|
Information about Jury Service in
Polk County District Court
Location of courthouse and directions: The Polk County Courthouse is
located on 5th & Mulberry
Street, Des Moines, Iowa. The public entrance is on the south
side of the building on Cherry
Street.
The wheelchair accessible entrance is on the west side of the building
on 6th Street.
|
|
Courthouse hours:
The courthouse is open to the public from 7:30 am through 4:30 pm Monday
thru Friday except for State Holidays.
Contact information:
The Jury Clerk can be reached at 286-3769.
Check trial status
information: Please keep the top
portion of your jury summons.
Additional reporting information is located on the back of your
summons. Please follow these
instructions or any other enclosed instructions which may require you to call
in prior to your service date or give a time and date which you are to
appear. You will be required to
bring the top portion with you when you report for jury duty.
Where to park: Free parking is available in any of the City of Des Moines Parking Ramps. The closest locations are: 422 Walnut (entrances Walnut & 5th),
210 Second Avenue
(entrance on 3rd Avenue),
4th & Grand (entrance on 4th & Grand), and the
county lot south of the courthouse located at 600 Cherry Street. Bring your parking
stub to the Jury Clerk for validation each day. Parking in any other facility or
overtime parking tickets will be at your own expense.
Courthouse security information: For the protection of all who uses the Courthouse, all
persons entering will pass through an airport style security metal
detector. No weapons of any type
will be allowed inside the Polk County Courthouse. This will include, but not be limited to
the following items: any and all
types of firearms; all types of knives, including any size pocketknife or
cutting instrument; any form of chemical agent such as mace, pepper spray or OC
spray; Cat’s eyes or any other type of self-defense weapon commonly
carried on key rings. Anyone
attempting to enter the courthouse while in possession of these or any other
type of weapon will be asked to secure the item in a vehicle or location off
the courthouse property prior to returning for admittance.
Contact for ADA accommodation: Do you have any mental or physical
disability or condition which will need to be accommodated to serve as a
juror? If you have a disability,
please call the Jury Clerk at 286-3769, at least one week before your term to
make specific arrangements. If you
require the assistance of auxiliary aids or service to participate in court
because of a disability, immediately
call your district ADA Coordinator at 515-286-3394. If you are hearing
impaired, call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942.
Inside the courthouse- where to report
for jury service: You are to report to the Jury Lounge,
Room 303, third floor.
What to wear to court:
Please report for jury service wearing respectable clothes. As a general rule, business or business casual
clothing is acceptable. The
following types of clothing are not suitable for court proceedings: shorts, tube tops, halter tops, clothing
that contain any obscene, suggestive or inflammatory print or images, and
clothes that are overly dirty or ragged.
Absences/Emergencies: Should you or your family have an emergency during your jury
service,a message can be left with the Jury Clerk at 286-3769. If a sudden illness or emergency
prevents your attendance, please call the Jury Clerk at 286-3769.
Travel, mileage and other expenses:
Jurors are reimbursed for travel to and from residence to the courthouse
at a rate approved by the supreme court. If you do not know the mileage, you can
look it up on Mapquest.com.
Compensation: Pursuant to state law, you will be paid $30 a day for each
day of your jury service up to seven days; $50 a day for eight or more days of
service. You may waive the right to
compensation, which will help reduce the state’s cost of operating the
court system.
Other: THANKS! On behalf of the Iowa Courts, thank you for performing this
important service. Jury service is
one of the most important duties of citizenship. This is your opportunity to participate
in this fundamental and vital process of democracy.
Photographer:
Robert DeRechter
