Jury Service

Reporting For Service

Key Information About Juror Service

Appearance Information

If you have been summoned for Jury Duty you need to call 521-6640 after 5:00 PM the evening prior to your scheduled appearance date and follow the recorded instructions or check the Online Status on the Jury Service web page. Enter your nine digit participant number which starts with 100. You are on standby for 1 week until you are requested to appear.

As a prospective juror you are on telephone standby for one week until you are requested to appear. You must call our office each evening, including holidays and weekends, for the duration of your standby period to determine if you need to appear. When you call our automated system you must know your participant number, which is a nine digit number starting with 100, to locate the information on whether to appear or call again. Occasionally, you may be instructed to telephone again in the morning for a possible afternoon appearance.

Please bring the summons with you, as it contains your attendance slip, juror badge and parking permit.

If you arrive 30 minutes late you may be rescheduled to appear at another time. If you work out of the county during the day, contact our office at (707) 521-6640 for instructions.

Identity Thieves Targeting Jury Service Identity thieves have been soliciting personal information from the public by posing as jury staff calling to clear up a failure to appear for jury service. Please be advised that jury staff of the superior courts do not ask past or prospective jurors for personal or financial information such as credit card, bank account, or Social Security numbers. Please do not provide this type of information to anyone claiming to be associated with the courts. Please contact your local jury office if you receive this type of request..

Directions

If you are traveling north on Hwy. 101, take the Bicentennial exit east. Turn right at the stop light onto Ventura Avenue. Follow Ventura for two blocks to the long term parking lot located on your left. Our office is located in the Hall of Justice which is one block west of the parking lot.

If you are traveling south on Hwy. 101, exit the freeway at Steele Lane and turn left. Follow Steele Lane to the second stop light and turn left onto County Center Drive. Follow County Center Drive to the stop sign then turn left onto Administration Drive, proceed north to the Hall of Justice. Turn left on Ventura Avenue to the long term parking lot located on your right.

The Jury Assembly Room is located on the first floor of the Hall of Justice, in the enclosed hallway at the north east end of the building, Room 102-J.

Detailed information on Court locations and directions can be found at our Locations page.

Juror Parking

Parking for the Hall of Justice is available on Administration Drive, Paulin Drive, Ventura Avenue, or in the long term parking lot on Ventura Avenue.

Jurors may park in the green 2 hour or 90 minute spaces if you place the Juror Parking Permit, from the summons, on the driver's side of the dash board with the current week's date showing.

Parking is not permitted in any other specialty zones even with your summons in the window. Parking regulations are strictly enforced.

Period of Service

Completion of Jury Service for one year is fulfilled by either being seated as a trial juror, appearing in person as needed during the scheduled week, generally from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, or by calling all week and being dismissed.

Please be prepared to remain at the courthouse the full day. Due to the nature of Jury Service and the court process itself, there are often periods of waiting. We suggest you bring something to read. There are brief recesses throughout the day, and you will have at least one hour for lunch. If sworn as a juror, your service will continue until the trial is completed.

To postpone

To postpone via the web click here. To postpone by phone IVR (Interactive Voice Response): You may call 521-6640 and pressing 3, at any time prior to 12:00 noon on Friday, before your week of service, to process your own postponement. You will need your nine digit participant number, located on the juror badge, to get your juror record. Our Rules of Court policy allows for a maximum of two postponements in a 12 month period. If you cannot serve during the period for which you have been summoned due to vacation, business or personal commitments, please contact our office at least four days prior to your summons date. No postponements will be granted on the day of your appearance.

Compensation

As a sworn or prospective juror, you will receive $15.00 per day plus mileage, beginning from your second day of service.

A check will be mailed to you approximately six weeks after completion of Jury Service.

Employers are not required by law to pay employees their regular salary when on Jury Duty. We suggest you advise your employer of your scheduled Jury Service when you receive your summons. It is advisable to check with your employer regarding company policy before coming to court. Verification of your appearance is required by some employers and will be provided by Court staff upon request at the end of the day or when you are excused.

Disqualification

Per Code of Civil Procedures section 203, all persons are eligible and qualified to be prospective trial jurors, except the following:

1. You are not a citizen of the United States
2. You are under 18 years of age
3. You are not a resident of Sonoma County
4. You do not have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the English language to act as a juror
5. You have been convicted of a felony and your civil rights have not been restored
6. You are currently serving as a grand juror
7. You are an active peace officer as defined in Penal Code Section 830.1 and 830.2(a)
8. You are the subject of a conservatorship.

Security

A security system is in place at all Court locations.

Weapons or sharp objects (Swiss army knives, knitting needles, scissors, pepper spray, mace etc.) of any kind, large tip pens or markers will not be allowed through security.

Shorts and tank tops are not allowed in the courtroom.

Children may not accompany prospective jurors while on Jury Duty.

Contact the Jury Office

California Courts Jury Information Resource Center

Since 1998, the Administrative Office of the Courts and superior courts around the state have teamed up to recognize the millions of Californians who answer the call to serve their communities and make the fundamental American ideals of justice, liberty, and democracy a reality. MORE »