Colorado: Jury Duty Leave and Pay Requirements

Employer pay for the first three days

Colorado is unusual: it puts the cost of short jury service on the employer, not
the court. Under § 13-71-126, "all regularly employed trial or grand jurors
shall be paid regular wages, but not to exceed fifty dollars per day" by their
employers "for the first three days of juror service or any part thereof." The
$50 cap is a floor the parties can raise by mutual agreement, not a ceiling on
generosity.

Two features matter. First, the duty covers the first three days or any part
of them, so even a half-day appearance during those first three days is paid.
Second, "regularly employed" is defined broadly: it "shall include part-time,
temporary, and casual employment if the employment hours may be determined by a
schedule, custom, or practice established during the three-month period
preceding the juror's term of service." A part-time worker with a predictable
schedule is covered, not just full-time staff.

After the third day, the employer-pay requirement ends. Longer service is
unpaid by the employer unless a policy or agreement says otherwise.

When an employer can be excused

Section 13-71-127 lets a court "excuse an employer or a self-employed juror from
the duty of compensation" on a finding of financial hardship. When that happens,
the juror instead "receive[s] reasonable compensation in lieu of wages from the
state for the first three days," again capped at $50 per day, so the employee is
not left unpaid.

The excusal runs on a tight clock. The employer must request the hearing in
writing to the jury commissioner, and a hardship hearing "shall occur no later
than thirty days after the tender of the juror service acknowledgment
information to the employer."

Job protection and anti-harassment

Separate from pay, § 13-71-134(1) protects the job. An employer "shall not
deprive an employed juror of employment or any incidents or benefits thereof,
nor shall an employer harass, threaten, or coerce an employee" for receiving a
summons, responding, performing juror service, or exercising any right under
Article 71. The same subsection bars an employer from making "demands upon any
employed juror which will substantially interfere with the effective performance
of juror service" — Colorado's version of a scheduling protection, framed as a
no-interference standard rather than a fixed shift rule.

Enforcement and penalties

Colorado backs both duties with real teeth. For harassment or firing, the juror
"may commence a civil action for such damages or injunctive relief or both," and
"the court may award treble damages and reasonable attorney fees" on a finding of
willful misconduct; the trial is to the court without a jury (§ 13-71-134(1)). A
willful violation is also a class 2 misdemeanor (§ 13-71-134(2)).

Unpaid wages have their own remedy. Under § 13-71-133, an employer who fails to
pay and was not excused "shall be liable to the employed juror," and if the
juror is not paid within 30 days after the acknowledgment is tendered, the juror
"may commence a civil action." Extreme financial hardship "shall not be a
defense" to that suit, and treble damages and attorney fees are again available
for willful misconduct.

What trips people up

The pay obligation is narrow in time even though it is real. It is the first
three days only, and the employer's share is capped at $50 per day. Employees on
a long trial should not expect employer wages past day three unless their
employer's policy provides them.

The duty is tied to paperwork. The employer's obligation and the hardship clock
both run from the "tender of the juror service acknowledgment information," the
document the jury commissioner generates — so getting that acknowledgment to the
employer is what starts the timeline.

These rules govern Colorado state jury service under Article 71. A Colorado
resident summoned to federal court relies on separate federal protections, not
§§ 13-71-126 to 13-71-134.

Common questions

Does my Colorado employer have to pay me for jury duty?

Yes, for the first three days. A regularly employed trial or grand juror gets
regular wages up to $50 per day for the first three days of service or any part
of them (§ 13-71-126). After that, employer pay is not required.

I work part-time — am I covered?

Likely yes. "Regularly employed" expressly includes part-time, temporary, and
casual work if your hours can be determined by a schedule, custom, or practice
in the three months before service.

What if paying me would hurt my small employer?

The employer can ask a court to be excused for financial hardship. If excused,
the state pays you up to $50 per day for the first three days instead
(§ 13-71-127).

What can I do if I'm fired or harassed for jury duty?

You may sue for damages or an injunction, and the court can award treble damages
and attorney fees for willful misconduct (§ 13-71-134(1)); willful harassment is
also a class 2 misdemeanor. Unpaid wages have a separate action under § 13-71-133.

Statutes and sources

• Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-71-126 (Compensation of employed jurors during first
  three days): the up-to-$50-per-day employer-pay rule and the broad
  "regularly employed" definition —
  CDLE jury-duty page
  (accessed July 13, 2026).
• Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-71-127 (Financial hardship): court excusal of the
  employer and state-paid compensation in lieu of wages —
  Colorado Judicial Branch
  (accessed July 13, 2026).
• Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-71-133 (Enforcement of employer's duty to compensate):
  the unpaid-wage civil action, no-hardship-defense rule, and treble
  damages/attorney fees —
  Colorado Judicial Branch
  (accessed July 13, 2026).
• Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-71-134 (Penalties and enforcement remedies for
  harassment by employer): the job-protection bar, civil action, treble
  damages/attorney fees, and class 2 misdemeanor —
  current text
  (accessed July 13, 2026).