Solano County jury duty runs on a “One Day or One Trial” system: you report for a single day at a courthouse in Fairfield or Vallejo, and if you aren’t seated on a trial, your obligation is done for at least a year.1Superior Court of California. Jury Services If you are selected, you serve through the end of that trial. The court uses an automated call-in system the night before, so in many cases you never need to leave your house.
Who Has to Serve
California law lists who cannot serve, and everyone else qualifies. To be eligible in Solano County, you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, a resident of the county when summoned, and able to understand English well enough to follow proceedings.2California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 203 – Trial Jury Selection and Management Act
You are disqualified if you are currently incarcerated, if you have a felony conviction and remain on parole, probation, post-release community supervision, or other mandated supervision for it, or if you must register as a sex offender based on a felony conviction. A separate provision disqualifies anyone convicted of malfeasance in office whose civil rights have not been restored.2California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 203 – Trial Jury Selection and Management Act A past felony alone, once you’ve finished the sentence and supervision, is not a bar.
Getting Excused or Postponing
No occupation, income level, or job title exempts you. The only ground to be excused outright is “undue hardship.”3California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 209 The Judicial Council’s rules define what counts: an extreme financial burden that would keep you from supporting yourself or your dependents; no reasonable transportation to the courthouse, or a commute longer than 90 minutes each way; or caregiving for a child, elderly relative, or disabled dependent when no comparable substitute is available.4California Courts. California Rules of Court 2026 – Rule 2.1008 Excuses From Jury Service
A medical excuse is available if a physical or mental condition would put you at undue risk, even if it doesn’t affect your ability to serve. The court can require medical verification of the condition and how long it is expected to last. Jurors 70 or older cannot be required to furnish that verification.4California Courts. California Rules of Court 2026 – Rule 2.1008 Excuses From Jury Service If you submit a doctor’s note, it must be on a prescription pad or office letterhead, signed by the physician, and state that you cannot serve for medical reasons and how long the condition will last. If it’s permanent, the doctor should say so explicitly.1Superior Court of California. Jury Services
A breastfeeding mother can request a postponement of up to one year. If she is still breastfeeding when the next summons arrives, she can renew the deferral. The request must be in writing and under penalty of perjury, and the jury commissioner is required to grant it without requiring her to appear.5California Courts. California Rules of Court 2026 – Rule 2.1006 Deferral of Jury Service
Full-time students aren’t exempt, but they can postpone service to a school break. For any temporary conflict, the summons response form lets you pick a new date, and the court mails a fresh summons about a month before it.
Responding to Your Summons
Your summons shows a Badge Number near the barcodes. Use it to log in to the court’s juror portal at jury.solano.courts.ca.gov, where you can confirm eligibility, update your contact details, request a postponement, or submit a hardship excuse.1Superior Court of California. Jury Services Give a copy of the summons to your supervisor at work as soon as it arrives.6Judicial Branch of California. Employer Information
The Night Before and Where to Report
Check your reporting status the evening before your date. Call the automated line at (707) 207-7350, visit the court’s Reporting Instructions page, or sign up for text alerts by texting your badge number to (707) 244-6139.1Superior Court of California. Jury Services If you are told to report, your summons will send you to one of three locations:
- Hall of Justice, 600 Union Ave, Fairfield, CA 94533
- Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas St, Fairfield, CA 94533
- Solano Justice Building, 321 Tuolumne St, Vallejo, CA 94590
Every entrance has security screening with metal detectors and bag inspection. Dress business-casual; leave shorts, tank tops, and hats at home. Weapons, sharp objects, and cameras won’t make it past the checkpoint. Cell phones are generally allowed but must be silenced in courtrooms.
Parking in Fairfield
Jurors reporting to Fairfield park in the lot on the corner of Texas and Washington Street, next to Armijo High School. Enter the lot from Empire Street. Your summons includes a dashboard parking voucher that covers all-day parking in permit spaces within that lot only. It does not cover the Government Center parking garage or metered street parking, and the court will not pay tickets you receive for parking elsewhere.7Superior Court of California. Coming to Court
How Long You’ll Be There
If you aren’t placed on a panel during your reporting day, your service is complete. If you are selected, you serve until the trial ends. Either outcome, you won’t be summoned again for at least one year.1Superior Court of California. Jury Services
Pay, Mileage, and Your Job
The first day is unpaid. Starting day two, the state pays $15 per day plus $0.34 per mile for the round trip between your home and the courthouse.8California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 215 Government employees who continue to receive their regular pay during service don’t get the $15 daily fee. Jury pay is taxable; report it on your federal return.9Internal Revenue Service. Skills Warm Up – Jury Duty Pay Given to Employer
California bars your employer from firing, demoting, or retaliating against you for serving, as long as you give reasonable notice before your date.10California Legislative Information. California Labor Code 230 If retaliation happens, you’re entitled to reinstatement and reimbursement for lost wages and benefits, and an employer who willfully refuses to rehire or restore a qualified employee commits a misdemeanor. You can also file a complaint with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.
Private employers in California are not required to pay your regular wages during jury service. If your employer has a paid jury leave policy, they must follow it. You can also use accrued vacation, PTO, or comp time for the days you’re out, unless a collective bargaining agreement says otherwise.10California Legislative Information. California Labor Code 230
What It Costs to Skip
Ignoring a Solano County summons triggers an escalating process. The court can issue a second summons noting your earlier failure. Ignore that, and you’ll receive a failure-to-appear notice warning of fines. Still no response, and the court issues an order to show cause with fines of up to $250 for a first violation, up to $750 for a second, and up to $1,500 for a third or subsequent violation.
Beyond fines, the court can hold you in contempt, which can include incarceration. Paying the fine doesn’t erase the obligation; you still owe the service.3California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 209