Frequently Asked Questions

You are required by law to return the completed Jury Questionnaire to the Jury Board at 400 Boardman Ave., Ste. 102, Traverse City, MI 49684. Failure to return the questionnaire will cause you to be summoned to court. Failure to respond to the summons may lead to your arrest and imposition of a fine or costs.

Fill out the questionnaire that has the name you prefer and write "duplicate" at the top of the 2nd questionnaire that you are not filling out. Return both questionnaires to the Jury Board at 400 Boardman Ave., Ste. 102, Traverse City, MI 49684.

Mark "deceased" on the questionnaire and return it to the Jury Board at 400 Boardman Ave., Ste. 102, Traverse City, MI 49684. We try to avoid this situation, please accept our apology.

Forward the questionnaire to your son/daughter at college and have him/her mail the questionnaire to the Jury Board at:

400 Boardman Ave., Ste. 102

Traverse City, MI 49684

If selected for jury service, the court will mail a summons for jury duty approximately 2 weeks prior to the scheduled trial.

If summoned for a trial when he/she is at college, he/she can call the Circuit Court Clerk at 231-922-4710 for further instructions and may be rescheduled to serve during a holiday or summer break.

If you have lost or damaged your questionnaire, please contact the relevant County Clerk Office and request another copy. The Antrim County Clerk phone number is 321-533-6353. The Grand Traverse County Clerk phone number is 231-922-4710. The Leelanau County Clerk phone number is 231-256-9824.

The jury selection process generally takes a 1/2 day. If you are actually selected as a juror in a case, the average length of a trial is 2 - 3 days.

Each case is handled individually and depends upon whether your circumstances fall within the statutory provisions for an excuse from service based upon undue or extreme physical or financial hardship. Upon receiving a summons, you need to direct a letter to the Circuit Court Administration Office for review by the presiding Judge. Be specific and provide financial, medical and/or other proof regarding your hardship. If prepaid travel is the source of hardship, please provide copies of your pre-paid airline tickets or other reservations.

The following are the addresses for County Clerk Offices by County:

Antrim County Clerk

P.O. Box 520

203 E Cayuga Street

Bellaire, MI 49615

Grand Traverse County Clerk, Court Records

280 Washington Street

Suite 206

Traverse City, MI 49684

Leelanau County Clerk

8527 E Government Center Drive

Suite 103

Suttons Bay, MI 49682

Each case is handled individually and depends upon whether your circumstances fall within the statutory provisions for an excuse from service based upon undue or extreme physical or financial hardship. Upon receiving a summons, you need to direct a letter to the Circuit Court Administration Office for review by the presiding Judge. Be specific and provide financial, medical and/or other proof regarding your hardship.

Correspondence should be directed to:

Antrim County Clerk

P.O. Box 520

203 E Cayuga Street

Bellaire, MI 49615

Grand Traverse County Clerk

280 Washington Street

Suite 206

Traverse City, MI 49684

Leelanau County Clerk

8527 E Government Center Drive

Suite 103

Suttons Bay, MI 49682

Michigan law prohibits an employer from terminating, disciplining, threatening or taking adverse actions against an employee because that employee received or responded to a jury summons. An employee may not be required or requested to use annual, vacation, personal, or sick leave for time spent responding to a jury summons, time spent participating in the jury selection process, or time spent actually serving on a jury.

However, the law does not require your employer to pay you wages while you are on jury duty. Many employees are paid wages while on jury duty because it is a negotiated contract provision. Please check with your supervisor to answer this question.

Jury Service is compensated by the Court (District, Circuit or Probate) in which you are selected for.  Please contact them for current compensation rates. 

Yes, unless you reported for jury service within the last year or you do not meet 1 of the other qualifications. Reported means you appeared in the jury room on an assigned date as instructed by the court. If you received a summons and your number was never selected to come in, then you did not report.

If you do not know the year you previously served, place a question mark in the blank on the questionnaire for the year. The jury staff will check your prior service.