Jury Duty Leave and Pay Requirements in District of Columbia
At a glance
| Governing law | D.C. Code § 11-1913 (job protection and penalties) and § 15-718(c)-(d) (paid-leave requirement and wage-recovery action) |
|---|---|
| Jury service covered | Receiving or responding to a summons, serving as a juror, and attending court for prospective jury service (§ 11-1913(a)); the pay rule covers petit or grand jurors in D.C. Superior Court (§ 15-718(c)) |
| Employers and employees covered | Job protection applies to all employers (§ 11-1913). The pay rule applies to petit or grand jurors employed full-time in the District; employers with 10 or fewer employees are not required to pay (§ 15-718(c)) |
| Time-off entitlement | Employer shall not deprive an employee of employment, threaten, or coerce with respect to employment for a summons, response, service, or prospective service (§ 11-1913(a)); the absence itself is protected |
| Employer-paid wages | For jury service of 5 days or less, a full-time-employed petit or grand juror is entitled to usual compensation less the jury fee (§ 15-718(c)); employers with 10 or fewer employees are exempt from paying |
| PTO and juror-fee treatment | A full-time paid juror-employee receives no separate $30/day court attendance fee (§ 15-718(a)); where the employer must pay, the jury fee is subtracted from usual compensation. The statute does not authorize compelling use of vacation or other PTO |
| Employee notice and proof | Sections 11-1913 and 15-718 impose no express advance-notice period, written-notice form, or summons-copy requirement on the employee |
| Scheduling and return-to-work rules | No general shift-rest or same-day-return rule. A person is not a full-time-employed juror, for pay purposes, on a day they would not have accrued regular wages or would not have worked more than half of a shift extending into another day (§ 15-718(c)(1)-(2)) |
| Job protection and remedies | Violation of § 11-1913(a) is criminal contempt: up to $300 or 30 days (or both) for a first offense, up to $5,000 or 180 days for a later offense; a discharged employee may sue within 9 months for lost wages, reinstatement, and damages, with attorney fees (§ 11-1913(b)-(c)); an underpaid employee may sue for lost wages plus fees under § 15-718(d) |
Job protection and, unusually, paid leave
The District of Columbia does two things most states do not combine. First, its job-protection rule bars an employer from depriving an employee of employment, threatening, or coercing the employee because of a jury summons, a response to a summons, jury service, or attendance for prospective jury service (§ 11-1913(a)). Second, the District requires pay: for jury service of five days or less, a petit or grand juror employed full-time in the District is entitled to usual compensation, less the fee received for jury service (§ 15-718(c)).
That pay duty has two important limits. It runs only for the first five days of service, and an employer with 10 or fewer employees is not required to pay a juror-employee's usual compensation at all.
Who counts as a full-time juror for pay
A juror-employee does not count as full-time for pay on any day when the person would not have accrued regular wages if not serving, or would not have worked more than half of a shift that extends into another day (§ 15-718(c)(1)-(2)). That is a limit on which days trigger the employer's pay obligation; it is not a grant of a scheduling right or extra time off.
Because the employer pays usual compensation during those days, a full-time juror who is paid by the employer does not also collect the court's $30 daily attendance fee (§ 15-718(a)). Where the employer must pay, the jury fee is subtracted from usual compensation. Nothing in these sections lets an employer force an employee to use vacation or other paid time off for jury service.
Enforcement
A violation of the job-protection rule is criminal contempt. A first offense carries a fine up to $300, up to 30 days, or both; a later offense carries a fine up to $5,000, up to 180 days, or both (§ 11-1913(b)). Separately, an employee discharged in violation of the rule may bring a civil action within nine months for lost wages, an order of reinstatement, and damages, with reasonable attorney fees if the employee prevails (§ 11-1913(c)). An employee who is not paid as § 15-718(c) requires has a distinct civil action for the lost wages, again with attorney fees on prevailing (§ 15-718(d)).
What trips people up
The pay rule is narrower than "jury duty is paid in DC." It reaches only the first five days, only full-time employees, and only employers with more than 10 employees. A small employer with 10 or fewer employees owes job protection under § 11-1913 but is not required to continue wages.
The nine-month deadline in § 11-1913(c) is short. An employee fired for jury service should not assume a general limitations period applies to the reinstatement-and-lost-wages claim.
Common questions
Does a DC employer have to pay me for jury duty?
If you are a full-time employee and your employer has more than 10 employees, yes, for jury service of five days or less, at your usual compensation minus the jury fee. Smaller employers and service beyond five days are not covered by the pay rule, though your job is still protected.
Can my employer make me use vacation days for jury service?
These sections do not authorize an employer to compel use of vacation or other paid time off. The full-time pay rule instead requires usual compensation for the covered days.
What happens to my employer if it fires me for serving?
The employer faces criminal contempt penalties, and you may sue within nine months for lost wages, reinstatement, and damages, with attorney fees if you win.
Is testifying as a witness covered here?
No. These sections protect jurors. Separate rules govern witnesses and subpoenas, which are outside this survey.
Statutes and sources
- D.C. Code § 11-1913: job protection, criminal-contempt penalties, and the discharged-employee civil action — official text (accessed July 13, 2026).
- D.C. Code § 15-718(a), (c)-(d): the five-day paid-leave requirement, full-time and 10-employee limits, fee offset, and wage-recovery action — official text (accessed July 13, 2026).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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