How to Reschedule Court Ordered Community Service

Co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD

Last Updated: March 29, 2019 References

Sometimes life interferes and you aren’t able to complete your court ordered community service. In order to reschedule, you should contact either the court or the district attorney’s office. Each courthouse runs their community service program differently, so you may have to call around to find the right person to talk to. You may also need to contact the community service organization you signed up with if you need to report that you’ll miss a day.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Rescheduling with Court Personnel

1
Find your deadline for completing community service. The judge should have given you a deadline for completing your community service after sentencing you.^{[1]
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Research source} You should check to see if you are close to going past the deadline.
- If you are, then you should contact your lawyer. They will know what you need to do if you haven’t completed your community service before the deadline.
- Generally, you can be arrested for failing to complete community service. You then will have to attend another hearing.^{[2]
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2
Document why you missed community service. You should have a solid reason for not completing your community service on time. For example, you might have entered a drug treatment program to dry out. Find documentation explaining where you have been.

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3
Call the court. In some courts, you get at least one automatic extension for completing your community service.^{[3]
X
Research source} However, each court is different, and you won’t know what you should do unless you call the court or the District Attorney’s Office.
- You can find the court clerk’s number by looking in your phone book or searching online.
- Some District Attorneys have a Community Service Program Office.^{[4]
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  Research source} You can find the phone number by looking on the DA’s website.
- Explain your situation and ask what the process is for rescheduling.
4
Contact your probation officer. You might have been assigned a probation officer. You should have this person’s name and contact information. Call the officer up and ask what you should do about rescheduling your community service.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Contacting the Community Service Organization

1
Find the contact information. Look through your papers to see if you can find the phone number for the community service organization. If you can’t find anything, then do a quick Internet search. Type in the name of the community service organization and its location.
2
Call early. As soon as you know that you can’t make your scheduled shift, you should call the organization and try to reschedule. Generally, you should try to give at least 24 hours’ notice.^{[5]
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3
Explain your situation. Community service organizations might have strict requirements about not canceling. In this situation, you should explain as best as you can why you missed your scheduled community service.
- The organization might terminate your community service for failure to show up on the scheduled date.^{[6]
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  Research source} In this situation, you should contact the court to see how you can get another placement.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Obtaining an Extension from the Court

1
Avoid delay. You generally need to make a request for an extension before the deadline for completing your community service has passed.^{[7]
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Research source} For this reason, you shouldn’t delay if you see the deadline fast approaching.
2
Get a progress report. If you have completed some but not all of your required community service, then you should get a progress report from the community service organization.^{[8]
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Research source} This document should state how many hours you have currently completed.
3
Check if there is a court form. Some courts might have forms that you can fill out in order to request the extension.^{[9]
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Research source} You can check with the court clerk or with the Community Service Office at the District Attorney’s Office.
- There might not be a form. Instead, you may need to draft a motion and submit it to the court. Ask the court clerk.
- Also check if there is a case manager you can call. In some courts, you can get an extension from a case manager instead of filing with the court.^{[10]
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4
Complete the form. Each form is different. However, you generally need to provide the same information, which can help the judge decide whether or not to grant an extension. For example, you will probably be asked for the following:^{[11]
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- your name
- your case number
- the name of the judge assigned to your case
- how many hours of community service the judge ordered
- how many hours you have already completed
- your reason for requesting an extension
- how much longer you need to complete your community service
- your signature
5
Submit your form or motion. Look in the form to find the address you should submit it to. If you don’t see an address, then go to the court clerk and ask where to file. Always keep a copy for your records.
6
Pay fines or penalties if you are late. The judge probably can order you to pay a fine for failing to complete community service in time.^{[12]
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Research source} The judge might also penalize you by increasing the amount of community service you must complete.