States
Jury duty in North Dakota: pay, employer rules and excuses
Independent site, not a court. Answer your summons and ask for an excuse only through the court that summoned you.
See what North Dakota's $100 juror fee comes to for your service, why a short first day pays $50, and how the ten-day cap protects you.
What jury duty in North Dakota will pay you
You receive for 3 days
$300
| Court fee | $300 |
| Employer, by law | No duty to keep paying wages under this law |
| A normal 3 days of work | $600 |
| Income lost | $300 |
| Age rule | no age exemption |
North Dakota: $100 per day of required attendance in district court, paid by the state; only $50 for the first day if attendance that day is four hours or less. Before tax. The jury chapter imposes no duty on employers to pay wages; it only protects the job.
All jury rules in North DakotaNorth Dakota pays one of the higher state juror fees: $100 for each day of required attendance in district court, paid by the state, plus mileage at the state-employee rate (N.D. Cent. Code § 27-09.1-14). The exception is a short first day: if attendance that day lasts four hours or less, it pays $50. The jury chapter places no duty on employers to pay wages, but § 27-09.1-17 protects the job. There is no age exemption: under § 27-09.1-10 no qualified juror is exempt, and older people can only ask to be excused for undue hardship. Trial service is capped at ten court days in any two-year period, unless you are needed to finish a case, and at one grand jury in the same period. The court may excuse you for undue hardship, extreme inconvenience or public necessity for a period it chooses, after which you report again. The chapter's penalty section for failing to serve, § 27-09.1-16, was repealed in 1993, so the chapter sets no specific penalty for not appearing.
Statutes and court pages read by Radif Partners on October 29, 2026 · Method and sources
North Dakota's $100 day and the four-hour rule
At $100 a day, North Dakota pays well above many states, and the state pays it rather than the county. The single adjustment concerns the first day: when you are released after four hours or less, that day is paid at $50. Every later day of required attendance pays the full $100. A juror sent home at midday on day one and then seated for a two-day trial would therefore receive $50 plus $200, with mileage added at the state-employee rate.
Temporary excuses and the ten-day cap in North Dakota
North Dakota treats excuses as temporary. You raise the reason on the qualification form or in an interview, and the court can excuse you for a period it considers necessary, then set a new date to report; in practice this works as a postponement rather than a release. The accepted grounds are undue hardship, extreme inconvenience and public necessity. In return, the state limits how much it can ask: no more than ten court days as a trial juror and one grand jury in any two-year period, unless a case in progress needs you longer. No separate waiting period between summonses is set.
The rules in North Dakota, law by law
| Rule | What the law or court says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Juror pay | $100 a day | N.D. Cent. Code § 27-09.1-14 |
| Mileage | State-employee mileage rate (N.D.C.C. 54-06-09) | N.D. Cent. Code § 27-09.1-14 |
| Employer must keep paying | No | N.D. Cent. Code § 27-09.1-17 |
| Job protected | Yes | N.D. Cent. Code § 27-09.1-17 |
| Age | No age exemption | N.D. Cent. Code § 27-09.1-10 |
| Length of service | No more than ten court days as a trial juror in any two-year period, unless needed to finish a case. | ndlegis.gov |
| Before another summons | not specified by the state | ndlegis.gov |
| Postponing | The court may excuse a juror for a period it deems necessary, after which the juror must report again (a postponement). | ndlegis.gov |
| Not showing up | The jury chapter's penalty section for failing to serve (§ 27-09.1-16) was repealed in 1993; no specific penalty for not appearing is set in the chapter. | N.D. Cent. Code § 27-09.1-16 (repealed) |
Excuses and postponement in North Dakota
Ask the court on the qualification form or by interview; the excuse is temporary and the court sets when you report again. The court may excuse a juror for a period it deems necessary, after which the juror must report again (a postponement).
Can I be excused or postpone?
North Dakota
No ground named: ask to postpone
| Age rule | none |
Ask the court on the qualification form or by interview; the excuse is temporary and the court sets when you report again. The court may excuse a juror for a period it deems necessary, after which the juror must report again (a postponement).
A request is decided by the court, often with proof (a doctor's note, a school schedule). Ignoring a summons is not an excuse.