If you’ve been called for jury duty in Colorado, you’re required to report as long as you’re a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, and live in the summoning county more than half the time. The state runs a one-day-or-one-trial system, so most people who show up and aren’t seated on a jury finish their obligation the same day. Colorado also caps how long service can disrupt your life, protects your paycheck for the first three days, and offers a straightforward way to postpone if the date doesn’t work.
Who Has to Serve
Three qualifications decide whether you’re eligible: U.S. citizenship, age 18 or older, and residence in the county that summoned you. Residence means living there more than 50 percent of the time. Voter registration has nothing to do with it — you can be summoned whether or not you’re registered.1Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-105 – Qualifications for Juror Service
You’re disqualified from any jury if you’re under 18 or unable to read, speak, and understand English. A prior felony conviction in any U.S. jurisdiction disqualifies you from grand jury service specifically. The statute doesn’t apply that same blanket disqualification to trial jurors.1Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-105 – Qualifications for Juror Service
A disability isn’t a disqualification. Under the ADA, courts must accommodate jurors who need help. That can mean a sign-language interpreter or real-time transcription for hearing impairments, adjusted seating or lighting for visual impairments, or physical accessibility like wheelchair-accessible courtrooms. Contact the court in advance so it can arrange what you need.
Responding to Your Summons
Read the summons closely. It will tell you how to confirm your report date, how to ask for a postponement, and how to flag a summons you believe was sent in error. Colorado’s Judicial Branch handles these requests through online forms.2Colorado Judicial Branch. Jury
If you have to report, plan ahead. You cannot bring children to the courthouse, so line up childcare. Tell your employer, and know that the court can provide a certificate of service. Most Colorado courthouses run airport-style security at the entrance, so build in extra time. Bring a book or work; there’s usually a stretch of waiting before you learn whether you’ll be sent to a courtroom.
Postponements and Excuses
Postponing to a Better Date
If you’re willing to serve but the timing is a problem, you can request a postponement of up to six months through the Colorado Judicial Branch’s online portal.2Colorado Judicial Branch. Jury Courts can also defer or advance your service date on certain statutory grounds.3Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-119 – Deferments and Excuses – Limitations Requesting a postponement before your date is almost always easier than dealing with a missed one afterward.
Physical Hardship
Colorado allows a temporary excuse when serving would cause undue or extreme physical hardship to you or someone in your direct care. The statute limits this to two situations: you’d have to abandon a dependent because no substitute caregiver is available during the service period, or you’d face physical hardship that could result in illness or disease.4FindLaw. Colorado Code 13-71-119.5 – Excuses
Support your request with documentation — medical statements, proof of dependency or guardianship, or similar records. The judge or jury commissioner reviews it and may grant the excuse if the paperwork clearly supports it. Those documents stay confidential.4FindLaw. Colorado Code 13-71-119.5 – Excuses
A person who is breastfeeding can be temporarily excused for up to two consecutive 12-month postponements.4FindLaw. Colorado Code 13-71-119.5 – Excuses
Age, Military, and Financial Situations
A few common assumptions don’t hold up in Colorado. Active-duty military members aren’t exempt: if you live in the summoning county more than half the time, you’re expected to report. There is no broad financial-hardship excuse for jurors either. The financial hardship provision in the statute applies to excusing employers from paying juror wages, not to excusing the juror from showing up.
Current Colorado statutes don’t include an automatic age exemption. The legislature passed HB25-1065, which allows people aged 72 and older to opt out of jury service temporarily or permanently. If you’re 72 or older, check with your local court about whether this opt-out is available where you were summoned.
How Long Service Lasts
Colorado uses a one-day-or-one-trial rule. Report to the courthouse, and if you aren’t assigned to a trial, your service ends that day. If you’re assigned to a courtroom for selection or seated on a jury, you serve until that trial concludes. Jurors who are waiting but not needed are discharged as early as possible.5Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-120 – Length of Juror Service
There’s a small wrinkle. During your one-day term you can be sent to more than one jury selection if time allows, but once you’ve deliberated and returned a verdict, you can’t be forced onto a second trial that day.5Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-120 – Length of Juror Service
Grand jury service is a different animal. A grand jury term runs 12 months, and the court can discharge jurors early or extend the term up to 18 months.5Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-120 – Length of Juror Service
Pay and Job Protection
What Your Employer Owes You
Colorado employers must pay jurors their regular wages, capped at $50 per day, for the first three days of service. This covers regularly employed workers generally, not just full-timers. Part-time, temporary, and casual employees qualify too, as long as their work schedule can be established from the three months before the jury term.6Colorado Revised Statutes. Colorado Code 13-71-126 – Compensation of Employed Jurors During First Three Days
If paying a juror would cause the employer financial hardship, the court can release the employer from the obligation. When that happens, the state pays the juror up to $50 per day for those first three days.7Colorado Judicial Branch. Information for Employers
Retaliation Is Illegal
Your employer cannot fire, threaten, harass, or strip benefits from you because you were summoned, reported, or served. An employer also can’t impose demands that interfere with your ability to serve effectively. If retaliation happens, you can file a civil suit seeking damages and an injunction. Courts can award treble damages and attorney fees when the violation was willful.8Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-134 – Penalties and Enforcement Remedies for Harassment by Employer
A willful violation is also a class 2 misdemeanor.8Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-134 – Penalties and Enforcement Remedies for Harassment by Employer
Federal Court Summons
If you were summoned to federal court rather than a Colorado state court, a separate law applies. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1875, an employer who fires or threatens a permanent employee over federal jury service faces civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation, liability for lost wages, and a possible court order requiring reinstatement.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1875 – Protection of Jurors Employment
What Happens in the Courtroom
Selection starts with a large group of summoned jurors at the courthouse. A smaller group is randomly assigned to a courtroom, where the judge and attorneys conduct questioning called voir dire. They’re trying to identify people who can evaluate the evidence fairly. If you have any connection to anyone involved in the case — including a social media connection — say so. The judge can remove any juror “for cause” when there’s a specific reason to doubt that person’s impartiality, and each side also has a limited number of strikes it can use without giving a reason.
Jury size and verdicts depend on the case type. A felony jury has 12 members and must reach a unanimous verdict. A misdemeanor jury has six.10Justia. Colorado Code 18-1-406 – Right to Jury Trial In civil cases, Colorado’s constitution allows a verdict by three-fourths of the jurors rather than requiring unanimity.
Once sworn in, your job is to listen to the evidence, judge witness credibility, and apply the law the judge gives you. The court will tell you not to discuss the case with anyone — including family, friends, and other jurors — until deliberations formally begin. That restriction covers social media and the internet. You can’t research the case, look up legal terms, visit locations mentioned in testimony, or post about the trial. A violation can trigger a mistrial.
Penalties for Skipping Jury Duty
Ignoring a summons carries real consequences, and Colorado’s process escalates in steps. When a summoned juror doesn’t appear, the court typically sends a delinquency notice, which is effectively a second chance. If that goes unanswered, the court can issue an order to show cause requiring you to appear before a judge and explain why you shouldn’t be held in contempt. That hearing isn’t optional.
A judge who finds you in contempt can impose a fine of up to $500, jail time of up to six months, or both. The court may order community service instead of a suspended jail sentence, with the hours roughly matching what other jurors served. A judge can also order you to serve on a future jury as remedial relief.11Colorado Judicial Branch. Administrative Order 1995-04 – Standard Procedure for Juror Who FTA on Summons
If the matter is referred to the district attorney, failure to appear can be charged as a class 3 misdemeanor, carrying a possible fine of up to $750 or up to six months in jail.11Colorado Judicial Branch. Administrative Order 1995-04 – Standard Procedure for Juror Who FTA on Summons
If your date genuinely doesn’t work, ask for a postponement before you miss it. Courts are far more accommodating to people who reach out ahead of time than to people who don’t show up.