Georgia Jury Duty Laws: Pay, Exemptions and Employer Rules (2026)

Georgia sets the rules for state-court jury service in Chapter 12 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia, with the main excuse and deferral rules in O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1.1. Pay is set county by county: each county's grand jury fixes a daily expense allowance between $5 and $50 (§ 15-12-7).

An employer may not fire, discipline or penalize you for answering a jury summons (O.C.G.A. § 34-1-3), but that statute does not require the employer to pay you for the time off. A person 70 or older may ask the clerk to be excused; it is not automatic.

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

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers trial (petit) and grand jury service in Georgia state courts: superior and state courts, which draw jurors county by county. A summons from a federal court (a U.S. District Court in Georgia) follows federal law, summarized on our jury duty laws by state hub.

A note on sources: the official Georgia Code is published through LexisNexis and could not be opened for this review, so the statute links on this page go to the 2025 Code of Georgia on law.justia.com, an unofficial copy. Where the 2014 act that last rewrote these sections is available on the General Assembly's site, we cross-checked the text against House Bill 1078.

Do you have to go? The short answer

If you received a Georgia jury summons, you are expected to respond by the date on it. Georgia has no automatic, by-category exemption that cancels a summons without a request: every excuse below starts with you asking the court or the clerk.

Georgia.gov tells summoned jurors that if they are eligible for an exemption, they "must contact the court to receive an exemption before your appearance date" (Georgia.gov, Serve Jury Duty). To see which category might fit your situation before you call, try our jury duty exemption checker.

Who can serve on a jury in Georgia

Georgia's statutes put the trial-juror qualifications in several places rather than one list:

• Citizenship. No person is qualified to serve as a juror "unless that person is a citizen of the United States" (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-4(b)).
• Felony convictions and competence. A person convicted of a felony in a state or federal court who has not had his or her civil rights restored, and a person judicially determined to be mentally incompetent, is not eligible to serve as a trial juror (§ 15-12-40). The statute does not spell out how civil rights are restored.
• Recent service. A person who has served as a trial or grand juror at any session of the superior or state courts is ineligible until the clerk receives the county's next master jury list (§ 15-12-4(a)). The statute does not set a fixed number of months.

Georgia.gov's plain-language summary adds the practical basics it expects of jurors: be a U.S. citizen, be at least 18, be proficient enough in English to understand and discuss the case, live in the county that sent the summons, not be under a conservatorship, and have had your civil rights restored if you were convicted of a felony or of malfeasance in public office. The same page describes the recent-service rule as not having served on a jury in the last 12 months (Georgia.gov). Those items come from the state's summary page; the Code sections cited above state the rules in the narrower terms shown.

Grand jurors

Grand jury service has its own eligibility section. A grand juror must be a citizen of Georgia, 18 or older, who has lived in the county for at least six months before service (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-60(a)).

A person who holds any state or local elective office, or held one within the two years before service, is not eligible to serve as a grand juror (§ 15-12-60(b)). Section 15-12-60(c) also bars people with unrestored felony convictions, people judicially determined to be mentally incompetent, people charged with a felony who are in certain pretrial or diversion programs, people serving certain felony sentences, and participants in drug, mental health or veterans court divisions.

Exemptions, excuses and postponements in Georgia

Georgia's jury chapter does not list exempt occupations such as police officers or lawyers. Instead, O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1.1 sets out a few groups whose requests the court must grant, plus a general "good cause" route that the court decides case by case.

The age 70 excuse

A person who is 70 years of age or older "shall be entitled to request that the clerk excuse such person from jury service in the county," and on that request "the clerk shall inactivate such person" (§ 15-12-1.1(b)). The request must be in writing, with an affidavit giving your name, age and any other information the clerk requires.

Two points trip people up. First, it is a request, not an automatic exemption: if you do nothing, the summons stands. Second, older summaries that say Georgia excuses people over 65 are out of date; the current age in the statute is 70. The statute does not say how long the inactivation lasts, so ask the clerk whether you will need to repeat the request if you are summoned again.

Students, parents and caregivers

The student, child-care, home-study and dependent-care groups all use the same mandatory language: a person in the group who asks "shall be excused or deferred from jury duty." For the parent of a young child, the affidavit has to state both that you are the primary caregiver of a child six or younger and that you have no reasonably available alternative child care (§ 15-12-1.1(a)(3)).

A caregiver for an older dependent must state in the affidavit that there is no reasonably available alternative to provide the care, and must give the court a physician's or other medical provider's statement supporting the affidavit (§ 15-12-1.1(a)(5)). A home-study teacher's affidavit must likewise state that there is no reasonably available alternative for the children (§ 15-12-1.1(a)(4)). The court provides the affidavit forms.

Military service members and spouses

Under § 15-12-1.1(c), a service member on ordered military duty, or that service member's spouse, who asks "shall be excused or deferred from jury duty upon presentation of a copy of a valid military identification card and execution of an affidavit." The statute defines a service member as an active-duty member of the regular or reserve armed forces, the Coast Guard, the Georgia National Guard or the Georgia Air National Guard who was on ordered federal duty for 90 days or longer. "Ordered military duty" means duty for the state or the United States, including attendance at a service school that requires the member to be at least 50 miles from home.

A separate Title 38 provision, O.C.G.A. § 38-2-276, says members of Georgia's organized militia are exempt from jury duty while serving on ordered active duty, on a commanding officer's certificate that is good for 30 days. A 1967 Attorney General opinion concluded that this exemption was repealed by the general jury-exemption statute, so whether a court will honor it is uncertain; if it applies to you, present the certificate and ask the court to confirm.

Separately, federal law lets the Secretary concerned (the service member's branch Secretary) decide that state or local jury service would unreasonably interfere with the member's military duties or adversely affect unit readiness, and that determination is conclusive (10 U.S.C. § 982). If you do not fit the Georgia definition, ask your command about it.

Good cause, medical and hardship requests

Georgia has no separate statutory category for illness, distance, or financial hardship. Those requests fall under the general rule: a person who shows he or she will be engaged in work necessary to the public health, safety or good order, "or who shows other good cause," may have service deferred or excused by the judge or by a person the chief judge has appointed to excuse jurors (§ 15-12-1.1(a)(1)).

The court decides these requests under its own guidelines, and the court must provide affidavit forms. Do not assume a good-cause request is granted until the court confirms it.

Postponement: usually a new date, not a cancellation

Except for people who are permanently mentally or physically disabled, the statute says "all excuses shall be deferred to a date and time certain within that term or the next succeeding term or shall be deferred as set forth in the court order" (§ 15-12-1.1(a)(1)). In practice, an approved good-cause request often moves your service rather than ending it. Georgia law does not set a fixed number of postponements; the court order controls.

How much does jury duty pay in Georgia?

Georgia jurors receive an expense allowance, not a wage, and the amount is set locally. In each county, the first grand jury impaneled at the fall term fixes the allowance for trial and grand jurors in superior court for the next year, at "not to be less than $5.00 nor to exceed $50.00 per diem" (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-7(a)(2)).

Georgia.gov says the allowance is paid for each day of service, including jury selection, and tells jurors to "Contact the court to arrange payment" (Georgia.gov). Your county's exact daily figure is on its jury office page or your summons.

Some counties let jurors give the allowance away. Cobb County Superior Court runs a Juror Fee Donation Program that lets jurors donate their jury pay to listed county programs, and the court says "The donation program is completely optional" (Cobb County Superior Court Juror Information). That is a county program, not a statewide rule.

Georgia employer rules for jury duty

Your job is protected

Georgia makes it unlawful for an employer or its agent "to discharge, discipline, or otherwise penalize an employee because the employee is absent from his or her employment for the purpose of attending a judicial proceeding in response to a subpoena, summons for jury duty, or other court order or process" (O.C.G.A. § 34-1-3(a)). Threatening to do so is also unlawful under the same subsection. The text sets no minimum employer size.

Two limits apply. The protection does not apply to an employee who is charged with a crime, and it does not stop an employer from requiring "reasonable notification" of your expected absence or delay in reporting to work (§ 34-1-3(c)). Show your employer the summons as soon as you get it.

Does your employer have to pay you?

Georgia's jury-duty employment statute, § 34-1-3, protects your job but says nothing requiring an employer to keep paying wages while you serve. Georgia.gov puts it this way: "Employers in Georgia are required to grant employees time off, though it may be unpaid, to serve jury duty" (Georgia.gov).

Two groups of public employees are paid by law or rule. Public school teachers get jury leave "without loss of pay," the time is not deducted from sick, personal or professional leave, and they cannot be made to pay for a substitute; local school boards may set policy on whether the teacher keeps the juror fee (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-870).

Non-temporary salaried employees of state executive-branch agencies (the University System of Georgia is excluded) get paid court leave for jury duty that is not charged to their accrued leave, and they may keep the juror fees and travel allowances the court pays. Hourly and temporary state employees are not eligible, and an employee released early must return to work that day (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 478-1-.16(16)).

Many private employers pay jurors anyway under their own leave policies. County and city employees should check their employer's personnel policy; everyone else should check the handbook or ask HR.

If your employer retaliates

An employer or agent who violates § 34-1-3(a) "shall be liable to the injured employee for all actual damages thereby suffered by the employee and for reasonable attorney's fees incurred by the employee in asserting a successful claim" (§ 34-1-3(b)). The statute does not state a filing deadline or a criminal penalty, so talk to a Georgia employment lawyer promptly if you were fired or disciplined. For how this rule fits with other limits on firing, see our page on Georgia at-will employment laws.

What happens if you miss jury duty in Georgia

If a person "is duly summoned to appear as a trial or grand juror at court and neglects or refuses to appear," or a juror leaves without the court's permission, that failure "may, after notice and hearing, be punished as contempt of court" (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-10). The section does not set a dollar amount or jail term; the notice and hearing come first.

County practice follows that sequence. Cobb County Superior Court says a juror who disregards a summons is first contacted by mail, may in certain circumstances be ordered to appear before a judge in a written, signed order, and that a fine will never be imposed until the person has appeared in court and had a chance to explain (Cobb County). Cobb also offers a request route to be rescheduled after failing to appear. If you missed your date, contact the jury office on your summons right away.

Courts may also require prospective jurors to answer written questionnaires about their qualifications (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-11(b), as amended by HB 1078). Answer them completely and truthfully. If you fail or refuse to answer one, the clerk reports it to the court, which has subpoena, attachment and contempt powers (§ 15-12-11(d)). The questionnaires are confidential and exempt from public disclosure, though the court and the parties to the case can see them (§ 15-12-11(c)).

How long jury duty lasts in Georgia

Georgia.gov explains that the court randomly selects jurors from a pool of eligible local residents and mails a summons showing the date, time and location. Jurors appear in person for jury selection, and "If you are not selected, the court will dismiss you and your obligations for this jury summons will be complete" (Georgia.gov).

For trial juries, the law caps total service. No person may serve on the trial jury of the superior court or any trial jury in other courts "for more than four weeks in any one year" unless the person is actually engaged in a trial when the four weeks expire, in which case the juror is discharged as soon as the case is decided (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-3).

Grand jury terms are set locally and run longer. Cobb County, for example, describes a two-month grand jury term that meets about one to two days a week (Cobb County Grand Juror Information).

How to respond to a Georgia jury summons

Jury summonses, excuses and postponements are handled by the court in each county, and Georgia.gov's instruction is to "Follow the instructions on the summons or contact the court directly for more information" (Georgia.gov).

1. Read the summons for the court, date, and the county's online or phone instructions.
2. If an exemption or deferral category fits you, ask for it before your appearance date, using the court's affidavit form where the statute requires one.
3. For the age 70 excuse, send the clerk a written request with an affidavit.
4. Keep a copy of anything you submit, and wait for the court's confirmation before skipping a reporting date.

Cobb County, as one example, takes excusal and postponement requests through its own system and lists a jury office line at 770-528-1757 (Cobb County Superior Court Juror Information). Other counties use their own contact details, printed on the summons.

Watch for jury duty scam calls

Cobb County Superior Court warns that scammers call people claiming they missed jury duty and demand payment, including gift cards. The court states: "The court will always send a jury summons by U.S. Mail. The court and law enforcement will never demand payment over the phone. The court and law enforcement will never demand a gift card number to satisfy an obligation" (Cobb County). Hang up and call the jury office number on the court's own website. Our guide to government impersonation scams explains how these calls work and where to report them.

Recent changes

We found no enacted 2025 or 2026 change to Georgia's jury qualification, excuse, pay or contempt sections. The codified histories of §§ 15-12-1.1, -3, -4, -7 and -10 end with 2014 acts, and a 2026 grand jury bill, Senate Bill 607, was tabled in the Senate on March 6, 2026, per the General Assembly's legislation search. That search was not exhaustive, so a very recent change could be missing; the court that summoned you will apply the current law.

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

Related pages

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

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does jury duty pay in Georgia?

Georgia pays jurors a daily expense allowance of $5 to $50, fixed for each county by its fall-term grand jury (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-7). Georgia.gov says most counties pay around $25 a day, so check your county's jury office for the exact figure.

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

A person 70 or older may ask the clerk in writing, with an affidavit giving name and age, to be excused, and the clerk shall then inactivate that person (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1.1(b)). It is not automatic; you must make the request.

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

For most private-sector workers, no. O.C.G.A. § 34-1-3 protects your job but does not require your employer to keep paying you, and Georgia.gov says the time off may be unpaid. Two public groups are paid: public school teachers get jury leave without loss of pay and without using sick, personal or professional leave (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-870), and salaried, non-temporary state executive-branch employees get paid court leave and may keep the juror fee (State Personnel Board Rule 478-1-.16). Check your employer's leave policy.

Can I be fired for jury duty in Georgia?

No. An employer may not discharge, discipline or otherwise penalize an employee for attending court in response to a jury summons, and a violating employer is liable for actual damages and reasonable attorney's fees (O.C.G.A. § 34-1-3). The employer may require reasonable notice of the absence.

What happens if I ignore a jury summons in Georgia?

Failing to appear after being duly summoned may, after notice and a hearing, be punished as contempt of court (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-10). The statute sets no specific fine, and counties such as Cobb say they contact the juror by mail first.

Can college students get out of jury duty in Georgia?

A full-time student at a college, university, vocational school or other postsecondary school who asks shall be excused or deferred while enrolled and taking classes or exams (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1.1(a)(2)).

Can a stay-at-home parent be excused from jury duty in Georgia?

A primary caregiver of a child six or younger who has no reasonably available alternative child care, and who signs the court's affidavit, shall be excused or deferred on request (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1.1(a)(3)).

Can a felon serve on a jury in Georgia?

A person convicted of a felony in a state or federal court is not eligible to serve as a trial juror unless his or her civil rights have been restored (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-40).

How long is jury duty in Georgia?

If you are not picked during jury selection, your obligation for that summons ends, according to Georgia.gov. Georgia law does not allow a person to serve on trial juries for more than four weeks in any one year unless a trial is under way when the four weeks end (O.C.G.A. § 15-12-3).