Jury Duty Leave and Pay Requirements in Ohio
At a glance
| Governing law | Ohio Rev. Code §§ 2313.19 and 2313.99(A) |
|---|---|
| Jury service covered | Job protection: summons under Ohio Rev. Code ch. 2313 plus absence because of actual jury service (§ 2313.19(A)). PTO protection: responding to the summons, jury selection, and actual service (§ 2313.19(B)); not written to cover federal jury service |
| Employers and employees covered | Job protection is limited to a 'permanent employee' (§ 2313.19(A)); the no-forced-PTO rule applies to any employee and does not state a tenure, classification, or employer-size limit (§ 2313.19(B)) |
| Time-off entitlement | No discharge, discharge threat, or discipline that could lead to discharge of a permanent employee who gave reasonable advance notice and is absent for actual jury service (§ 2313.19(A)); statute is protective rather than an express all-employee leave grant |
| Employer-paid wages | No general private-employer wage-continuation requirement stated in § 2313.19; the section protects permanent employment and leave balances but does not require wages for the absence |
| PTO and juror-fee treatment | Employer may not require or request use of annual, vacation, or sick leave for summons response, selection, or service; employer need not create leave benefits the employee otherwise lacks (§ 2313.19(B)). No juror-fee offset rule stated |
| Employee notice and proof | Permanent employee must give reasonable notice of the summons before jury service begins (§ 2313.19(A)); no fixed day count, written form, summons-copy requirement, or proof rule stated |
| Scheduling and return-to-work rules | No night-shift rest period, same-day return rule, make-up-time rule, or long-trial scheduling protection stated in §§ 2313.19 or 2313.99 |
| Job protection and remedies | Violation of § 2313.19 may be punished as contempt of court under Ohio Rev. Code ch. 2705 (§ 2313.99(A)); these sections do not create a jury-specific private damages or reinstatement action |
Permanent-worker protection and broader PTO protection
Ohio Rev. Code § 2313.19(A) protects a permanent employee who gives the employer reasonable notice before service begins and is absent because of actual jury service. The employer may not discharge the employee, threaten discharge, or take disciplinary action that could lead to discharge.
The next paragraph is broader in two ways. Section 2313.19(B) applies to an "employee," without the permanent-worker qualifier, and reaches the whole sequence of responding to a summons, participating in jury selection, and actually serving. For that time, the employer may not require or even request that the employee use annual, vacation, or sick leave. The employer does not have to create a leave benefit the worker otherwise lacks.
Pay, notice, and scheduling
Section 2313.19 does not state a general private-employer wage-continuation requirement. It preserves specified paid-leave balances but does not turn the absence into employer-paid time or coordinate employer wages with a court-paid juror fee.
The permanent employee must give reasonable notice before service starts, but the statute sets no fixed number of days and does not require a particular written form or summons copy. It also states no night-shift rest period, same-day return rule, make-up-time rule, or long-trial scheduling protection.
Enforcement
Under § 2313.99(A), a violation of § 2313.19 may be punished as contempt of court under Ohio Rev. Code Chapter 2705. The jury-employment sections do not themselves create an employee damages award, reinstatement order, attorney's fee, or administrative complaint route.
What trips people up
The word "permanent" matters. The anti-discharge paragraph does not protect every classification of employee, even though the forced-PTO paragraph is not limited that way.
The protected activities also differ by paragraph. Job protection requires an absence because of actual service; the leave-balance protection begins earlier and covers responding to the summons and participating in selection.
Common questions
Can an Ohio employer make an employee use vacation for jury duty?
No. Section 2313.19(B) says the employer may not require or request annual, vacation, or sick leave for summons response, selection, or service.
Does Ohio require a private employer to pay wages during service?
Section 2313.19 states no general wage-continuation duty. An employer policy or collective-bargaining agreement may provide paid jury leave.
How much notice is required?
Reasonable notice before jury service begins. The statute does not supply a fixed day count or require a summons copy.
What is the statutory penalty?
A violation may be punished as contempt of court under Chapter 2705.
Statutes and sources
- Ohio Rev. Code § 2313.19(A)-(B): permanent-employee job protection and the broader ban on forced annual, vacation, or sick leave — official text (accessed July 13, 2026).
- Ohio Rev. Code § 2313.99(A): contempt enforcement — official text (accessed July 13, 2026).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
What does Ohio law mean for your facts?
You just read the general rule. Ask your own question and see which parts of current Ohio 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