To serve on a Georgia jury you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18, a resident of the summoning county and proficient in English, among other requirements1. A person convicted of a felony cannot serve unless their civil rights have been restored2.
The requirements
| Requirement | Source |
|---|---|
| U.S. citizen, at least 18, living in the summoning county | 1 |
| Proficient in English | 1 |
| Not under a conservatorship, and not judicially found mentally incompetent | 12 |
| No felony conviction, unless civil rights have been restored | 2 |
| Not a recent juror (see below) | 3 |
Terms
- Ineligible
- You cannot serve right now, for example because you served recently3.
- Excused
- You qualify but are released from serving, for example on request under the excuse statute4 or for good cause at the court's discretion5.
- Deferred
- Your service is put off to a specific later date6.
- Inactivated
- Removed from the jury list going forward, as when a person 70 or older asks to be excused7.
Common beliefs, checked
Georgia's recent-service rule is a fixed 12 months.
georgia.gov summarizes it as not having served in the last 12 months1, but the statute's test is different: a person who served as a trial or grand juror in a superior or state court is ineligible until the clerk receives the next county master jury list3, which the Council sends to each county once a year8. Depending on timing, that can be shorter or longer than 12 months.
You can serve on trial juries for weeks on end.
Trial-jury service is limited to four weeks in any one year, unless you are in the middle of a trial9.
A felony record always keeps you off juries.
Not if your civil rights have been restored2.
Grand juries have extra rules, such as six months' residence in the county10.
What to do next
- If you are not eligible, tell the clerk the way your summons explains, with any proof it asks for.
- Eligible but need out? See excuses in Georgia.
Related
Sources
10 sources, with the exact sentence each rule comes from. Georgia statute text is quoted from Justia's copy of the 2025 Official Code of Georgia
- Serve Jury Duty, Georgia.gov (State of Georgia; page credits Administrative Office of the Courts; 'Last updated June 2026'). O.C.G.A. §§ 15-12-4, 15-12-40, 15-12-60, 15-12-163."To be eligible for jury duty in Georgia, you must: Be a U.S. citizen Be at least 18 years old Be proficient in English enough to understand and discuss the case Be a resident of the county that sent you the jury summons Have not served on a jury in the last 12 months Not currently be on a grand jury or on another trial jury Not be under a conservatorship Have had your civil rights restored if you were convicted of a felony or malfeasance while holding public office"
- Justia - 2025 Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.) - O.C.G.A. § 15-12-40. O.C.G.A. § 15-12-40."Any person who has been convicted of a felony in a state or federal court who has not had his or her civil rights restored and any person who has been judicially determined to be mentally incompetent shall not be eligible to serve as a trial juror."
- Justia - 2025 Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.). O.C.G.A. § 15-12-4(a); Jury Composition Rule ¶ 5(f)(ii)."Any person who has served as a trial or grand juror at any session of the superior or state courts shall be ineligible for duty as a juror until the next succeeding county master jury list has been received by the clerk."
- Justia - 2025 Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.). O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1.1(a)(2)."Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subsection, any person who is a full-time student at a college, university, vocational school, or other postsecondary school who, during the period of time the student is enrolled and taking classes or exams, requests to be excused or deferred from jury duty shall be excused or deferred from jury duty."
- Justia - 2025 Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.) - O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1.1. O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1.1(a)(1)."(1) Any person who shows that he or she will be engaged during his or her term of jury duty as a trial or grand juror in work necessary to the public health, safety, or good order or who shows other good cause why he or she should be exempt from jury duty may have his or her jury service deferred or excused by the judge of the court to which he or she has been summoned or by some other person who has been duly appointed by order of the chief judge to excuse jurors. ... It shall be the duty of the court to provide affidavits for the purpose of requesting a deferral of or excusal from jury service pursuant to this subsection."
- Supreme Court of Georgia, Jury Composition Rule (amended eff. April 11, 2019), gasupreme.us. Jury Composition Rule ¶ 5(b)(ii); O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1(6)."“Defer” or “deferral” means a temporary postponement of a person’s jury service until a specific date within the current or next succeeding term of court or as provided for by court order. See OCGA § 15-12-1 (6)."
- Justia - 2025 Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.) - O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1.1. O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1.1(b)."(b) Any person who is 70 years of age or older shall be entitled to request that the clerk excuse such person from jury service in the county. Upon such request, the clerk shall inactivate such person. The request for excusal shall be made to the clerk in writing and shall be accompanied by an affidavit providing the person’s name, age, and such other information as the clerk may require. The clerk shall make available affidavit forms for the purposes of this subsection."
- Justia - 2025 Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.) - O.C.G.A. § 15-12-40.1. O.C.G.A. §§ 15-12-1(4), 15-12-40.1(a), (d)."(a) After July 1, 2011, the council shall compile a state-wide master jury list. ... The council shall disseminate, in electronic format, a county master jury list to the respective clerk once each calendar year."
- Justia - 2025 Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.). O.C.G.A. § 15-12-3."No person shall be allowed to serve on the trial jury of the superior court or on any trial jury in other courts for more than four weeks in any one year unless he or she is actually engaged in the trial of a case when the four weeks expire, in which case he or she shall be discharged as soon as the case is decided."
- Justia - 2025 Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A.). O.C.G.A. § 15-12-60(a)-(b)."(a) Any citizen of this state 18 years of age or older who has resided in the county for at least six months preceding the time of service shall be eligible and liable to serve as a grand juror."
Reviewed by Roger K. Neustadt, JD, attorney admitted in Georgia. Verified November 10, 2026.
Roger K. Neustadt is admitted in Georgia; pages about other states and federal courts are general information checked against official sources. How we check every rule: editorial policy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
This page explains the law in general terms and is not legal advice. Jury Duty Explained is not affiliated with any court. Your summons and your court's instructions control, so check them first.