Texas jury service is run county by county1. State law sets minimum pay of $20 for the first day and $58 for each later day, and your county may pay more2. Under the statewide rule, your first postponement must be granted if you ask before your summons date, have not had one in that county in the past year, and agree on a new date within six months3; some counties use different rules. People 75 or older can claim an exemption4.
Who runs jury service in Texas
Texas jury law is mostly in Chapters 61 and 62 of the Government Code5. Each county runs its own jury system. Counties that select jurors electronically name an officer in charge, usually the district clerk (in certain very large counties, a bailiff)1. Names come from the county's voter registration list and from Department of Public Safety records of driver's license and ID card holders6.
Some counties let you respond online or by an automated phone line, including asking for a postponement or excuse7. The statewide court office cannot help with individual summonses: use the phone number or website on yours8.
Common beliefs, checked
Your employer has to pay you while you serve.
The state's court office says your employer is not required to pay you for time missed for jury service, but cannot fire you9.
You can't be called unless you are registered to vote.
You must be qualified to vote in the county, but failing to register does not disqualify you10.
The age exemption starts after 75.
Since September 1, 2025, it applies at 75 or older11.
Texas rules at a glance
| Topic | The rule | More |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | At least $20 the first day and $58 each later day; the county sets the actual amount2 | Pay |
| Your job | A permanent employee cannot be fired for jury service12 | Employer rules |
| Who can serve | 18 or older, a U.S. citizen, living in the county and qualified to vote there, among other rules13 | Eligibility |
| Exemptions | Nine grounds, including age 75 or older and some students and caregivers4 | Exemptions and excuses |
| Postponing | Under the statewide rule, granted if you had none in that county in the past year and agree on a date within six months3 | Postponement |
| Missing it | Contempt with a fine of $100 to $1,00014, or a separate $100 to $500 fine15 | Missed jury duty |
How long service lasts
Selection may take a day or part of a day. The state's court office says jury duty generally lasts about one week, and usually more than two-thirds of people summoned are not picked, so their service ends after selection16. You cannot be summoned to appear on the day of the general election for state and county officers17.
State or federal summons?
Federal courts in Texas summon jurors separately. Houston-area jurors go to the Southern District of Texas18; Dallas-area jurors go to the Northern District19. Federal pay and rules are different: see federal jury duty.
County jury offices
Other counties: use the phone number or website on your summons.
What to do next
- Check the court name on your summons. A United States District Court is federal; anything else is a Texas court.
- Respond the way your summons says. Some counties let you answer online7.
- Claiming an exemption? File a signed statement with the clerk before your summons date21.
- Read more from the state's court office: Jury Service in Texas
Related
Sources
21 official sources, with the exact sentence each rule comes from
- Tex. Gov't Code § 62.011 – Electronic or Mechanical Method of Selection. Tex. Gov't Code §§ 62.011, 62.003."(a) On the recommendation of a majority of the district and criminal district judges of a county, the commissioners court, by order entered in its minutes, may adopt a plan for the selection of names of persons for jury service with the aid of electronic or mechanical equipment instead of drawing the names from a jury wheel."
- Tex. Gov't Code § 61.001 – Reimbursement of Expenses of Jurors and Prospective Jurors. Tex. Gov't Code § 61.001(a)-(b)."(1) not less than $20 for the first day or fraction of the first day the person is in attendance in court in response to the process and discharges the person's duty for that day; and (2) not less than $58 for each day or fraction of each day the person is in attendance in court in response to the process after the first day and discharges the person's duty for that day."
- Tex. Gov't Code § 62.0143 – Postponement of Jury Service. Tex. Gov't Code § 62.0143."(b) On receipt of a request under Subsection (a), the clerk of the court shall grant the person a postponement if: (1) the person has not been granted a postponement in that county during the one-year period preceding the date on which the person is summoned to appear; and (2) the person and the clerk determine a substitute date on which the person will appear for jury service that is not later than six months after the date on which the person was originally summoned to appear."
- Tex. Gov't Code § 62.106 – Exemption from Jury Service. Tex. Gov't Code § 62.106(a)."(a) A person qualified to serve as a petit juror may establish an exemption from jury service if the person: (1) is 75 years of age or older; (2) has legal custody of a child younger than 12 years of age and the person's service on the jury requires leaving the child without adequate supervision; (3) is a student of a public or private secondary school; (4) is a person enrolled and in actual attendance at an institution of higher education; (5) is an officer or an employee of the senate, the house of representatives, or any department, commission, board, office, or other agency in the legislative branch of state government; (6) is summoned for service in a county with a population of at least 200,000, unless that county uses a jury plan under Section 62.011 and the period authorized under Section 62.011(b)(5) exceeds two years, and the person has served as a petit juror in the county..."
- Tex. Gov't Code ch. 62 (Petit Juries), Texas Constitution and Statutes. Tex. Gov't Code chs. 61, 62; Tex. Code Crim. Proc. chs. 19A, 20A; Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code ch. 122."GOVERNMENT CODE TITLE 2. JUDICIAL BRANCH SUBTITLE E. JURIES CHAPTER 62. PETIT JURIES"
- Tex. Gov't Code § 62.001 – Jury Source; Reconstitution of Jury Wheel. Tex. Gov't Code § 62.001(a), (g)."(a) Except as provided by Subsection (a-1), the jury wheel must be reconstituted by using, as the source: (1) the names of all persons on the current voter registration lists from all the precincts in the county; and (2) all names on a current list to be furnished by the Department of Public Safety, showing the residents of the county who: (A) hold a valid Texas driver's license or a valid personal identification card or certificate issued by the department; and (B) are not disqualified from jury service under Section 62.102(a)(1), (2), (3), (7), or (8)."
- Tex. Gov't Code § 62.0111 – Computer or Telephone Response to Summons. Tex. Gov't Code § 62.0111."(a) A plan authorized under Section 62.011 for the selection of names of prospective jurors may allow for a prospective juror to appear in response to a summons by: (1) contacting the county officer responsible for summoning jurors by computer; (2) calling an automated telephone system; or (3) appearing before the court in person."
- Jury Service in Texas, Texas Judicial Branch / Office of Court Administration (txcourts.gov). OCA juror information page."If you have questions about your jury duty, please contact the phone number or website on your jury summons. The Office of Court Administration cannot assist you with your individual jury summons."
- Jury Service in Texas, Texas Judicial Branch / Office of Court Administration (txcourts.gov). OCA juror information page; Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code ch. 122 (no pay requirement)."Your employer is not required to pay you for any time that you missed from work due to jury service. However, your employer cannot fire you while you are fulfilling your civic duty."
- Tex. Gov't Code § 62.1031 – Failure to Register to Vote. Tex. Gov't Code § 62.1031."Failure to register to vote does not disqualify a person from jury service."
- H.B. 2637 (89th Leg., R.S.) – Enrolled version, Texas Legislature Online (capitol.texas.gov). H.B. 2015, 88th Leg., R.S. (2023), § 1; H.B. 2637, 89th Leg., R.S. (2025), §§ 9, 16-17."(1) is [over] 75 years of age or older;"
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code ch. 122 – Juror's Right to Reemployment. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 122.001 (S.B. 370 version)."(a) An employer may not discharge, threaten to discharge, intimidate, or coerce any permanent employee because the employee serves as a juror, or for the employee's attendance or scheduled attendance in connection with the service, in any court in the United States."
- Tex. Gov't Code § 62.102 – General Qualifications for Jury Service. Tex. Gov't Code § 62.102(a)."(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a person is disqualified to serve as a petit juror unless the person: (1) is at least 18 years of age; (2) is a citizen of the United States; (3) is a resident of this state and of the county in which the person is to serve as a juror; (4) is qualified under the constitution and laws to vote in the county in which the person is to serve as a juror; (5) is of sound mind and good moral character; (6) is able to read and write; (7) has not been convicted of misdemeanor theft; (8) has not been convicted of a felony; (9) is not under indictment or other legal accusation for misdemeanor theft or a felony; and (10) has not served as a petit juror for six days during the preceding three months in the county court or during the preceding six months in the district court."
- Tex. Gov't Code § 62.0141 – Failure to Answer Jury Summons. Tex. Gov't Code § 62.0141."In addition to any criminal penalty prescribed by law, a person summoned for jury service who does not comply with the summons as required by law or who knowingly provides false information in a request for an exemption or to be excused from jury service is subject to a contempt action punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000."
- Tex. Gov't Code § 62.111 – Penalty for Defaulting Jurors. Tex. Gov't Code § 62.111."A juror lawfully notified shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500 if the juror: (1) fails to attend court in obedience to the notice without reasonable excuse; or (2) files a false claim of exemption from jury service."
- Jury Service in Texas, Texas Judicial Branch / Office of Court Administration (txcourts.gov). OCA juror information page."While the jury selection process may require your attendance for a day or a fraction of a day, jury duty generally lasts about one week. However, the majority, usually more than two-thirds, of all summoned jurors are NOT actually selected for service, therefore, their duty ends after a short time with the completion of the jury selection process."
- Tex. Gov't Code § 62.0125 – Summons for Jury Service on General Election Day Prohibited. Tex. Gov't Code § 62.0125."Prospective jurors may not be summoned to appear for jury service on the date of the general election for state and county officers."
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas - Houston Division. S.D. Tex. Houston Division page; 28 U.S.C. § 124(b)(2)."Counties: | Colorado, Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Wharton"
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas - Instructions for Petit Jurors in the Dallas Division. N.D. Tex. Dallas Division juror instructions; 28 U.S.C. § 124(a)(1)."The Dallas division encompasses seven counties: Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Johnson, Navarro, and Rockwall."
- How to Report Scam Text Messages, Texas Judicial Branch (txcourts.gov). Texas Judicial Branch media page."If you have received this message or one like it, please report it as spam and DO NOT click the links within the message."
- Tex. Gov't Code § 62.107 – Procedures for Establishing Exemptions. Tex. Gov't Code § 62.107(a)-(b)."(a) A person who is notified to appear for jury service may establish an exemption from the service under Section 62.106 without appearing in person by filing a signed statement of the ground of his exemption with the clerk of the court before the date on which he is summoned to appear."
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.