Jury Duty FAQ
Below you will find answers to many common questions about jury duty. If you have additional questions, please call the Jury Coordinator, (206) 684-5688.
A: You were selected at random from lists of voter registrations, driver registrations, and Washington State identification cards for residents of King County.
A: As a juror, you must be fair and impartial. Your actions and decisions must be free of any bias or prejudice. You must apply the law given by the judge to the facts given during the trial to make a decision in a case.
A: Jurors most commonly hear misdemeanor cases such as driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, shoplifting, assault, domestic violence, vehicle prowl, or prostitution. Jurors occasionally hear civil cases involving charges such as violation of building regulations or business license regulations.
A: All King County residents are obligated by state law to serve as a juror unless they:
- Are not a United States citizen
- Are under 18 years of age
- Are unable to communicate in the English language
- If convicted of a felony, you must have had your civil rights restored
A: We cannot guarantee the length of any trial. Jury Service is from Tuesday through the conclusion of a trial or when released by the court. Please plan to be in court from Tuesday - Friday of the service week. But again, there is no guarantee that service will be completed on Friday. Some trials may take longer to complete. Typically, our trials run 2 to 3 days.
A: Yes. The court allows jurors to reschedule one (1) time.
Requests must be made no later than seven (7) days prior to service. You may reschedule online, email your request to SMCJuryDuty@seattle.gov, call a Jury Coordinator at (206) 684-5688, or you may write to:
Jury Assembly Clerk
Seattle Municipal Court
600 Fifth Avenue
PO BOX 34987
Seattle, WA 98124-4987
A: If you need to be excused from jury duty due to a physical, mental or sensory condition, please submit a letter from your physician or medical provider at least seven (7) days prior to your service.
If you have an undue hardship, please submit a letter at least seven (7) days prior to your service explaining your undue hardship.
All Work-related exemptions require a letter from your employer.
Exemption requests may be submitted online or by mail. No request will be processed within seven (7) days of your service date.
A: If you can't log in, it may be because we have an incorrect date of birth, we do not have your date of birth in our system, or we may not have a correct zip code for you. If your log in attempt is unsuccessful, please contact the Jury Coordinator at (206) 684-5688 or email at SmcJuryDuty@seattle.gov for assistance. Alternately, you might not be able to log in because you were summoned by another court. Please verify that your summons was issued by the Municipal Court of Seattle.
A: Seattle Municipal Court jurors are paid $25 per day. Checks are usually mailed 30 to 45 days after the completion of jury duty. For questions or concerns please call the Jury Coordinator, (206) 684-5688.
A: Your employer is not required to pay you while you are on jury duty, however, employers are prohibited by law from firing an employee for serving as a juror.
A: The compensation you receive for jury duty must be reported and deducted from your unemployment benefits. For more information, please visit the Washington State Employment Security Department.
A: You can use King County Metro Trip Planner to plan your trip via public transportation.
Paid parking is available in the SeaPark Garage located on Sixth Avenue between Cherry and James Streets, directly east of the court. Parking is expensive, and unfortunately we do not reimburse for parking.
Metered parking is available on streets surrounding the Seattle Justice Center. There are a number of other public pay lots available within walking distance. See our Directions and Parking page for more information.
When you arrive for jury service, you may choose to receive bus tickets, mileage reimbursement, light rail or water taxi fare reimbursement for the term of your service. To receive light rail or water taxi fare reimbursement, please save your ticket and provide it to the Jury Coordinator.
If you wish to receive a bus ticket prior to arriving on your first day of service, please call (206) 684-5688 or email smcjuryduty@seattle.gov. Please include your Juror number and date of service.
If you plan to ride your bike, racks are located in the Seapark garage at Sixth Avenue and Cherry Street or across the street at the Seattle Municipal Tower Building, northwest corner of Sixth Avenue and Cherry Street.
A: If weather conditions impact court operations and our need for jurors, we will update our website homepage, post on our twitter account @seamunicourt and put a message on our inclement weather phone line (206) 684-8118.
A: If you have served with any other jurisdiction within the previous twelve (12) month calendar, please contact the court you served in and request written verification of your service. Forward that information to the Seattle Municipal Court by mail, or by email to SMCJuryDuty@seattle.gov, and an exemption will be processed.
A: For additional information concerning the City of Seattle Privacy Policy you may review the City of Seattle online privacy and security policy.