How to get excused from jury duty in King County, Washington
The excusal routes King County, Washington actually recognizes — what each one needs, who decides, and where it goes.
This is King County Superior Court, and “undue hardship” here means something narrower than most people expect. The court’s published page defines it: “it would be unfair for you to serve due to a medical, physical, or sensory condition.” Financial hardship is not that — the Manager of Jury Services told this project on 10 September 2026 that “the trial judge will determine whether a selected prospective juror should be excused for financial hardship during jury selection,” so it is decided in the room, on the day. Two more things worth knowing before you plan anything. There are no occupational exemptions at all — the court names students, teachers, healthcare providers, sales professionals and the self-employed and rules out every one. And every summons starts fresh: an excusal lasts only until your next one, and the court keeps no medical records from previous years. If your summons is from King County District Court rather than Superior Court, this page does not describe it — they are separate, and the Superior Court says that a summons from another court does not excuse you from responding to it.
Your routes in King County, Washington
Not qualified to serveIncluded — four grounds, and two are drawn unusually
Not a US citizen; under 18; unable to communicate in English or American Sign Language; or a convicted felon currently incarcerated.
King County Superior Court — published Jury Duty Exemptions page. The court states that all King County residents must serve when called “unless you are: Not a United States citizen; Under 18 years of age; Unable to communicate in English or American Sign languages; A convicted felon currently incarcerated.”
Two of those are drawn more humanely than their equivalents elsewhere. American Sign Language is named as a qualifying language, so a Deaf juror who signs is not disqualified for being unable to communicate in English — several counties in this project name English alone. And the felony ground turns on present incarceration rather than on restoration of civil rights.
One practical note the same page gives: if a summons reaches a person who has died, write “deceased” on the addressee portion and put it back in the mail — the Post Office returns it to the court.
See the full detail →Two of those are drawn more humanely than their equivalents elsewhere. American Sign Language is named as a qualifying language, so a Deaf juror who signs is not disqualified for being unable to communicate in English — several counties in this project name English alone. And the felony ground turns on present incarceration rather than on restoration of civil rights.
One practical note the same page gives: if a summons reaches a person who has died, write “deceased” on the addressee portion and put it back in the mail — the Post Office returns it to the court.
PostponementIncluded — twice, up to a year each time
Two postponements, up to a year each. The court says outright that a rescheduleable appointment gets a postponement rather than an excusal.
Jury Services, King County Superior Court — by email, 10 September 2026, with the published Exemptions page. Asked how many postponements a juror can have and how far out, the office answered: “Twice, up to a year each time.” The published page agrees: “Every person is eligible to postpone their jury duty date twice.”
Two postponements of up to a year each is among the most generous in this dataset — most counties measure theirs in weeks or a single term.
And the court tells you when to use it rather than asking to be excused: “If the hardship is an appointment you can reschedule, we won’t grant excusal. This includes susceptibility to COVID-19.”
One instruction to follow exactly: only the person named on the summons should log in, even if you are their parent, child or guardian.
See the full detail →Two postponements of up to a year each is among the most generous in this dataset — most counties measure theirs in weeks or a single term.
And the court tells you when to use it rather than asking to be excused: “If the hardship is an appointment you can reschedule, we won’t grant excusal. This includes susceptibility to COVID-19.”
One instruction to follow exactly: only the person named on the summons should log in, even if you are their parent, child or guardian.
Recent jury serviceIncluded — Superior Court service in the last year
Reported for jury duty in King County Superior Court within the past 12 months? Request excusal through the Juror Portal. Service for a different court does not count.
King County Superior Court — published Jury Duty Exemptions page. “Let us know if you have reported for jury duty in Superior Court within the past 12 months. Log in to our online Juror Portal to request excusal due to recently serving. If your recent summons was for another court, you must still respond to the Superior Court.”
Note the verb: reported. Not “served on a jury” and not “was selected” — turning up is what the ground describes.
And note the last sentence, because King County has more than one court that summons jurors. A District Court summons you answered last month does not excuse you from a Superior Court summons this month.
See the full detail →Note the verb: reported. Not “served on a jury” and not “was selected” — turning up is what the ground describes.
And note the last sentence, because King County has more than one court that summons jurors. A District Court summons you answered last month does not excuse you from a Superior Court summons this month.
Your job is not a reasonRuled out — five occupations, named and refused
The court states there are no occupational or professional exemptions for students, teachers, healthcare providers, sales professionals, or the self-employed.
King County Superior Court — published Jury Duty Exemptions page. “There are no occupational or professional exemptions for students, teachers, healthcare providers, sales professionals, or the self-employed.” And: “You will not know if what you do for a living or events in your past will excuse you from the jury until the selection process.”
This entry exists because a clear no is worth as much as a path — and because every one of those five occupations is an accepted ground in some other county in this dataset. Licensed healthcare providers are excused outright in two counties on this site; full-time students in four; and commission-paid salespeople are named by another Washington county as a category its staff cannot excuse.
King rules out all five. If you were about to gather a license, a class schedule or a letter from an employer on the strength of your occupation, this is the sentence that saves you the effort.
See the full detail →This entry exists because a clear no is worth as much as a path — and because every one of those five occupations is an accepted ground in some other county in this dataset. Licensed healthcare providers are excused outright in two counties on this site; full-time students in four; and commission-paid salespeople are named by another Washington county as a category its staff cannot excuse.
King rules out all five. If you were about to gather a license, a class schedule or a letter from an employer on the strength of your occupation, this is the sentence that saves you the effort.
Age 80 or olderIncluded — 80 or over, and the court must grant it
Not a discretionary excuse. You attest that you are 80 or over and unable to serve for health reasons, and the statute says the request must be granted. The court is forbidden to require a doctor’s note.
RCW 2.36.100(2) — Excuse from service, Reasons (2023 c 205 s 1). “A person who is 80 years of age or older may request to be excused from jury service if the person attests that the person is unable to serve due to health reasons. An attestation form must be developed by the court and may not include a requirement that a doctor’s note be provided. This request must be granted by the court.”
Read the last sentence again. Must be granted. Every other ground on this page is discretionary — somebody weighs it and decides. This one is not weighed. If you are 80 or over and you attest that health prevents you serving, the court has no power to refuse.
And the middle sentence is doing as much work as the last. The court is not merely excused from asking for a doctor’s note; it is forbidden to require one. That single line is worth more to you than any document we could sell you, which is why this entry costs nothing and always will.
From 1 January 2027 the same right extends to nursing mothers. 2025 c 379 s 7 adds: “A person who is breastfeeding or expressing breast milk for an infant under 24 months old may request to delay or be excused from jury service if the person attests that the person is unable to serve for this reason.” Same attestation, same ban on demanding a doctor’s note, same must be granted — and note that it covers a delay as well as an excusal, so it need not end your service, only move it. If your summons arrives late in 2026 for a date in 2027, this is the provision to raise.
See the full detail →Read the last sentence again. Must be granted. Every other ground on this page is discretionary — somebody weighs it and decides. This one is not weighed. If you are 80 or over and you attest that health prevents you serving, the court has no power to refuse.
And the middle sentence is doing as much work as the last. The court is not merely excused from asking for a doctor’s note; it is forbidden to require one. That single line is worth more to you than any document we could sell you, which is why this entry costs nothing and always will.
From 1 January 2027 the same right extends to nursing mothers. 2025 c 379 s 7 adds: “A person who is breastfeeding or expressing breast milk for an infant under 24 months old may request to delay or be excused from jury service if the person attests that the person is unable to serve for this reason.” Same attestation, same ban on demanding a doctor’s note, same must be granted — and note that it covers a delay as well as an excusal, so it need not end your service, only move it. If your summons arrives late in 2026 for a date in 2027, this is the provision to raise.
Medical, physical or sensory conditionA physician’s letter — detail the condition, and send nothing else
This is what “undue hardship” means here. A physician’s letter detailing the condition, with the provider’s statement that you should be excused. Three named documents the court will not accept.
King County Superior Court — published Jury Duty Exemptions page, with the office’s email of 10 September 2026. “Undue hardship means it would be unfair for you to serve due to a medical, physical, or sensory condition… We need a physician’s letter detailing your medical, physical, or sensory condition… This court cannot accept FMLA documentation, prescription information, or medical charts. The letter must include your medical care provider’s statement to be excused from jury duty due to your medical, physical or sensory condition.”
That is one of the most precise briefs any county in this project has published, and it cuts against the pattern. Four counties this week have said in terms that they want no clinical detail — one will not accept a letter that names the condition. King wants the condition detailed. There is no safe default; this instruction is King’s.
The three refusals are the useful half. FMLA paperwork, a prescription list and medical charts are exactly what a busy practice reaches for when asked to evidence a condition, and this court will not take any of them. What it wants instead is a letter that describes the condition and says you should be excused because of it — the second part is a clinical judgment, not a record, and it is the part most notes leave out.
Every summons starts from scratch. The court says prior excusals do not permit future ones and that it “does not keep medical records from previous years” — an excusal lasts only “until the person’s next summons.”
That is one of the most precise briefs any county in this project has published, and it cuts against the pattern. Four counties this week have said in terms that they want no clinical detail — one will not accept a letter that names the condition. King wants the condition detailed. There is no safe default; this instruction is King’s.
The three refusals are the useful half. FMLA paperwork, a prescription list and medical charts are exactly what a busy practice reaches for when asked to evidence a condition, and this court will not take any of them. What it wants instead is a letter that describes the condition and says you should be excused because of it — the second part is a clinical judgment, not a record, and it is the part most notes leave out.
Every summons starts from scratch. The court says prior excusals do not permit future ones and that it “does not keep medical records from previous years” — an excusal lasts only “until the person’s next summons.”
$9.97 · prepared for you, reviewed before you send it.
Prepare your What Your Doctor Needs to Write →Financial hardshipThe trial judge decides it, during jury selection
Not “undue hardship” as this court defines it, so the office cannot act on it. The trial judge decides during jury selection.
Jury Services, King County Superior Court — by email, 10 September 2026, with the published Exemptions page. Asked who writes a financial hardship request and whether it is decided on paper or in person, the Manager of Jury Services answered: “The trial judge will determine whether a selected prospective juror should be excused for financial hardship during jury selection.”
The published page explains why the office cannot deal with it: “Undue hardship means it would be unfair for you to serve due to a medical, physical, or sensory condition.” Financial hardship is not undue hardship as this court defines it, so there is no ground for the office to act on and nothing a letter to it can achieve.
This page used to sell a $19.97 hardship letter for King County. It does not any more, and this is why: the letter had nowhere to land.
What is worth preparing is what you will say to a judge, and what you will have in your hand when you say it — after you have checked whether one of the two year-long postponements solves the problem instead.
The published page explains why the office cannot deal with it: “Undue hardship means it would be unfair for you to serve due to a medical, physical, or sensory condition.” Financial hardship is not undue hardship as this court defines it, so there is no ground for the office to act on and nothing a letter to it can achieve.
This page used to sell a $19.97 hardship letter for King County. It does not any more, and this is why: the letter had nowhere to land.
What is worth preparing is what you will say to a judge, and what you will have in your hand when you say it — after you have checked whether one of the two year-long postponements solves the problem instead.
$14.97 · prepared for you, reviewed before you send it.
Prepare your Talking Points for Judge →Contact the court
Jury Services, King County Superior Court — 516 Third Ave, First Floor Jury Assembly Room, Seattle, WA 98104Jury line: (206) 477-1320
Email [email protected], the address the office gave on 10 September 2026. General jury information (206) 477-1320; also (206) 477-0459. Fax (206) 296-0986. Confirmation of a medical excusal follows once the physician’s letter is processed, and a postponement produces a new summons by mail or email. King County District Court is a separate court with its own jury operation; this record is Superior Court.
Email [email protected], the address the office gave on 10 September 2026. General jury information (206) 477-1320; also (206) 477-0459. Fax (206) 296-0986. Confirmation of a medical excusal follows once the physician’s letter is processed, and a postponement produces a new summons by mail or email. King County District Court is a separate court with its own jury operation; this record is Superior Court.
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JuryFree prepares documents and guidance from the facts you provide. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice or guarantee any outcome. Court rules and deadlines vary by county and change over time — confirm with the court before you rely on anything here. Questions: [email protected].