How to get excused from jury duty in Riverside County, California
The excusal routes Riverside County, California actually recognizes — what each one needs, who decides, and where it goes.
Riverside prints the answer on the summons itself: “Further postponements or hardship requests must be determined by a Judicial Officer in person.” Financial hardship is a hearing, in front of a judge, on your reporting date — nothing you write reaches that decision. Everything else on this page is handled by the response form that comes with your summons, and costs nothing. Two things the form makes plain that most people get wrong: age 70 is not by itself a ground here — it only means you describe your own disability instead of your doctor doing it — and no confirmation is ever sent: you check the automated system 14 days later to find out whether you were excused.
Your routes in Riverside County, California
PostponementFree — one-time, within 90 days
One box on the response form. The form says one-time, within 90 days. Nursing mothers may postpone up to a year.
Riverside juror response form (RIVSUM 1119) — read directly. The printed box reads “I request a one-time postponement of jury service within 90 days.” A second box gives nursing mothers up to one year from the summons date, under C.R.C. 2.1006. The jury office said by phone that more than one request can be made inside the 90-day total; the form itself says one-time, and the form is what the court reads. Either way the runway is short — 90 days, where six months is common elsewhere — and the form is explicit about what happens next: “further postponements or hardship requests must be determined by a Judicial Officer in person.”
See the full detail →Financial hardshipIn person, before a judge
The summons itself says hardship requests must be determined by a Judicial Officer in person. There is no box for it on the form and nothing can be filed in advance.
California Rule of Court 2.1008, and the summons itself. General inconvenience, or an employer’s lack of paid jury leave, does not by itself qualify as extreme hardship — the court looks for an inability to pay necessary daily living expenses as a direct result of serving. Riverside puts the procedure on the summons: “further postponements or hardship requests must be determined by a Judicial Officer in person.” Nothing you write in advance reaches this decision, because there is nowhere on the response form to write it.
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Prepare your Talking Points for Judge →Disability or medical impairmentFree — box L on the response form
Box L. Under 70, your health care provider must describe why you cannot serve and sign under penalty of perjury. At 70 or over, you describe it yourself.
Riverside juror response form (RIVSUM 1119), box L. “I have a physical or mental disability or impairment.” The form splits by age and by nothing else: at 70 or over you describe the disability yourself in the space provided; under 70 your health care provider must describe the particular reasons for your inability to serve and sign under penalty of perjury. The form also carries a medical release authorizing your provider to release pertinent information. There is nothing further to pay for this — the county’s own form is the whole mechanism and there is no space in it for anyone else’s words. Granted excuses last 12 months. A permanent medical excuse has separate requirements published at riverside.courts.ca.gov/jury.
See the full detail →Caring for someone elseFree — box N on the response form
Box N. A verifiable, non-professional obligation to care for another between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday, where alternative arrangements are not feasible.
Riverside juror response form (RIVSUM 1119), box N. “I have a verifiable, non-professional obligation to provide care for another between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM Monday through Friday and alternative arrangements are not feasible.” This is its own ground, separate from disability, and it is answered in three short lines on the form: ages, relationship, type of care. There is nothing further to pay for it. The load-bearing phrase is the last one — alternative arrangements are not feasible — so the answer that fails is the one that describes the care without saying why nobody else can give it.
See the full detail →Recent jury serviceFree — two different windows
Two separate boxes, and the periods differ: grand or trial juror in the past 12 months disqualifies you; sworn or alternate juror in the last 36 months excuses you.
Riverside juror response form (RIVSUM 1119), boxes F and M. Two boxes, two different windows, and they are easy to confuse. Box F is a disqualification: “I have fulfilled my obligation as a Grand Juror or Trial Juror in the past 12 months, or I am now or will be serving soon as a Grand Juror or Trial Juror on another case.” Box M is an excuse: “I have served as a sworn or alternate juror in the last 36 months.” Thirty-six months is a far longer reach than most people expect, and it costs nothing to check the box.
See the full detail →Age 70 or olderFree — but not automatic here
Age alone is not a ground in Riverside. At 70 or over you may claim a disability or impairment and describe it yourself, without a health care provider.
Riverside juror response form (RIVSUM 1119), box L. Riverside does not excuse anyone for being 70. There is no age box on the response form. What age changes is who writes the description under box L: “If you are age 70 or over, please describe your disability or impairment in the space provided below. If you are under age 70, your health care provider must describe the particular reasons for your inability to serve... and sign under penalty of perjury.” So at 70 or over you still need a disability or impairment — you simply do not need anyone else to certify it.
See the full detail →You may not be qualified at allFree — eleven grounds on the form
Eleven separate boxes on the response form, from not being a resident of the county to holding a peace officer role. Being disqualified is not the same as being excused, and it is quicker.
Riverside juror response form (RIVSUM 1119), boxes A to K. Eleven grounds, each its own box: not a citizen of the United States; insufficient knowledge of English; under 18; not domiciled in California; not a resident of this county; recent or imminent grand or trial jury service; conviction of malfeasance in office with civil rights not restored; conviction of a felony while on parole, postrelease community supervision, felony probation or mandated supervision; required to register under Penal Code § 290; under conservatorship; and serving as a peace officer under Penal Code §§ 830.1, 830.2(a) or 830.33(a). Most people never read this list. Read it before you argue anything — not being a resident of Riverside County is faster and more certain than any hardship hearing. It is perjury to falsify an excuse from jury service (Penal Code § 125), so these are facts to check, not options to choose.
See the full detail →Contact the court
Office of the Jury Commissioner, Superior Court of Riverside County — P.O. Box 400, Riverside CA 92502-0400Jury line: (951) 275-5076
Also (760) 342-6264. Return the response form to the address printed on your own summons — it is not always where you report. Fax is per justice center: Riverside Hall of Justice 951.777.3416, Larson (Indio) 760.393.2643, Southwest (Murrieta) 951.704.7568, Banning 951.572.5440. The court names email as a way to return the form but publishes no jury email address; ask for it when you call.
Also (760) 342-6264. Return the response form to the address printed on your own summons — it is not always where you report. Fax is per justice center: Riverside Hall of Justice 951.777.3416, Larson (Indio) 760.393.2643, Southwest (Murrieta) 951.704.7568, Banning 951.572.5440. The court names email as a way to return the form but publishes no jury email address; ask for it when you call.
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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].