If you’ve received a Colorado jury summons, treat it as a court order: fill out the juror questionnaire, return it by the deadline printed on the notice, and either show up on your service date or request one postponement through the state’s online system. Most jurors finish their obligation in a single day, get paid for their time, and keep their job protected by statute the whole way through.
How to Respond to the Summons
Your summons comes with a Juror Questionnaire, either on the back of the paper notice or through your county court’s online portal. Complete it and return it by the deadline the summons gives you, using whichever method (mail or electronic) the instructions specify.
If the date doesn’t work, Colorado gives you one postponement of up to six months. The Judicial Branch runs an online postponement request form where you enter your juror number, county, appearance date, and reason. Business conflicts, health issues, vacations, and school commitments are all accepted.1Colorado Judicial Branch. Postponement Request You certify your answers under penalty of perjury, so don’t be careless with it. After you’ve used that one postponement, you’re expected to appear on the rescheduled date.
If you think you’re outright disqualified rather than just unavailable, submit that request separately through the court’s online system or in writing, with any supporting documentation.
Who Has to Serve
To qualify for jury duty in Colorado you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18, and either a resident of the county on the summons or someone who lives there more than half the time. You also need to be able to read, speak, and understand English.2Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-105 – Qualifications for Juror Service
A few conditions disqualify you automatically:
- A physical or mental disability that prevents effective service. The jury commissioner may ask for a letter from a physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse describing the condition and confirming it prevents satisfactory service.
- A felony conviction, but only for grand jury service. You can still serve on a trial jury with a felony record.
- Recent or scheduled service. If you served on any jury (state, federal, tribal, military, or municipal) in the past 12 months, or are already scheduled to in the next 12 months, you’re out. You’ll need a letter or acknowledgment from that court to claim it.2Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-105 – Qualifications for Juror Service
How Long You’ll Be There
Colorado uses a one-day-or-one-trial system. Report to the courthouse; if you aren’t selected for a trial by the end of the day, you’re done. If you are selected, you stay for the length of that trial. The statute expects jurors to be prepared for at least three days of service, and most county and district court trials are relatively short, though complex cases can run longer.3Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-120 – Length of Juror Service
Grand jury service is a different animal. A Colorado grand jury term runs up to 12 months, extendable to 18 in rare cases involving ongoing investigations, though grand jurors are called in as needed rather than every day.3Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-120 – Length of Juror Service If you’re summoned for a grand jury, the notice will make that clear.
What You Get Paid
Colorado splits juror pay between your employer and the state.
For the first three days, your employer must pay your regular wages up to $50 per day. This covers regularly employed workers, including part-time, temporary, and casual employees whose hours can be determined from their schedule or work pattern over the prior three months. An employer can voluntarily pay more, but $50 is the floor the law sets.4Justia. Colorado Code 13-71-126 – Compensation of Employed Jurors During First Three Days of Service
From the fourth day on, the state pays you $50 per day. Longer trials don’t leave you working for free once the employer obligation ends.
You also get mileage reimbursement at the same rate Colorado pays its state officers and employees for round-trip travel between home and the courthouse. For 2026 that’s $0.65 per mile for standard vehicles and $0.69 per mile if a four-wheel-drive vehicle is required.5Justia. Colorado Code 13-33-103 – Mileage Fees of Jurors and Witnesses6Colorado Office of the State Controller. Mileage Reimbursement Rate
Your Job Is Protected
Colorado law makes it illegal for your employer to fire you, threaten you, or strip you of benefits because you received a summons, responded to one, or served. Your employer also can’t impose demands that would substantially interfere with your ability to serve.7Colorado Public Law. Colorado Revised Statutes 13-71-134 – Penalties and Enforcement Remedies for Harassment by Employer
If retaliation happens anyway, you can sue for damages and injunctive relief. When the employer’s conduct is willful, the court can award triple damages plus reasonable attorney fees, and willful harassment of a juror is also a class 2 misdemeanor, so the employer faces criminal exposure alongside the civil judgment.7Colorado Public Law. Colorado Revised Statutes 13-71-134 – Penalties and Enforcement Remedies for Harassment by Employer
Watch for the Phone Scam
The Colorado Judicial Branch has warned about callers impersonating sheriff’s deputies or court staff who claim you missed jury duty and demand immediate payment, usually through gift cards, wire transfers, or peer-to-peer apps, and often with threats of arrest.8Colorado Judicial Branch. Be Aware of Jury Duty Phone Scam
A real court will never call to demand money. If you actually miss jury duty, the court contacts you by mail with a formal document titled “Failure to Appear Notice.” When you’re not sure whether a summons is real, contact your county jury commissioner directly through the Colorado Judicial Branch website.8Colorado Judicial Branch. Be Aware of Jury Duty Phone Scam Suspicious calls can be reported to your local sheriff, the Colorado Attorney General’s Stop Fraud Colorado program, or the Federal Trade Commission.
What Happens If You Ignore It
Skipping a summons doesn’t make it go away. The court typically starts with a delinquency notice by certified or first-class mail. If you still don’t respond, you can be ordered to appear at a show-cause hearing to explain the absence. From there a judge has two paths:
- Contempt of court, which can bring a fine of up to $500, up to six months in jail, or both. Courts sometimes substitute community service hours roughly equivalent to the time other jurors spent on the trial you missed.
- Referral to the district attorney for prosecution as a class 3 misdemeanor, carrying a fine of up to $750, up to six months in jail, or both.
Neither path erases the underlying obligation. You’ll still be rescheduled for jury service once any penalty is resolved.
If the Summons Is From Federal Court
A summons from the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado follows a separate set of rules. Federal qualifications require U.S. citizenship, age 18, at least one year living primarily in the federal district, and the ability to read, write, speak, and understand English. A felony conviction disqualifies you from all federal jury service unless your civil rights have been restored, and pending felony charges punishable by more than a year in prison disqualify you too.9United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses Federal penalties for failing to comply with a summons without good cause reach up to $1,000, up to three days in jail, a community service order, or any combination.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1866 – Selection of Jury Panels