, take adverse action against or coerce an employee because the employee is summoned for, responds to or serves on a jury or grand jury, and may not require or ask the employee to use vacation, annual or sick leave for that time. A violating employer is guilty of criminal contempt, punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to six months in jail, or both; a fired employee may sue within 30 days for reinstatement and up to six weeks of lost wages plus attorney fees. Jurors are paid $18.50 for the first day and $49 for each later day, plus $1 for every four miles traveled beyond 50 miles (one way). The statutes reviewed do not require employers to pay wages during jury service. |
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[today's date]
[your name]
[your mailing address]
[your phone or email]
To: [court or jury office name and address, from your summons]
Re: Jury summons. Juror number: [juror number from your summons]. Reporting date: [date you are told to report].
Dear [jury commissioner, clerk or judge named on your summons]:
I received a jury summons for the date above. I am asking to be [excused from / postponed from] jury service because [your reason, in one or two plain sentences].
I have attached [documents supporting your request, such as a doctor's note, or none].
If my service can be postponed, I can serve on these dates: [dates you are available].
Please tell me in writing whether my request is approved. I understand that I must follow the summons until I hear from the court.
Sincerely,
[your name]
Jury Duty Excuse Letter for other states · Utah tenant rights
Last verified against official sources: October 22, 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.