Alabama Jury Duty Laws: Pay, Exemptions and Employer Rules

Alabama sets juror qualifications in Ala. Code § 12-16-60, and since October 1, 2026, a person 80 or older may ask in writing to be permanently exempt (§ 12-16-62, added by Act 2026-529).

Alabama requires employers to keep paying full-time employees their usual compensation during jury service (§ 12-16-8(c)). An employee fired or punished solely for serving can sue for actual and punitive damages (§ 12-16-8.1).

Information last verified on October 7, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers jury service in Alabama state courts, where each county's jury commission manages the jury list. A summons from a U.S. District Court in Alabama follows federal law, summarized on our jury duty laws by state hub.

Do you have to go? The short answer

Yes, unless you are not qualified, you are 80 or older and ask to be permanently exempt, you are a member of the National Guard or Naval Militia, or of the Alabama State Guard when activated in lieu of the National Guard (§ 31-2-11), the court excuses you, or you postpone. Alabama's exemption section provides that no qualified prospective juror is exempt from jury service, with the age-80 exception added in 2026 (§ 12-16-62).

Your summons and the county jury commission's instructions control the process. To see which category might fit your situation before you contact the court, try our jury duty exemption checker.

Who can serve on a jury in Alabama

Under § 12-16-60(a), a prospective juror is qualified if the juror "is generally reputed to be honest and intelligent and is esteemed in the community for integrity, good character and sound judgment" and also:

1. "Is a citizen of the United States, has been a resident of the county for more than 12 months and is over the age of 19 years."
2. "Is able to read, speak, understand and follow instructions given by a judge in the English language."
3. "Is capable by reason of physical and mental ability to render satisfactory jury service, and is not afflicted with any permanent disease or physical weakness whereby the juror is unfit to discharge the duties of a juror."
4. "Has not lost the right to vote by conviction for any offense involving moral turpitude."

The qualification form

You may receive a juror qualification form from your county jury commission. The jury commission mails it with instructions to fill it out and return it "within 10 days after its receipt," and it includes a declaration that your answers are true (§ 12-16-59). If your form has an omission, ambiguity or error, the commission sends you a new form, which you must correct and return within 10 days of receiving it.

The commission decides whether you are qualified from the form, an interview or other evidence. If it finds you not qualified, it notifies you, and "The juror shall have 10 days within which to appear before the court to review such decision" (§ 12-16-60(b)).

Criminal convictions

Alabama's jury statute frames the conviction rule through voting rights: you are disqualified if you have "lost the right to vote by conviction for any offense involving moral turpitude." Alabama's Felony Voter Disqualification Act lists the only felonies that remove the right to vote (Ala. Code § 17-3-30.1(c), (f)). A person who lost the vote may apply to the Board of Pardons and Paroles for a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote once the sentence is completed (or the person is pardoned or has completed probation or parole and been released from compliance by the ordering entity), no felony charges are pending, and court-ordered fines, costs, fees and restitution are paid; convictions for certain offenses listed in the statute are not eligible (§ 15-22-36.1). If you have a conviction and a summons, ask the court or an Alabama lawyer how the rule applies to you.

Exemptions, excuses and postponements in Alabama

Alabama does not give exemptions by occupation in its exemption section. The 2026 age-80 option is the only exemption in § 12-16-62, and a separate statute, § 31-2-11, exempts members of the National Guard, Naval Militia and Alabama State Guard (when activated in lieu of the National Guard) during their active membership. Everything else is an excuse the court decides or a postponement.

Age 80 and older: the new permanent exemption

Act 2026-529 added this to § 12-16-62, in the version effective October 1, 2026: "An individual who is 80 years of age or older may submit a written statement to the court requesting that he or she be permanently exempt from jury service. On receipt of the request, the court shall remove the prospective juror from the master jury list."

Two points matter. It is on request only, so turning 80 does not remove you from the list by itself. And it is permanent once granted, so a person who wants to keep serving simply does not file the statement. The jury sections reviewed for this page (§§ 12-16-57 through 12-16-64) contain no other age rule; a person of any age may still ask for a hardship or medical excuse.

Hardship and medical excuses

Under § 12-16-63(b), "An individual who is not disqualified for jury service may apply to be excused from jury service by the court only upon a showing of one of the following": undue or extreme physical or financial hardship, an incapacitating mental or physical condition, being a nursing mother at the time of the summons, or public necessity. The court decides on an interview or other competent evidence.

Hardship is limited to three situations: you would have to leave a person in your care without any substitute caregiver you can obtain; the costs would have a substantial adverse impact on the necessary daily living expenses of you or those you principally support; or the service would cause physical hardship resulting in illness or disease. "Undue or extreme physical or financial hardship does not exist solely based on the fact that a prospective juror will be required to be absent from his or her place of employment" (§ 12-16-63(c)).

You must take all actions necessary to get a ruling on a hardship request by your appearance date, and "Upon the request of the court, the individual seeking to be excused must provide documentation of the hardship." Do not assume you are excused until the court rules.

Nursing mothers

A nursing mother asking to be excused must give the court "(i) a written statement that she is a nursing mother; and (ii) a certificate of birth or other government document or medical record certifying the birth of the child she is nursing" (§ 12-16-63(d)).

What an excuse means for future summonses

"A prospective juror excused pursuant to this section shall be exempt from jury service for a period of 24 months" (§ 12-16-63(e)(1)). After that, you may be directed to reappear at the court's direction. Being excused does not affect your right to one postponement.

Military service members

Federal law says an active-duty member of the armed forces may not be required to serve on a state or local jury if the member's branch Secretary determines that service would unreasonably interfere with military duties or adversely affect unit readiness, and that determination is conclusive (10 U.S.C. § 982). Separately, Alabama law exempts members of the National Guard, Naval Militia and Alabama State Guard (when activated in lieu of the National Guard) from state jury duty during their active membership (Ala. Code § 31-2-11). The court accepts a certificate of membership signed by the unit's commanding officer as proof; it is good for the calendar year it is issued or until discharge or separation, whichever is sooner. Anyone may also use a postponement or ask the court for a public-necessity excuse.

Postponing jury service

Under § 12-16-63.1(a), "Individuals scheduled to appear for jury service have the right to postpone the date of their initial appearance for jury service one time only." You ask by appearing in person or contacting the clerk by phone, email or in writing, and you fix a date certain within six months of your original date, on which court will be in session.

A later postponement "may be approved by a judicial officer only in the event of an extreme emergency, such as a death in the family, sudden grave illness, or a natural disaster or a national emergency in which the prospective juror is personally involved, that could not have been anticipated at the time the initial postponement was granted" (§ 12-16-63.1(b)). The new date must again fall within six months.

Small employers get a separate rule: a court "shall automatically postpone and reschedule the service of a summoned juror who is an employee of an employer with five or fewer full-time employees, or their equivalent, if another employee of that employer also has been summoned to appear during the same period" (§ 12-16-8(e)). That does not use up your own postponement.

How much does jury duty pay in Alabama?

Alabama jurors are entitled to a daily expense allowance and a per-mile amount, proved by the juror's oath before the clerk. Since Act 2023-403, the statute no longer states a dollar figure: "The Alabama Supreme Court, by order or rule, shall establish the amount of expense allowance and mileage to be paid to each juror" (§ 12-19-210(b)).

The money is paid out of the State Treasury from funds appropriated to the Administrative Office of Courts. We could not open the Alabama judiciary's juror pages to confirm the current amounts for this review, so we do not print a figure; check your summons or ask the clerk.

When a court orders a jury kept together overnight or for an unusual length of time, the sheriff, with the court's approval, provides lodging and meals at state expense (§ 12-16-10). Whoever pays jurors must give each juror a statement of the daily fee and the total received (§ 12-16-8(d)), which you can show your employer.

Alabama employer rules for jury duty

Time off: show your summons

Under § 12-16-8(a), "Upon receiving a summons to report for jury duty, any employee, on the next day he or she is engaged in his or her employment, shall exhibit the summons to his or her immediate superior, and the employee shall thereupon be excused from his or her employment for the day or days required of him or her in serving as a juror." The rule covers service in any state or federal court.

Full-time employees keep their usual pay

Section 12-16-8(c) says "any full-time employee shall be entitled to his or her usual compensation received from such employment." The section states no cap and no limit on the number of days, and it does not define "full-time."

The pay sentence covers full-time employees only. For part-time workers, Alabama's jury statute does not require private employers to keep paying you, though the time-off and anti-retaliation rules still apply.

State employees have their own rule: "Employees in the state service who are required by a court to attend such court in the capacity of jurors shall be granted a special leave with pay to attend such court" (Ala. Admin. Code r. 670-X-15-.05). School and local government employees should check their own leave rules.

No forced use of leave

"An employee may not be required or requested to use annual, vacation, unpaid leave, or sick leave for time spent responding to a summons for jury duty, time spent participating in the jury selection process, or for time spent actually serving on a jury" (§ 12-16-8(b)). The employer does not have to provide leave to employees who are not otherwise entitled to it.

Your job is protected

Under § 12-16-8.1, an employer may not discharge or take adverse employment action against an employee solely because of jury service, as long as the employee reports for work at the next regularly scheduled hour after being dismissed from the jury. Report back on time and keep your court paperwork.

"Any employee who is so discharged or subjected to an adverse employment action shall have a cause of action against the employer for the discharge or adverse employment action in any court of competent jurisdiction in this state and shall be entitled to recover both actual and punitive damages" (§ 12-16-8.1(b)). The section is supplemental to Alabama's other juror-protection statutes.

Section 12-16-8.1 states no filing deadline, damages cap or reinstatement remedy. Alabama's general two-year limit for claims for injury to the rights of another not arising from contract (Ala. Code § 6-2-38(l)) may apply, so talk to an Alabama employment lawyer promptly if you were disciplined or fired over jury service. For how this fits with other limits on firing, see our page on Alabama at-will employment laws.

What happens if you miss jury duty in Alabama

A summoned juror who fails to obey without a good excuse is in contempt under § 12-16-82. The process:

1. If you do not appear and no sufficient excuse is offered at the default, the court issues an order for you to show cause.
2. If you give no sufficient excuse by the next session after notice, you "shall be fined by the court not more than three hundred dollars ($300) and may be imprisoned in the county jail for not more than 10 days."
3. In courts with sessions longer than 30 days, the order is returnable in 20 days and you have 10 days after service to respond.

The qualification form carries its own consequences under § 12-16-59. If you do not return it, the commission can order you to appear before it; continued failure can be certified to the court for a show-cause order, and failing to appear or show cause is criminal contempt. "Any person who willfully misrepresents a material fact on a juror qualification form for the purpose of securing or avoiding service as a juror shall be guilty of a misdemeanor."

If you missed your date or your form deadline, contact the court or jury commission on your paperwork right away.

How long jury duty lasts in Alabama

The Alabama jury statutes reviewed for this page do not state a term-of-service length or a maximum frequency for summonses; the 24-month exemption after an excuse is the only frequency rule we found. Your summons will say how long to expect to serve.

County jury commissions draw names from a master jury box. "The master jury box shall be emptied and refilled by December 31 of each even numbered year" (§ 12-16-58), so the 2026 refill is due by December 31, 2026. The master list itself is reviewed at least once every four years (§ 12-16-57(a)).

How to respond to an Alabama jury summons

The steps the statutes set out:

1. If you receive a juror qualification form, complete it truthfully and return it within 10 days (§ 12-16-59).
2. Show your summons to your immediate superior on your next workday (§ 12-16-8(a)).
3. If you are 80 or older and want a permanent exemption, send the court a written statement asking for it (§ 12-16-62(b)).
4. If you need a later date, contact the clerk in person, by phone, email or in writing and fix a date within six months (§ 12-16-63.1).
5. For a hardship, medical, nursing-mother or public-necessity excuse, apply to the court with your documentation and get a ruling before your report date (§ 12-16-63).

We could not open the Alabama judiciary's juror web pages for this review, so follow the response instructions printed on your summons for any online option.

Jury duty scams target people across the country. Our guide to government impersonation scams explains how these schemes work, and our page on Alabama scam and fraud laws covers where to report one.

Recent changes

Three recent acts changed Alabama jury law. Act 2026-529 added the age-80 permanent exemption to § 12-16-62, in the version effective October 1, 2026. Act 2023-403 moved juror pay from a fixed statutory figure to a Supreme Court order (§ 12-19-210). Act 2025-454 is the latest amendment to the excusal section, § 12-16-63. Older guides that list a dollar figure for Alabama juror pay, or that lack the age-80 rule, may be out of date.

Disclaimer: This page is general legal information about Alabama jury service, not legal advice. The court that summoned you decides every excuse and postponement request. Information verified October 7, 2026. For questions about your summons, contact the court or jury commission listed on it; for an employment dispute, consult a lawyer licensed in Alabama.

Related pages

• Jury duty laws by state
• Alabama at-will employment laws
• Alabama court records
• Alabama scam and fraud laws

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my employer have to pay me for jury duty in Alabama?

If you work full time, yes. Ala. Code § 12-16-8(c) entitles any full-time employee to his or her usual compensation during jury service, and the section states no day limit. State employees get special leave with pay under Ala. Admin. Code r. 670-X-15-.05.

Can I get out of jury duty in Alabama if I am over 80?

Yes, if you ask. Since October 1, 2026, a person 80 or older may send the court a written statement requesting a permanent exemption, and the court must then remove the person from the master jury list (§ 12-16-62(b), Act 2026-529).

How much does jury duty pay in Alabama?

Section 12-19-210 directs the Alabama Supreme Court to set the daily expense allowance and mileage by order or rule, paid from state funds. Check your summons or the clerk for the current amount.

Can I be fired for jury duty in Alabama?

Not solely for jury service, if you report back to work at your next regularly scheduled hour after the jury dismisses you. An employee fired or punished can sue for actual and punitive damages (§ 12-16-8.1).

Can my employer make me use vacation or sick days for jury duty in Alabama?

No. Section 12-16-8(b) bars requiring or requesting that an employee use annual, vacation, unpaid or sick leave for responding to a summons, jury selection or serving.

How do I get excused from jury duty in Alabama?

Apply to the court on one of four grounds in § 12-16-63: undue or extreme hardship, an incapacitating condition, being a nursing mother, or public necessity. Missing work alone is not a hardship, and an excused juror is exempt for 24 months.

Can I postpone jury duty in Alabama?

Yes, once as of right, to a date certain within six months of your original date (§ 12-16-63.1(a)). A second postponement needs a judicial officer and an unanticipated extreme emergency such as a death in the family.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Alabama?

The court issues a show-cause order, and a juror with no sufficient excuse can be fined up to $300 and jailed up to 10 days (§ 12-16-82).