Jury Duty
Jury service is one of the most important responsibilities of a citizen. The right to a trial by jury is a cornerstone of our American justice system.
Juror Questionnaire
The Virginia Beach Circuit Court recently began using a new jury management system. If you receive a notification postcard in the mail, it is legitimate and you should respond. This is not a scam.
Questions? You can reach Jury Administration at 757-385-4589 or juryadm@vbgov.com.
The 2026 Jury Questionnaire is now available.
Submit QuestionnaireOur system of justice cannot function unless citizens serve as jurors. Thank you for responding to your questionnaire and appearing for jury service. Our hope is that you will enjoy the privilege and opportunity of jury service.
Jury Service Information
After 5 p.m. the day before your assigned date of service, visit the Juror Access page. It may not be accurate until after 5 p.m. the day before your assigned date.
Key Reminders
- Dress must be appropriate business casual attire. No shorts or tank tops or uniforms of any type for men or women.
- Jurors will be required to pass through a metal detector when entering the courthouse.
- Weapons, chemical agents, scissors, knives, cameras, laptops, MP3 players, electronic books, e-cigarettes, and cell phones should be left in your car.
- A phone is available for your use in the jury room and a refrigerator is available should you want to bring a lunch or snack.
What is a summons for jury duty?
The Summons is the official court document that requires you to serve as a juror. If you fail to comply with the summons, you may be held in contempt of court and fined $200.
What are the assigned dates of service?
Jurors summoned to serve jury duty in the Virginia Beach Circuit Court are assigned to one week for an entire month. Your term of service and start date are printed on the back of your Official Juror Summons postcard.
Where is my Juror ID?
Your Juror ID is listed on the front of your Official Juror Summons.
How do I determine if I am required to appear?
The summons for jury duty officially places you "on-call" for jury service. The Court "calls in" only the number of jurors needed, based on the number of jury trials scheduled. The Official Juror Summons is the official notice to report for jury duty and shall have the effect of a court order.
The jury administrator updates the jury management system at least one business day before each day of your assigned term of service listed on your summons. You must check after 5 p.m., the business day before each of your service week. You may check after 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to your week of service, but it is recommended you check back on Sunday evening as cases can come off at the last minute.
You must check each day of your assigned week of service listed on your summons until the entire week of service is complete. You will see a message on the juror access webpage telling you that your service is complete.
To check if you are needed for jury service, please visit the Juror Access page.
What do I do if my juror number is listed?
Bring your summons with you when reporting for jury duty. Show the summons to the deputy in the parking lot. It is recommended that you add 10-15 minutes to your travel time to allow for delays in parking and passing through the judicial center security. Arrive no later than 8:45 a.m. Reserved parking is only provided until 9 a.m.
What do I do if my juror number is not listed?
If you check the juror access webpage and you are not needed for a particular day, you will still need to check again on the evening before your next assigned date of service. Failure to appear can result in a show cause being issued.
IMPORTANT: Staff make every effort to have the Juror Access webpage updated by 5 p.m. the day before your reporting date. If the date is not correct or you feel there is an error, you can call 757-385-4589 or email juryadm@vbgov.com.
Please read the following BEFORE submitting your request or calling the court.
Deferrals (postpone your service)
If you are unable to serve during the entire week for which you have been called due to scheduling conflicts, vacations, business reasons, etc., the court will allow a one-time deferral to another week which is more convenient for you within a one-year period of your original term of service. You may request a deferral by visiting the Juror Access.
webpage.
The deferral request must be received seven days prior to your "first" scheduled date of service. If it is outside this time period you will have to call our office.
Only ONE deferral is permitted. If you have previously been deferred, then you will not be able to request an additional deferral.
Excusals
You are able to request an excusal by visiting the Juror Access webpage.
You will ONLY be granted an excusal if it is for a reason permitted by the Code of Virginia. Documentation will be required for an excusal request and can be faxed to 757-385-1314 or emailed to juryadm@vbgov.com.
Your request is not granted until you receive this verification.
Below are some examples of reasons for excusal.
- Age - If you are under 18 years old.
- Already served - If you have served in the past three years.
- Age over 73 - If you are over 73 years old.
- Care of dependent - A person who has legal custody of and is necessarily and personally responsible for a child or children 16 years of age or younger requiring continuous care by him during normal court hours, or any mother who is breast-feeding a child OR A person who is necessarily and personally responsible for a person having a physical or mental impairment requiring continuous care by him during normal court hours.
- Deceased - If a summons was mailed to the deceased person, please accept our apologies.
- Felon - If you are a convicted felon.
- Medical - If you have a medical condition, please fax or email a note from your doctor with your name, week of service, and length of disability.
- Military - If you are on active duty with the armed forces and requesting an excusal. Please fax or email a letter from the commanding officer.
- Medi-permanent - If you have a permanent medical condition, please fax or email a letter from a doctor indicating such.
- Mariner - If you are employed in maritime service.
- Non-citizen - If you are not a citizen of the United States.
- Non-resident - If you reside outside of Virginia Beach, please fax or email proof.
- Occupation – If you are the only person performing services for a business, commercial or agricultural enterprise and whose services are so essential to the operations of the business, commercial or agricultural enterprise that such enterprise must close or cease to function if such person is required to perform jury duty, please call 757-385-4589.
Students
If you are a full-time student and cannot serve during the week for which you have been summoned, you will need to request an excusal via the Juror Access webpage.
Step 1: Each year, the names of prospective jurors are selected randomly by computer from a merged list of voter registration records and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles records.
Step 2: The Circuit Court mails a Jury Questionnaire to individuals who were randomly selected. The questionnaire must be completed and returned to the Court within ten days.
Step 3: Jury Commissioners (appointed by the Court) review the questionnaire responses and select approximately 10,000 qualified citizens based on the criteria set forth in the Virginia Code. The citizens selected by the Jury Commissioners constitute the Master Jury Pool for the next calendar year.
Step 4: Approximately 800 jurors per month are randomly selected from the Master Jury Pool and are summoned to serve on an assigned Term of Service that is one week a month.
Step 5: The Court issues an Official Juror Summons which officially places you "on-call" for jury service. Approximately 250 jurors are "on-call" each week. Rather than require all 250 jurors to report, the Court "calls in" only the number of jurors needed, based on the number of jury trials scheduled. Not all jurors reporting for service are selected for a trial.
The individual claiming to be an agent of the court or sheriff's office indicates that the phone call is in regard to jury or grand jury service, issuing threats regarding failure to appear and requesting personal information for "verification purposes" or requesting a payment to avoid a contempt arrest warrant. The characteristics of these juror scams are consistent nationally.
The fraudster calls the target and identifies himself/herself as a member of local law enforcement. The target is told that there is a pending warrant for their arrest for failing to appear for jury service, but they can avoid a custodial arrest by promptly paying a fine. They are told that payment is required as soon as possible, and they are directed to buy a prepaid money card for a specified amount.
In some cases, the fraudster will stay on the line with the target during the entirety of the criminal event. This is done presumably to ensure that the target is unable to contact friends or family who may dissuade them from purchasing a prepaid money card. Once the prepaid money card has been purchased, the target is told to give the fraudster the number and codes. The fraudster then converts the codes into cash or merchandise.
The Virginia Beach Circuit Court may call to find out why someone did not show up for jury duty, but our court officials will never request personal identifying information over the phone or request a payment to avoid the court process.
You may contact our jury office at 757-385-4589 if you believe you have been contacted by such an individual. You may also contact the local FBI office located in Norfolk, Virginia, at 757-455-0100.
E-Notifications
NEW! Login to the Juror Access webpage to update your address, request a deferral or excusal, and provide your cell phone number and email address to opt-in for text and email notifications. Your information is not shared and you can change it at any time.