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Missed jury duty: what happens and what to do
Choose the court: the tool gives the maximum fine and jail its law allows. The steps below show how to put things right.
What happens if you miss jury duty?
Texas: maximum fine
$1,000
| Maximum jail | not specified |
| Law | Tex. Gov't Code §§ 62.0141, 62.111 |
Ignoring a summons or giving false exemption information can bring a contempt fine of $100 to $1,000. Section 62.111 also sets a fine of $100 to $500 for jurors who fail to attend without reasonable excuse.
If you missed jury duty, call the jury office of the court that summoned you as soon as you notice, using the number printed on your summons or on the court's website, and ask for a new date. In practice courts usually start with a second notice or an order to appear and explain, and the penalties in the law are for people who keep ignoring the court. Those penalties are real: among the jurisdictions whose statute sets a fine, the maximum runs up to $25,000 in Alaska, and some laws allow jail for contempt of court. In federal court, 28 U.S.C. § 1866 allows a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to 3 days, community service, or a combination. One thing courts never do is call to demand payment over the phone: that is the most common jury scam, and the FTC and federal courts warn about it. Rules read on October 29, 2026.
Is this jury duty call or message a scam?
2 warning signs
Scam: hang up and do not pay
- Pay a fine or "bond" now. Courts never ask you to pay over the phone (FTC).
- Threat of arrest unless you act today. The scam script: a "marshal" or "officer" says a warrant is out (FTC, uscourts.gov).
Next: do not pay or give any number; call the clerk of the court yourself, using the number on the court's official website; report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you already paid, call your bank or card issuer now.
Statutes and court pages read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Maximum penalties in each state's law
These are the ceilings written in the statutes we read, sorted by fine. A judge decides the actual penalty, if any, after hearing why you did not appear. States not in the table set no specific juror fine in the sections we found, and courts there rely on their general contempt power.
| State | Maximum fine | Maximum jail | Law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $25,000 | 365 days | Alaska Stat. §§ 09.50.010(11), 09.50.020, 12.55.135, 12.55.035 |
| Michigan | $7,500 | 93 days | MCL 600.1346; MCL 600.1715 |
| Massachusetts | $2,000 | - | M.G.L. c. 234A § 42 |
| California | $1,500 | - | Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 209 |
| New Hampshire | $1,200 | - | RSA 500-A:20; RSA 625:9 IV(c); RSA 651:2 IV(a) |
| Maryland | $1,000 | 60 days | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 8-504 |
| Minnesota | $1,000 | 90 days | Minn. Stat. § 593.42 subd. 4; § 609.03 |
| Texas | $1,000 | - | Tex. Gov't Code §§ 62.0141, 62.111 |
| Utah | $1,000 | 30 days | Utah Code §§ 78B-1-115, 78B-6-310 |
| Washington | $1,000 | 90 days | RCW 2.36.170; RCW 9.92.030 |
| West Virginia | $1,000 | - | W. Va. Code § 52-1-24 |
| Arizona | $500 | - | A.R.S. § 21-223 |
| Iowa | $500 | 180 days | Iowa Code §§ 607A.36, 665.4 |
| Missouri | $500 | - | RSMo § 494.450 |
| Mississippi | $500 | 3 days | Miss. Code § 13-5-34 |
| Nevada | $500 | - | NRS 6.040 |
| Oregon | $500 | 180 days | ORS 10.990(2); ORS 33.105(2) |
| Pennsylvania | $500 | 10 days | 42 Pa.C.S. § 4584 |
| South Dakota | $500 | 10 days | SDCL 16-13-45 |
| Wisconsin | $500 | - | Wis. Stat. § 756.30 |
| Alabama | $300 | 10 days | Ala. Code § 12-16-82 |
| District of Columbia | $300 | 7 days | D.C. Code § 11-1907(b) |
| New York | $250 | - | N.Y. Judiciary Law § 527 |
| Ohio | $250 | 30 days | Ohio Rev. Code §§ 2313.20, 2313.99(A), 2705.05 |
| Virginia | $200 | - | Va. Code § 8.01-356 |
| Vermont | $200 | - | 4 V.S.A. §§ 958, 961 |
| Delaware | $100 | 3 days | 10 Del. C. § 4516 |
| Florida | $100 | - | Fla. Stat. § 40.23(3) |
| Kansas | $100 | - | K.S.A. 43-165 |
| Maine | $100 | 3 days | 14 M.R.S. § 1217 |
| South Carolina | $100 | - | S.C. Code § 14-7-1390; § 14-7-860(E) |
| Louisiana | $50 | 3 days | La. R.S. 13:3049(A) |
| Montana | $50 | - | Mont. Code Ann. § 3-15-321 |
| North Carolina | $50 | - | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 9-13 |
What usually happens first
The sequence depends on the court, but it tends to escalate slowly. A missed date triggers a letter asking you to reschedule or explain. A second failure may bring an order to show cause, which requires you to appear before a judge. Only an unexplained failure to obey that order leads to a fine or contempt finding. Responding at any stage, even late, usually ends the process with a new date.
Fixing it today
Find the court on your summons or on any letter it sent, and call the jury office or log into the juror portal. Ask for a new date and write down the name of the person you speak to. If the court has sent an order to appear, go: missing it is what turns a paperwork problem into contempt. If you were sick or had an emergency, bring proof.
The scam that copies this situation
Scammers call or email claiming to be a marshal, a deputy or a clerk, say you missed jury duty and face arrest, and demand payment by gift card, payment app, crypto or wire. The FTC is clear: courts never ask you to pay over the phone, and never ask potential jurors for a Social Security number or birth date by phone. The federal courts add that they never request sensitive information by phone or email. The checker above sorts the warning signs; the scam page explains what to do if you already paid.