Sacramento County Jury Duty

Jury duty in Sacramento County begins with a summons from the Sacramento Superior Court and instructions for checking when your group must report. This article explains how standby service works, how to access the court’s online juror system, when to request a postponement or excuse, and how to prepare for reporting, parking, accommodations, and attendance verification.

The Court Office Handling Jury Service

Sacramento Superior Court Jury Services handles summons questions, reporting instructions, postponements, excuse requests, and assistance with jury service. The Jury Assembly Room is on the first floor of the Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Courthouse. Use the court’s official Jury Services page to reach the services connected with your summons.

Jury staff provide in-person assistance Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Telephone agents are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. To speak with a jury clerk, call the jury office number in the department list below and press 0. For telephone instructions in Spanish, press 2.

Keep your summons available when contacting the office. Your juror badge number identifies your individual summons, while your group number determines which reporting instructions apply to you. These numbers serve different purposes: the online system requires the badge number for sign-in, and the reporting page organizes instructions by group number.

Your Summons and Standby Week

All prospective jurors begin on standby status. A standby date does not automatically mean you should arrive at the courthouse that morning. Instead, you must check the instructions for your assigned group and report when the court directs you to do so.

Under the court’s jury summons instructions, you may begin checking your group’s status after 5 p.m. on the Friday before your standby service date. During your standby week, continue checking for a maximum of five days, unless the court tells you to report or confirms that your service is complete without reporting.

If you are employed, you must report to work until your group is called in. Being on standby does not mean that every day of the week will be spent at the courthouse. It does mean that you need to follow the court’s checking schedule and remain available if your group receives a reporting assignment.

Reporting Instructions Can Change

The juror group reporting page gives the status, reporting time, and location for each group. Confirm that the page applies to your scheduled service period, then read the entire instruction beside your group number. The court updates reporting information daily except on weekends and court holidays.

Some groups receive a definite reporting time. Others must check again during a specified window for a possible afternoon assignment. If your instruction gives a time to check again, wait until that window; the court warns that information checked too early may change.

A direction to check again is different from a direction that your service is complete. Continue following the instructions until you receive a reporting assignment or a completion notice. Once your group is expressly told that service is complete and no further checking is required, you do not need to keep checking for that summons.

If your group number does not appear on the reporting page, contact the jury office during telephone assistance hours. Do not use another group’s time or assume that the absence of your number means you have been released.

How Long Service May Last

Sacramento Superior Court operates a one-day/one-trial system. Reporting does not guarantee that you will be selected for a trial. If you report and are not selected for a jury, your service is complete. If you are selected, you must serve until the trial ends, even when it continues beyond the first day.

The court asks prospective jurors to be available for at least 10 days following their summons standby date. Trial lengths vary, so a reporting assignment should not be treated as a promise that your obligation will end that afternoon. If you cannot be available for the requested period, submit a postponement or excuse request.

Online Juror Account Access

The court’s online Juror Services Center allows summoned jurors to view reporting instructions, request a postponement or excuse, and sign up for email notifications about summons status. Email notifications are available to people who currently have a jury summons.

Before signing in, have these three items ready:

Your juror badge number, located on the juror badge portion of your summons.
Your date of birth, entered in MM/DD/YYYY format.
Your five-digit ZIP code.

Enter the five-digit ZIP code rather than a nine-digit ZIP+4 code. After completing the fields, click the sign-in button once. The system requires JavaScript for full functionality and includes a Help button with login instructions.

Email updates can help you track your summons, but continue following the group-checking instructions assigned to you. A notification signup does not itself change your service date or approve a pending request.

Disqualification, Excuse, and Postponement

These requests address different circumstances. A disqualification concerns whether you meet the legal qualifications for jury service. An excuse concerns a recognized reason you cannot serve. A postponement moves service to another date. The court’s disqualification, excuse, and postponement page provides the appropriate request options.

Who Qualifies for Jury Service?

The court identifies the following qualifications and restrictions for prospective jurors:

You must be a United States citizen, at least 18 years old, and a Sacramento County resident.

You must have sufficient understanding of English.

You must not currently be serving as a grand juror or be under a conservatorship.

You must not be a peace officer within the Penal Code categories identified by the court: sections 830.1, 830.2(a), or 830.33(a).

You must not currently be incarcerated in prison or jail.

You must not be on parole, post-release community supervision, felony probation, or mandatory supervision for a felony conviction.

You must not be required to register as a sex offender because of a felony conviction under Penal Code section 290.

If you were convicted of malfeasance in office, your civil rights must have been restored.

A previous felony conviction does not automatically make someone ineligible. The court distinguishes a prior conviction from the current incarceration, supervision, and registration restrictions above. If you do not meet a qualification, submit a disqualification request through the court’s process.

Excuses for Financial or Medical Circumstances

The Jury Commissioner’s Office evaluates excuse requests under California Rules of Court, rule 2.1008. The court states that postponement is preferred when moving service to a different date can address the problem. An excuse request must fit the court’s applicable grounds.

An employer’s decision not to pay wages during jury service does not, by itself, excuse every employee. According to the court, someone who is the sole source of household income and whose employer does not pay during service is eligible to request a financial excuse. Someone who is not the sole source of household income is required to serve even if the employer does not pay.

There is no upper age limit for jury service. A person age 70 or older who has a medical condition preventing service may request a permanent excuse through the online juror system. Age alone should not be treated as an automatic release from the summons.

The court states that it sends a postcard response when an excuse request is denied. Pay attention to subsequent notices and any request for documentation rather than assuming that submitting a request completes your obligation.

Postponements and School Breaks

Jury service may generally be postponed for up to 90 days from the original summons date. Once a postponement is approved, the court provides a new service date within the allowed period. This option addresses a scheduling conflict while preserving the obligation to serve later.

Students and teachers may be rescheduled to the next school break. Breastfeeding mothers may postpone service for up to one year. Because the website does not accept postponements longer than 90 days, requests extending beyond that limit must be made in writing.

Include your juror badge number in a written request. The court accepts written requests by email at juryduty@saccourt.ca.gov, by fax, or by mail to the Jury Commissioner’s Office. Use that same email address when requesting an attendance slip after service, and include your badge number so staff can identify your record.

Lost Summonses and Reporting Problems

If you lose your summons, call the jury office and press 0 for assistance obtaining your reporting information. Contact a clerk in the same way if you receive duplicate summonses or a summons addressed to a family member who has died.

If you missed service or received a Failure to Appear notice, the court allows you to seek rescheduling through the online Juror Services Center or the automated telephone menu. If the automated system does not allow rescheduling, speak with a jury clerk during live assistance hours.

A group number of “0” in the online system has a specific meaning: the court is awaiting additional information about a request you submitted. Provide the requested documentation by the date on your notice. If you are eligible to serve, the court instructs you to report at 8 a.m. on the new date you were given. Contact the jury office if you need help interpreting that notice.

Accommodations Before Your Service Date

Submit requests for special accommodations at least five court days before your service date. The court’s juror accommodation instructions distinguish between services requested in advance and assistance to discuss with staff at check-in.

American Sign Language interpreters and real-time captioners are available through a request process. After processing the request, the court sends instructions by mail or email explaining how to proceed with service. For other disability accommodations, file the Request for Accommodations by Persons with Disabilities and Order, form MC-410.

If you need an assisted listening device, notify the clerk when checking in. Jurors needing a lactation room should also tell jury staff at check-in. The court provides access to lactation space Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and allows a reasonable amount of time to express milk.

Parking and Transportation Arrangements

The court’s juror parking and transportation instructions identify designated free parking and explain the permit requirement. Primary juror parking is at St. Joseph’s Jury Lot at 8th and G streets. If that lot is full, use Lot 297 at 7th and F streets.

Detach the current parking permit from the side of your summons postcard and display it on your dashboard. The permit is valid Monday through Friday until 5 p.m. Parking in either designated jury lot after 5 p.m. is at the juror’s expense.

If both designated lots are full, overflow parking is available in the County Public Parking Lot, the two-story garage at 7th and G streets. This option is available only when both jury lots are full. Bring your parking ticket to the Jury Assembly Room staff for validation before leaving the garage.

If you need a current permit, jury staff can provide one in the assembly room, and a telephone agent can email a permit with parking information. A parking permit and a juror badge have different uses: the permit belongs on your vehicle dashboard, while the badge identifies you for jury service.

Bicycle Parking and Transit Tickets

Secure bicycle parking is available in the Sacramento County garage at the northeast corner of 7th and H streets. Present your juror badge to the lot attendant and provide a $5 cash deposit to receive a bicycle-cage access card. Return the card to the attendant at the end of service to receive your deposit back.

For public transportation, the court instructs jurors to purchase a single-pass ticket for the trip to the courthouse. Jury staff then provide a replacement ticket and a return fare ticket. The jury office cannot reimburse parking fees at Regional Transit park-and-ride lots, so distinguish the transit ticket assistance from any separate cost of parking at a transit station.

Reporting Day and Attendance Records

Report at the time and location assigned to your group. Jury Services is on the first floor of the Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Courthouse. Business casual clothing is recommended. The courthouse has a first-floor marketplace and vending machines in the Jury Assembly Room.

Tell staff at check-in if you need an assisted listening device or access to the lactation room. Keep your summons information available for questions about your assignment, and retain any garage ticket that requires validation before you leave.

Jury fees begin on the second day of service, at $15 per day. The court also provides mileage compensation. Government employees cannot receive jury fees under the rule described by the court, although mileage costs may be paid unless waived. The court’s jury service questions and answers explain compensation and attendance documentation.

You receive a proof-of-attendance slip at the end of service. Before leaving, confirm that you received it if you need documentation for your employer. If you checked out without receiving proof, email Jury Services with your juror badge number to request it. After completing service, you become eligible to serve again in 18 months.

Jury Services Office

Sacramento Superior Court Jury Commissioner’s Office
Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Courthouse, First Floor
500 G Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-874-7775