Jury Duty Leave and Pay Requirements in Arkansas
At a glance
| Governing law | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-31-106 |
|---|---|
| Jury service covered | A summons to serve on jury duty and absence from employment because of jury duty; statute does not distinguish trial, grand, state, or federal service (§ 16-31-106(a)) |
| Employers and employees covered | Employers and employees generally; no employer-size, tenure, full-time, or permanent-worker limit stated (§ 16-31-106) |
| Time-off entitlement | Protected absence for jury duty after reasonable notice; no discharge or other employment penalty because of the absence (§ 16-31-106(a)) |
| Employer-paid wages | No wage-continuation requirement in § 16-31-106; Arkansas Department of Labor states nongovernment employers need not pay jury-duty wages |
| PTO and juror-fee treatment | Employee may not lose sick leave or vacation time because of jury-duty absence. Statute does not address other PTO, voluntary leave use, or juror-fee offsets (§ 16-31-106(a)) |
| Employee notice and proof | Employee must give employer reasonable notice of the summons; no fixed deadline, required form, summons-copy rule, or attendance-proof rule stated (§ 16-31-106(a)(1)) |
| Scheduling and return-to-work rules | No night-shift rest window, same-day return requirement, or long-trial scheduling rule stated in § 16-31-106 |
| Job protection and remedies | No discharge, loss of sick leave or vacation, or other penalty because of jury-duty absence. Violation is a Class A misdemeanor; section states no express civil action or statutory damages (§ 16-31-106) |
Reasonable notice protects the absence
An Arkansas employee summoned for jury duty must give the employer reasonable notice of the summons. The statute sets no number of days, required notice form, summons-copy procedure, or attendance-certificate requirement.
With reasonable notice, the employee may not be discharged or subjected to another employment penalty because of the jury-duty absence. The section states no employer-size, tenure, or full-time threshold.
Sick leave and vacation cannot be lost
The employer may not cause the employee to lose sick leave or vacation time because of the absence. Section 16-31-106 does not address another category of PTO, voluntary use of paid leave, or whether court-paid juror fees may offset an employer benefit.
The statute does not require wage continuation. The Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing likewise states that a nongovernment employer need not pay wages while an employee is on jury duty.
Criminal classification
A person who violates § 16-31-106 is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. The section itself does not create a civil action, list statutory damages, or state a filing deadline.
What trips people up
Protection from losing sick leave or vacation is not the same as a requirement to pay ordinary wages for the absence. Arkansas separates job and leave-balance protection from wage continuation.
The statute uses “jury duty” without identifying a particular court system or separately naming trial and grand juries. The page does not expand that wording beyond the text.
Common questions
Must an Arkansas employer pay wages during jury duty?
No state-law wage-continuation requirement appears in § 16-31-106. An employer policy or agreement may provide paid jury leave.
Can jury duty reduce sick leave or vacation?
No. The statute bars loss of sick leave or vacation time because of the jury-duty absence.
How much notice must the employee give?
Reasonable notice of the summons. The statute does not set a fixed number of days.
What happens if the employer violates the section?
The violation is a Class A misdemeanor. Section 16-31-106 does not state an express civil remedy.
Statutes and sources
- Ark. Code Ann. § 16-31-106(a)-(b): reasonable notice, protected absence, preservation of sick leave and vacation, and misdemeanor classification — official state reproduction (accessed July 13, 2026).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
What does Arkansas law mean for your facts?
You just read the general rule. Ask your own question and see which parts of current Arkansas law apply to your situation, with citations you can check.
Opens in Ezel Pro.
- Starts from the statutes this survey is built on
- Cites every source it relies on, so you can verify it
- Chat, drafting and research in one workspace