Excuses
Jury duty exemption age, state by state
Choose the court and enter your age: the tool says whether age alone lets you off, and how to claim it.
Can you be excused because of your age?
California
Age alone does not excuse you
| Age set by law | none |
| How | - |
| Law | not specified by the state |
No age exemption: advanced age is not a ground for exemption, though a serious health problem can lead to an excuse.
There is no national age limit for jury duty. Each state decides, and the rules fall into three groups. In 0 jurisdictions people above a set age are exempt or disqualified by law, so they can decline the summons on age alone. In 39 they may ask to be excused because of their age, and the court grants it on request, sometimes permanently. Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, New York, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin set no upper age, so older residents need another ground, such as a medical condition. Where an age is set it runs from 65 to 80. Federal courts have no age exemption in the statute, but most district court jury plans let people over 70 ask for a permanent excuse. In every case the request is made on the questionnaire or to the jury office, before the reporting date. The table lists each state with its law, read on October 29, 2026.
What happens if you miss jury duty?
California: maximum fine
$1,500
| Maximum jail | not specified |
| Law | Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 209 |
Fines from up to $250 for a first violation to $1,500 for three or more; possible contempt of court and incarceration.
Statutes and court pages read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Every state's age rule
Each row gives the age the statute or official court page sets, whether it works by law or on request, and the section we read. "By law" covers both exemptions and disqualifications: the wording differs but the effect for a juror is the same, you do not have to serve. "On request" means you must ask; the court excuses you, often without proof beyond your date of birth.
| State | Age | How | Law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | not specified | - | Alaska Stat. § 09.20.030 |
| Alabama | 80 | on request | Ala. Code § 12-16-62 |
| Arkansas | none | - | |
| Arizona | 75 | on request | A.R.S. § 21-202(C) |
| California | none | - | |
| Colorado | none | - | |
| Connecticut | 75 | on request | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 51-217(a)(8) |
| District of Columbia | 70 | on request | D.C. Superior Court jury plan |
| Delaware | 70 | on request | 10 Del. C. § 4511(b) (court-recognised class) |
| Florida | 70 | on request | Fla. Stat. § 40.013(8) |
| Georgia | 70 | on request | O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1.1(b) |
| Hawaii | 80 | on request | |
| Iowa | none | - | |
| Idaho | 70 | on request | |
| Illinois | 70 | on request | |
| Indiana | 75 | on request | Ind. Code § 33-28-5-18(d) |
| Kansas | none | - | K.S.A. 43-158, 43-159 |
| Kentucky | 70 | on request | KRS 29A.080(2)(h) |
| Louisiana | 70 | on request | La. Const. art. V, §33(B) |
| Massachusetts | 70 | on request | M.G.L. c. 234A § 4(2) |
| Maryland | 70 | on request | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 8-306 |
| Maine | 80 | on request | 14 M.R.S. § 1213(2)(C) |
| Michigan | 70 | on request | MCL 600.1307a |
| Minnesota | 70 | on request | Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 808(e) |
| Missouri | 75 | on request | RSMo § 494.430(1)(7) |
| Mississippi | 65 | on request | Miss. Code § 13-5-25 |
| Montana | 75 | on request | Mont. Code Ann. § 3-15-313(5) |
| North Carolina | 72 | on request | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 9-6.1(a) |
| North Dakota | none | - | N.D. Cent. Code § 27-09.1-10 |
| Nebraska | 70 | on request | |
| New Hampshire | 70 | on request | RSA 500-A:5 (eligibility by rule of court); NH Judicial Branch jurors page |
| New Jersey | 75 | on request | N.J.S.A. 2B:20-10 |
| New Mexico | 75 | on request | NMSA 1978 § 38-5-2 |
| Nevada | 70 | on request | NRS 6.020(2)-(3) |
| New York | none | - | N.Y. Judiciary Law § 510 |
| Ohio | 75 | on request | Ohio Rev. Code § 2313.14(A)(6) |
| Oklahoma | 70 | on request | 38 Okla. Stat. § 28(B) |
| Oregon | 70 | on request | ORS 10.050(3) |
| Pennsylvania | 75 | on request | 42 Pa.C.S. § 4503(a)(6) |
| Rhode Island | not specified | - | R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-9-3 |
| South Carolina | 65 | on request | S.C. Code § 14-7-840 |
| South Dakota | 80 | on request | SDCL 16-13-10.3 |
| Tennessee | 75 | on request | Tenn. Code Ann. § 22-1-103 (Public Chapter 544 of 2021) |
| Texas | 75 | on request | Tex. Gov't Code §§ 62.106, 62.108 |
| Utah | none | - | Utah Code § 78B-1-108 |
| Virginia | 74 | on request | Va. Code § 8.01-341.1(10) |
| Vermont | none | - | 4 V.S.A. § 962 |
| Washington | 80 | on request | RCW 2.36.100(2) |
| Wisconsin | none | - | Wis. Stat. § 756.001(3) |
| West Virginia | 70 | on request | W. Va. Code § 52-1-8(c) |
| Wyoming | 72 | on request | Wyo. Stat. § 1-11-104(a) |
How to claim it
The juror questionnaire, on paper or in the portal, usually has a question on age or a list of exemptions to tick. Answer it before the deadline. If the summons has no questionnaire, call or write to the jury office named on it and give your date of birth. Some courts ask for a copy of an ID. Do not simply stay home: a summons that is not answered stays open, and the court may follow up with a notice or a penalty even if you would have been excused.
Younger than the age, but unable to serve
Health matters more than the number. 42 jurisdictions name a medical condition among the grounds to be excused, usually with a doctor's note, and many courts accept a request for a permanent excuse for a lasting condition. Caring for a spouse or dependent can also be a ground. The excuses page shows which grounds your state names.
Federal court
A federal summons follows the jury plan of the district court that sent it, not the state's age rule. The Jury Selection and Service Act lets each district list groups who may ask for a permanent excuse, and most include people over 70. The federal jury page gives the federal pay, employer and excuse rules.