Arkansas: Jury Duty Leave and Pay Requirements
The short answer
Arkansas protects an employee summoned for jury duty from discharge, loss of sick leave or vacation time, and any other employment penalty when the employee gives reasonable notice of the summons. The law does not require a nongovernment employer to continue wages during jury duty. A violation of the employment-protection section is a Class A misdemeanor.
Ask Ezel about your situation
This is the general rule in Arkansas. Ezel applies current Arkansas law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| 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) |
Compare this rule across all 50 states + DC →
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.
Get the answer for your situation
You just read how Arkansas handles this in general. Ezel applies current Arkansas law to your facts and answers your specific question, with citations.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer cites the authority it relies on.