Alaska Jury Duty Laws: Pay, Excuses and Employer Rules

Alaska sets the qualifications for state-court jury service in chapter 09.20 of the Alaska Statutes, starting with AS 09.20.010, and the Alaska Court System fills in pay, excuses and terms of service through Administrative Rules 14 and 15. The court pays jurors $50 a day beginning on the second day you appear; the first day is unpaid (Administrative Bulletin 66).

An employer may not fire, threaten, coerce or penalize you because of jury service (AS 09.20.037). There is no automatic age-out, but a person over age 70 is permanently excused on request (Alaska Admin. R. 15(f)(2)).

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 Alaska state courts (superior and district courts). A summons from the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska 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, the clerk or a judge excuses you, or you defer to a later term. Alaska's statute lets a person "claim exemption" on specific grounds, but the court decides whether the showing is made (AS 09.20.030). Most excusal and deferral rules live in the court's Administrative Rule 15.

Requests go through the Alaska Court System's online Jury Dashboard or the jury clerk on your summons (Alaska Court System, Jury Service). 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 Alaska

Under AS 09.20.010(a), a person is qualified to serve as a juror if the person is:

• a citizen of the United States;
• a resident of the state;
• at least 18 years of age;
• of sound mind;
• in possession of the person's natural faculties; and
• able to read or speak the English language.

The statute sets no minimum length of residence. Loss of hearing or sight "in any degree," or a disability that substantially impairs mobility, does not by itself disqualify you, and the court must provide and pay for an interpreter or reader when one is needed (AS 09.20.010(b)-(c)). The court's jury page says you can ask for an accommodation on the questionnaire, through the Jury Dashboard, or by calling the jury clerk.

Who is disqualified

Under AS 09.20.020, you are disqualified if you:

• served as a juror in Alaska within one year of the time of examination for service; or
• have "been convicted of a felony for which the person has not been unconditionally discharged."

Unconditional discharge means "a defendant is released from all disability arising under a sentence, including probation and parole" (AS 12.55.185). So a person who has finished the sentence, probation and parole is no longer disqualified by this section. A misdemeanor conviction is not a disqualifier in these sections.

If your questionnaire shows you are not qualified, the clerk excuses you after verifying it, for example from a green card or passport for a non-citizen, or a case number or officer's name for a person on felony probation or parole (Alaska Admin. R. 15(f)(1)(B)(i); Administrative Bulletin 66.2). These excusals generally last one year from the first day of the term.

Exemptions, excuses and deferrals in Alaska

Hardship, health and family care

The statute lets a person "claim exemption" and be excused "if it is shown that the person's health, the health or proper care of the person's family, a permanent physical or mental disability, or other substantial hardship expected to last more than two years makes it necessary" (AS 09.20.030(a)). That covers long-lasting problems.

For shorter ones, Administrative Rule 15(f)(1)(A) lets a judicial officer temporarily excuse you on the same kinds of grounds, either for part of the term or for one year from its first day. Administrative Bulletin 66.2 also lets clerks grant short excusals for illness or a medical or family emergency.

Unless the local judge has ordered otherwise, Bulletin 66.2 also lets the clerk excuse you for one year, without a judge, if you are the sole caregiver for a family member who needs your full-time care (with a medical professional's written note), a parent or relative acting as full-time parent who cares for your own children under 12, does not work outside the home during the day and has no reasonable free child care, a night shift worker, without transportation to the court, in jail for the whole term, or living, studying or working outside the court's jury selection area with no plan to return in the next 10 months (Administrative Bulletin 66.2). Requests based on your job or religious beliefs go to a judge. Excusal for mental or physical incapacity needs a court-appointed guardian's or a licensed provider's written verification.

Teachers at low-performing schools

Only one teacher group gets a statutory exemption. A person "shall be excused by the court from service as a juror during the school term if it is shown that the person is a teacher in a school that is designated as a low performing school" under State Board of Education and Early Development regulations (AS 09.20.030(b)). It does not cover all teachers, and you must claim it.

Age: the over-70 opt-out

Alaska has no upper age limit in AS 09.20 and no automatic age-out. "Upon request, the clerk will permanently excuse a person from all future jury service if the person: (A) is over age 70" (Alaska Admin. R. 15(f)(2)). Administrative Bulletin 66.2 lets the clerk also grant this excusal to someone who will turn 70 within 10 months after the term starts.

The excusal is permanent, but only if you ask for it. Until you do, you remain on the list.

Military and National Guard members

Alaska's jury statutes (AS 09.20), court rules and military code (AS 26.05) give no automatic military or National Guard exemption. A service member may ask under the hardship and deferral rules; under Administrative Bulletin 66.2, a request based on a commander's letter citing 10 U.S.C. § 982 goes to a judge rather than the clerk.

Federal law separately 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). Ask your command about it if that applies to you.

Deferring your service

Before your term begins, "the person may defer jury service once without providing a reason if the person agrees to another term of service beginning no later than 10 months from the date the original term of service was scheduled to begin" (Alaska Admin. R. 15(e)(2)). Courts may allow more reason-free deferrals within the 10 months, though some courts require a reason for later deferrals. People summoned to a one-year term in a court whose master list has fewer than 2,000 people cannot defer.

By statute, service may also be deferred for hardship to you or another person, for transportation problems that make service temporarily impossible, or if you are a full-time or temporary election official and service falls in a primary or general election month (AS 09.20.035). You must agree to the new date, and deferral may not run more than 10 months past your original start date. A request beyond 10 months is treated as a request to be excused.

Shift workers who are unavailable for part of every term may have that portion deferred, and Bulletin 66.2 says commercial fishermen may get the same consideration.

How much does jury duty pay in Alaska?

"The court will pay jurors at the rate of $50 per day beginning on the second day a juror appears for service. The court will not pay jurors for the first day of service" (Administrative Bulletin 66). Administrative Rule 14(a) leaves the rate to the administrative director, so it is one statewide figure rather than a county rate.

Calling in without appearing does not count as a day of service (Alaska Admin. R. 15(k)), so check in as the court instructs before you travel.

Alaska employer rules for jury duty

Your job is protected

"An employer may not deprive an employee of employment or threaten, coerce, or penalize an employee because the employee receives or responds to a summons for jury service, serves as a juror, or attends court for prospective jury service" (AS 09.20.037(a)).

The text states no employer-size threshold, no full-time or permanent-employee condition, and no advance-notice requirement.

Does your employer have to pay you?

No, not under the jury statute. AS 09.20.037(a) says: "This section does not require an employer to pay wages to an employee for time spent on jury service or in court for prospective jury service." The statute also says nothing about whether an employer may require you to use vacation or sick leave, or about shift scheduling.

Full-time State of Alaska employees, whether permanent, nonpermanent or temporary, are entitled to administrative leave with pay for jury service, less any juror pay they receive (AS 39.20.270), and the court does not pay state employees the juror fee (Admin. R. 14(d)). State employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement, and University of Alaska staff, fall outside that leave law unless another law says otherwise (AS 39.20.310), so check your contract or university policy. School district and local government employees should check their own leave rules or union contract.

If your employer violates the law

"If an employer violates this section, the employee may bring a civil action to recover wages lost as a result of the violation, other damages that resulted from the violation, and may also seek an order requiring the reinstatement of the employee" (AS 09.20.037(b)). The section states no criminal penalty for the employer.

The jury statute does not state its own filing deadline, but Alaska's general two-year limit for actions on a liability created by statute likely applies (AS 09.10.070(a)(5)), so talk to an Alaska employment lawyer promptly. For how this rule fits with other limits on firing, see our page on Alaska at-will employment laws.

What happens if you miss jury duty in Alaska

Alaska treats "when summoned as a juror in a court, neglecting to attend or serve" as contempt of court (AS 09.50.010(11)). Criminal contempt is a class A misdemeanor. Civil contempt carries damages, a civil penalty of $5,000 or less for each violation, and other orders the court finds appropriate (AS 09.50.020(a)).

In practice the court rule describes the process for a juror who deferred to the last available term and then fails to appear: the court may excuse the juror for good cause, excuse and reassign the juror to the next term, or impose sanctions (Admin. R. 15(e)(6)). If you missed your date, contact the jury clerk on your summons right away.

How long jury duty lasts in Alaska

Your term depends on the size of the court's local master jury list (Alaska Admin. R. 15(k)):

"No person will be required to appear for jury service more than 30 days per year, except that a person serving on a jury must continue to serve until discharged by the trial judge" (Admin. R. 15(k)). By statute, no one may be required to serve more than a total of three months as a juror in any consecutive two-year period, except to finish a trial already in progress (AS 09.20.025).

How often you can be called

After you appear for jury service in Alaska state or federal court, you are not required to serve again for one year after your term ends. In courts whose master list includes over 50,000 people, which Bulletin 66.2 names as Anchorage, Fairbanks and Palmer, the period is two years unless the administrative director finds too few jurors (Admin. R. 15(f)(3)). Only appearing counts; being summoned without appearing does not.

How to respond to an Alaska jury summons

The Alaska Court System sends summonses by regular mail or email, and you may complete the qualification questionnaire online or return it by mail (Admin. R. 15(d)). The statewide Jury Service page links to the Jury Dashboard, where you can "Check your status, upload documents, send a request to the jury clerk to be rescheduled or excused, update your address" (Alaska Court System, Jury Service).

1. Complete the qualification questionnaire online or by mail.
2. If you are over 70 and want a permanent excusal, or you have a permanent medical condition with written verification, request it through the dashboard or the jury clerk.
3. To defer, pick a new term within 10 months.
4. For hardship, upload your documents and send the request to the jury clerk.
5. Check in as instructed before each reporting day, and treat your date as firm until the court confirms an excusal or deferral.

Watch for jury duty scam calls

The Alaska Court System warns that scammers call or email claiming you missed jury service and demand payment. "The Alaska Court System will never send you an email threatening you with fines or imprisonment" (Alaska Court System, Jury Scam Alert). Its 2023 press release adds: "The Alaska Court system does not attempt to collect money from any person for failing to serve as a juror" (Alaska Court System press release, Aug. 9, 2023).

Our guide to government impersonation scams explains how these schemes work, and our page on Alaska scam and fraud laws covers where to report.

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

Related pages

• Jury duty laws by state
• Alaska at-will employment laws
• Alaska court records and set-asides
• Alaska scam and fraud laws

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does jury duty pay in Alaska?

The Alaska Court System pays $50 a day beginning on the second day you appear; the first day is unpaid (Administrative Bulletin 66). Drivers traveling more than 30 miles one way also get mileage at the state-employee rate (Admin. R. 14(b)).

Can I get out of jury duty in Alaska if I am over 70?

Yes, if you ask. On request, the clerk permanently excuses a person over age 70 from all future jury service (Admin. R. 15(f)(2)). It is not automatic.

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

No, not under the jury statute: AS 09.20.037(a) says it does not require an employer to pay wages for jury service. Full-time State of Alaska employees get paid leave for jury service (AS 39.20.270; Admin. R. 14(d)), though union-covered and University of Alaska staff should check their contract or policy; school and local government employees should check their own leave rules.

Can I be fired for jury duty in Alaska?

No. AS 09.20.037 bars an employer from firing, threatening, coercing or penalizing you because of jury service, and you may sue for lost wages, other damages and reinstatement.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Alaska?

Neglecting to attend when summoned is contempt of court (AS 09.50.010(11)). Criminal contempt is a class A misdemeanor, and civil contempt can bring a civil penalty of $5,000 or less per violation (AS 09.50.020).

Can I postpone jury duty in Alaska?

Yes. Before your term begins you may defer once without a reason to a term starting within 10 months (Admin. R. 15(e)(2)). People summoned to one-year terms in small courts cannot use this deferral.

Can a felon serve on a jury in Alaska?

Yes, once unconditionally discharged. AS 09.20.020 disqualifies a person convicted of a felony who has not been unconditionally discharged, which means released from all disability under the sentence, including probation and parole (AS 12.55.185).

Are teachers exempt from jury duty in Alaska?

Only certificated classroom teachers at a school designated low performing, and only during the school term, if they claim it (AS 09.20.030(b)). Other teachers may ask under the general hardship rules.

How long is jury duty in Alaska?

It depends on your court: from one week in courts with 100,000 or more people on the master list to a full year in courts with under 2,000. No one has to appear more than 30 days a year except to finish a trial (Admin. R. 15(k)).