How to Fill Out and Submit an Arizona Jury Duty Excuse Form

To request an excuse from jury duty in Arizona, submit an Arizona jury duty excuse form to the Jury Commissioner in the county that summoned you, citing one of the grounds listed in A.R.S. § 21-202 and attaching documentation that supports your claim. Maricopa County jurors file through the eJuror portal at jbejuror.maricopa.gov¹; Pima County uses pimajury.az.gov; other counties have their own portals or accept mailed requests to the address on your summons. If your problem is timing rather than a lasting hardship, a postponement under A.R.S. § 21-336 is faster and requires no paperwork.²

Reasons Arizona Courts Will Excuse You

A.R.S. § 21-202(B) sets out the categories a judge or jury commissioner can use to release you. Qualifying under a category does not guarantee approval; the court still reviews each request individually and expects evidence.

A physical or mental condition that makes you incapable of serving, supported by a statement from a licensed physician, physician assistant, or registered nurse practitioner. If you don’t have one of those providers, a professional caregiver the court accepts can provide a sworn statement instead.³
Undue or extreme financial or physical hardship to you or someone in your care, backed by tax returns, payroll records, medical statements, or proof of dependency or guardianship.³
You cannot currently understand English well enough to follow trial proceedings.
Your absence from your regular duties would substantially and materially harm the public interest. This is a narrow category.
You are an Arizona-certified peace officer employed by the state or a political subdivision, or a correctional officer in the correctional officer class series at the Arizona Department of Corrections.³
You served on an Arizona grand jury and your last day of service was less than four years ago. Alternate grand jurors are not covered.³
Good cause, a catch-all for undue or extreme hardship, including being temporarily out of the area or lacking transportation.³

A vague claim of inconvenience will not survive review. The court wants a concrete hardship that fits one of these categories, described in specifics and backed by paper.

The Age 75 Excuse

If you are at least 75, the process is different and easier. Under A.R.S. § 21-202(C), you submit a written statement asking to be excused either temporarily or permanently, and the judge or jury commissioner must grant it. This is the one category with no discretionary review.³

Active Duty Military

The statute does not list active military service as a standalone category. If you are stationed away from your county of residence, request the excuse under the hardship or good-cause provisions of § 21-202(B), and attach a copy of your orders or a letter from your commanding officer showing your duty station and dates.

Filling Out the Form

Before you start, get your summons in front of you. Most county portals ask for the Juror ID printed on the summons, the first three letters of your last name, and your date of birth to log in.¹ The summons also carries your reporting date, courthouse address, and the Jury Commissioner’s phone number.

The form itself collects your contact information and asks you to select the specific reason you want to be excused. Match the reason to a statutory category above, then describe your situation in plain, specific terms and attach the documents that back it up.

Medical Excuse

Arizona courts use a standardized medical excuse form, AOCGN501F, that your provider fills out rather than you. The provider describes your mobility, physical, or mental restrictions, lists the specific symptoms that make you unfit to serve, states how long the symptoms have been present, and gives their printed name, signature, license number, specialty, and contact information.⁴ A professional caregiver may complete the form if you don’t have a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner and the court accepts the caregiver for that purpose.⁵

Financial Hardship

Financial hardship requests need real paperwork. The statute names federal and state income tax returns, payroll records, proof of dependency or guardianship, and medical statements as acceptable documentation.³ A letter from your employer explaining that you won’t be paid during service, or that your absence would create severe operational problems, helps. “I can’t afford it” without records will not.

How to Submit the Form

Each Arizona county runs its own submission system. The two common paths are the county’s online portal and regular mail.

Online

Most counties let you submit the request and upload supporting documents through a juror portal. Maricopa County’s eJuror handles excuse requests, postponements, and qualification questionnaires in one place.¹ Pima County uses pimajury.az.gov. Navajo County accepts document uploads through its online questionnaire.⁶ Your summons will list the correct website. Review your entries before you submit; most portals do not allow edits afterward.

By Mail

Send the completed form and all supporting documents to the Jury Commissioner at the address on your summons. In Maricopa County, that address is 175 West Madison St., Phoenix, AZ 85003, and the office phone is 602-506-5879.⁷ Mail your package early enough that it arrives well before your reporting date. A request that reaches the Jury Commissioner the day before you are scheduled will not protect you if it hasn’t been reviewed.

Postponement Is Often the Better Move

If you can serve but not on the date printed on your summons, ask for a postponement instead. Under A.R.S. § 21-336, you can postpone your initial appearance up to two times, and the court must grant the postponement if you have not already used both, you contact the jury commissioner by phone, email, in writing, or in person, and you accept a new date when the court will be in session.² No documentation is required.

There’s also an automatic small-business rule. Under A.R.S. § 21-236(D), if your employer has five or fewer full-time employees and another employee is already serving on a jury during the same period, the court must postpone and reschedule your service.⁸

After You Submit

A judge or jury commissioner reviews the request against the legal standard. Response times vary by county and by how heavy the current jury cycle is. The court sends its decision by mail or email, depending on how you submitted.

If the request is approved, you are released from the summons and don’t need to appear. If it is denied, you remain legally obligated to report on the date and at the location on the summons. A denial isn’t necessarily final. You can raise the hardship again before the judge in the courtroom during selection. What you cannot do is ignore the summons after a denial.

If You Skip Without Excusing Yourself

Failing to appear without a reasonable excuse is illegal under A.R.S. § 21-223. If you don’t respond to the first summons, the court can summon you again. If you ignore the second, the court may issue a body attachment, treating the failure as direct contempt. You can be fined up to $500 and compelled to serve on a future date.⁹

Courts often send a follow-up letter before escalating, and enforcement depends on the judge and how badly the court needs jurors that cycle. Betting on lax enforcement is a poor strategy. If you can’t serve, file the excuse form or request a postponement before your report date.

1
Maricopa County Superior Court. Qualification
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 21-336 – Postponement of Jury Service
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 21-202 – Persons Entitled to Be Excused From Jury Service
4
Arizona Judicial Branch. Arizona Request for Medical Excuse From Jury Service
5
Maricopa County Superior Court. Request for Medical Excuse From Jury Service
6
Navajo County, AZ. Juror Duty
7
Maricopa County Superior Court. Jury Service
8
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 21-236 – Employment Rights; Automatic Postponement; Violation; Classification
9
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 21-223 – Failure of Juror to Attend; Fine