Jury Service

Hours: You must be available to report at 8:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. and able to stay until 5:00 p.m. on the day you report for jury duty. Due to the nature of jury service and the court process itself, there are often periods of waiting. We suggest you bring a book or other material to occupy your time. Our jury assembly rooms are equipped with Wi-Fi.

Breaks: You will have a morning and afternoon break and a lunch hour. There is a cafeteria located at the Hall of Justice and restaurants within walking distance of the Government Center. For your convenience, there are also ATM machines on premises.

Dress: Business attire is suggested. Jurors are advised to dress in layers as the temperature of the jury assembly areas and courtrooms may fluctuate.

Parking: Free parking is available at all Court facilities. DO NOT park in spaces reserved for handicapped unless you are authorized to park there, and do not park in carpool or in spaces with limited time (violators will be ticketed). Make a note of where you parked your car. Parking location signs are located throughout the lots.

Security Screening: When entering the court facility you will be screened through a security device. Do not bring any knives, scissors, handwork needles, metal fingernail files, tools, wallet chains, handcuff keys, or any items that may possibly be used as a weapon. Items considered weapons will be confiscated upon entering. We do not have the facilities to store these items until the end of the day. Please do not bring them.

Qualifications: California law says you are qualified to be a juror if you:

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are at least 18 years old
• Can understand English enough to understand and discuss the case
• Are a resident of the county that sent you the jury summons
• Have not served on a jury in the last 12 months
• Are not currently on a grand jury or on another trial jury
• Are not under a conservatorship
• Had your civil rights restored after conviction of malfeasance in office
• Were convicted of a felony but not currently incarcerated, not currently on parole, postrelease community supervision, felony probation, or mandated supervision for the conviction, and not required to register as a sex offender pursuant to PC 290

No one is exempt because of his or her job, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, or economic status.

If you are qualified, please follow the directions on your summons and call in or report as instructed. You will receive additional information when you report for service.

Excuse requests: Requests to be excused must be submitted by using the Respond Online portal. You cannot be excused by email. Notification will be sent to confirm if your request is granted or denied.

If you need special accommodations, please contact Jury Services right away.

Postponement: You may postpone your service up to 90 days. Click the Respond Online button to request a postponement. Enter your badge number, zip code and birth date. Click on "Request Schedule Change" and choose an available date. If the "Request Schedule Change" tab does not allow you to make the request, please call (805) 289-8661.

Students: Students may request a postponement of service to the next school break. Click the "Respond Online" button to request a schedule change. You may choose an available date. If the "Request Schedule Change" tab does not allow you to make the request, please call (805) 289-8661.

You may also contact Jury Services via email at jury-service@ventura.courts.ca.gov to request a postponement (but not to request to be excused). Please include your full name and your badge number when requesting postponement by email. Email response may take 2 to 3 days.

Section 230(a) of the Labor Code reads: No employer shall discharge or in any manner discriminate against an employee for taking time off to serve as required by law on an inquest or trial jury, if such employee prior to taking such time off, gives reasonable notice to the employer that he is required to serve.

Employers are not required by law to compensate employees with their regular wages while on jury duty. Many employers do have jury benefits and will continue wages while serving.

No fees or mileage are paid for the first day of service.

For the second day of service and any additional days after that, most jurors are entitled to receive $15 per day and 34¢ per mile, roundtrip from the juror's home to the courthouse. Jurors employed by government agencies or districts receive regular salary during service, therefore no juror fees are paid to those jurors pursuant to provisions of the law.

Jurors serving more than one day of jury service can expect to receive their payment within 6 weeks of completing service. If you do not receive your juror fees in that time, please call our office and speak with the payroll clerk at (805) 289-8661 between 8:00 a.m and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.

If you require special accommodations, please email or call our office (805) 289-8661. You may also click Respond Online. Once you have entered the system, complete the Juror Questionnaire, mark that you will need accommodations, enter any comments in the explanation box, and submit under penalty of perjury at the bottom of the page. If you are hearing impaired and have requested a Sign Language Interpreter or if you need an accommodation that requires a response from Jury Services, you will be notified by phone, email or mail.

For information about the Grand Jury, please visit the Ventura County Grand Jury web page.