Jury duty in Berks County: pay, postponement, exemptions

If you get a jury summons from Berks County, you are required to respond to it, and if you are told to report you serve for one day, or for the length of one trial if you are picked for a jury. Berks County jurors are paid $9 a day for the first three days and $25 a day after that, plus mileage, and the county pays for your parking.

The summons comes from the Berks County Court of Common Pleas, the county’s trial court. Ignoring it can lead to a fine or a contempt-of-court order, so respond even if you plan to ask to be excused.

How you get picked

Names are drawn at random from lists of Berks County residents, mainly registered voters and people who hold a Pennsylvania driver’s license or state ID. Getting a summons does not mean you will sit on a jury. Most people who report spend the day in the Jury Assembly Room and are sent home if they are not chosen for a trial.

To serve on a Berks County jury under Pennsylvania law you must be a United States citizen, at least 18 years old, and live in Berks County, and you must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English. A person can be disqualified for a serious physical or mental condition that prevents service, or for a conviction of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison unless their rights have been restored.

Step by step, from summons to service

1. When the summons arrives, fill out the juror questionnaire. You can complete it online through the county’s Juror Questionnaire Login or return the paper form by mail.
2. If you need to be excused or moved to a later date, contact Jury Services before your date (see below). Do not simply skip it.
3. The day before your service date, after 5 p.m., check whether you actually have to report. Call 610-478-6400 (long distance 1-800-848-2080) or visit berksjury.com. This same line carries weather delays and closings.
4. If you are told to report, arrive at 8 a.m. at the County Services Center, 633 Court Street, Reading. Use the main entrance on the Reed Street side and go through security to the second floor.
5. A jury tipstaff checks your summons, confirms your information, and gives you a juror badge. You watch a short orientation video and finish any remaining questionnaire.
6. Wait in the Jury Assembly Room until you are either sent to a courtroom for jury selection or released for the day.
7. If you are selected for a trial, you serve until that trial ends. If you are not selected, your service is usually finished after that one day.

What jurors are paid

Berks County pays jurors a small daily amount set by the state, not lost wages:

• $9.00 a day for the first three days of service.
• $25.00 a day starting on the fourth day.
• 17 cents per mile for travel, for each day you serve.

Your employer cannot fire you or punish you for serving on a jury. Pennsylvania law protects your job, but it does not require your employer to pay your regular wages while you are out. Check your employer’s own policy, because many do continue pay for a set number of days.

Parking

While you are serving, the county pays for parking in the Reed & Court Street Garage. Do not pay when you enter the garage. If you drive an oversized vehicle that does not fit the garage, use the open lot at 7th and Washington streets.

How to postpone or be excused

Berks County handles requests to be excused, disqualified, or moved to a later date through its Jury Services office rather than an automatic online form. Call 610-478-6401 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to ask, and do it as early as possible instead of waiting until your service date.

Pennsylvania law allows exemptions from jury duty. The county lists two common ones: people in active military service, and people who can show that serving would be an undue hardship or an extreme inconvenience. That list is not complete, so explain your situation to Jury Services and ask what documentation they need. If you are summoned at a genuinely impossible time, ask to be moved to a later date rather than excused entirely.

What to bring, and what to leave home

Bring the summons portion of your questionnaire. Dress in business-casual clothing. Shorts, tank tops, and halter tops are not allowed.

Security screens everyone at the door. Leave weapons of any kind, scissors, aerosol sprays, knitting needles, metal utensils, and newspapers at home or in your car. You may bring a cell phone or laptop into the Jury Assembly Room, which has wifi, but you cannot use them inside a courtroom. There are morning, afternoon, and lunch breaks, and a snack shop on the second floor.

Where to go and who to call

Berks County Jury Services, County Services Center, 633 Court Street, 2nd Floor, Reading, PA 19601. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed on holidays.

• General jury questions: 610-478-6402, or jury@berkspa.gov
• Exemptions and postponements: 610-478-6401
• Reporting status and weather line: 610-478-6400 (long distance 1-800-848-2080) or berksjury.com

Jury Services is part of the county court system. For how the courts fit alongside the county’s other offices, see how Berks County government works. For another process that runs through the Court of Common Pleas, see our guide to the Berks County sheriff sale. The court’s public civil records are being moved to a new system and are offline until a mid-September relaunch, covered in our report on the Berks County civil court records outage.

FAQ

How long does jury duty last in Berks County?

One day, unless you are chosen to sit on a trial. If you are picked for a jury, you serve until that trial is over, which is usually a few days but can run longer for a complex case. If you are not chosen, you are typically released at the end of your reporting day.

Do I still have to go if I got a summons?

You have to respond to the summons, but you do not always have to appear. The day before your date, after 5 p.m., call 610-478-6400 or check berksjury.com to see whether your group is actually being called in. Never ignore a summons, because a no-show can bring a fine or a contempt order.

How much do you get paid for jury duty in Berks County?

The county pays $9 a day for the first three days and $25 a day beginning on the fourth day, plus 17 cents per mile for each day you travel. This is a state-set stipend, not your salary. Your employer cannot fire you for serving, but is not required to pay your wages during service.

Can I get out of jury duty if it is a bad time?

You can ask to be excused or moved to a later date by calling Jury Services at 610-478-6401. Active military service and a genuine undue hardship or extreme inconvenience are among the accepted reasons. Ask early and be ready to explain your situation.

Where do I park for jury duty?

The county covers parking in the Reed & Court Street Garage, so do not pay on the way in. Oversized vehicles use the open lot at 7th and Washington streets. The reporting entrance is on the Reed Street side of the County Services Center at 633 Court Street.