If you’ve been summoned for Denver jury duty, respond through the Colorado Judicial Branch’s online portal, then report on your assigned date to either the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse at 520 West Colfax Avenue (criminal cases, Room 100) or the Denver City and County Building at 1437 Bannock Street (civil and domestic cases, Room 431). Your employer pays your regular wages for the first three days of service, capped at $50 per day, and the state pays $50 per day starting on day four.1Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-126 – Compensation of Employed Jurors During First Three Days of Service2Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-129 – Compensation of Jurors After First Three Days of Service
Responding to the Summons
Your summons carries a unique juror number and a reporting date. Start by completing the Juror Questionnaire, which asks for your name, age, address, occupation, marital status, and whether you’ve been on a jury or involved in a court case before. You can submit it through the Colorado Judicial Branch’s online portal or return the paper version that came with the summons.3Colorado Judicial Branch. Juror Questionnaire
Do not ignore the summons. If you fail to appear, the jury commissioner can send a delinquency notice by certified or first-class mail and has broad authority to resolve the situation, which may include rescheduling you or escalating the matter.4Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-122 – Delinquency Notices
Postponing Your Date or Asking to Be Excused
You can request one postponement for reasons such as a work conflict, health issue, vacation, or school commitment. The online postponement form asks you to pick a reason and propose a new date up to six months out. You only get one, so choose a date you can actually keep.5Colorado Judicial Branch. Postponement Request
A physical or mental condition that genuinely prevents service is handled as a disqualification, not a postponement. You’ll need a written statement from a licensed physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse, or authorized Christian Science practitioner describing the condition and explaining why it prevents you from serving. Submit the request through the online portal well before your reporting date.6Colorado Judicial Branch. Disqualification Request
Who Qualifies in Denver
You qualify to serve if you are a U.S. citizen, at least 18, and either live in the City and County of Denver or spend more than half your time there. You must also be able to read, speak, and understand English. What counts is your citizenship and residency on the date you would actually serve, not the date the summons was mailed.7Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-105 – Qualifications for Juror Service
Some conditions disqualify you automatically. If you served on any jury — municipal, state, federal, tribal, or military — within the past 12 months, or you’re already scheduled to serve within the next 12 months, you can claim a disqualification. Bring a letter or formal acknowledgment from that court to verify it.7Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-105 – Qualifications for Juror Service
What to Bring and How to Prepare
Your summons tells you which building to report to. Plan to arrive early. Both courthouses screen everyone at the entrance with metal detectors and bag inspections, and weapons, knives, and pepper spray are prohibited in all Colorado courthouses.
Bring your summons and a valid government-issued photo ID. Pack something to read or do, because the gap between orientation and selection can run for hours. Cell phones are generally allowed in common areas but are typically prohibited inside courtrooms during proceedings.
Dress business casual. There’s no rigid published code, but offensive graphics, shorts, and tank tops can get you sent back to change. Courtrooms run cold, so a light jacket helps.
What the Day Looks Like
You check in at the jury assembly room through an electronic kiosk or at a staffed desk, watch a short orientation video, and wait. Court staff then organize groups and send them to courtrooms where cases need a jury panel. In the courtroom, the judge and attorneys from both sides ask questions to identify biases or personal connections to the case. Attorneys can remove jurors “for cause” when the judge agrees with a specific reason, or use a limited number of peremptory challenges to strike jurors without stating one. If you aren’t selected, you may be sent to another courtroom or released for the day.
The process can take a single morning or a full day. If you’re seated on a trial, you serve until the case ends, which may mean additional days or, in complex matters, weeks.
How You Get Paid
For the first three days, your employer must pay your regular wages, capped at $50 per day unless you and your employer agree to more. If you earn $200 a day, the law only requires $50 of that. Many employers voluntarily pay full wages, but they aren’t required to.1Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-126 – Compensation of Employed Jurors During First Three Days of Service
From day four on, the state pays $50 per day directly to you. A juror receiving state compensation after day three is not entitled to extra reimbursement for travel or other out-of-pocket costs.2Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-129 – Compensation of Jurors After First Three Days of Service
If you’re self-employed, or your employer can show that paying you would cause genuine financial hardship, the court can excuse the employer and the state will pay reasonable compensation (again capped at $50 per day) for the first three days. The employer has to request a hearing in writing through the jury commissioner within 30 days of receiving notice of your jury service.8Colorado Judicial Branch. Information for Employers
Your Job Is Protected
Colorado law makes it illegal for an employer to fire, demote, threaten, or otherwise penalize you for responding to a summons or serving on a jury, and employers can’t impose demands that substantially interfere with your service. If an employer retaliates, you can sue for damages and injunctive relief, and courts can award treble damages and reasonable attorney fees if the conduct was willful.9Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-134 – Penalties and Enforcement Remedies for Harassment by Employer
An employer who willfully violates these protections also commits a class 2 misdemeanor under Colorado criminal law, which carries potential jail time and fines.9Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-134 – Penalties and Enforcement Remedies for Harassment by Employer
If You Skip Jury Duty
Colorado starts with administrative follow-up rather than immediate punishment. The jury commissioner can send a delinquency notice by certified or first-class mail to any juror who fails to appear, with broad discretion over what comes next.4Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-122 – Delinquency Notices
In practice, a first no-show usually brings a warning letter and a new date. Continued non-compliance can lead to an order to show cause, a mandatory court appearance where you explain to a judge why you didn’t report. Persistent defiance can end in a contempt of court finding. If you genuinely can’t make your date, request a postponement before it, not after.