Properties of electrons near absorbing and emitting surfaces are studied for weakly ionized plasmas by analyzing the Boltzmann equation governing the electrons. For simplicity, it is assumed that the electric field intensity is given apriori. It is shown that there exists a “nonequilibrium absorption layer,” near the surface, wherein the kinetic distribution of electrons is completely out of equilibrium for all values of the mean free path, when the surface is highly absorbent with small or no electron emission. This layer is responsible for the large electron temperature jump at the surface, and it governs the electron temperature profile through the continuum as well as the rarefied plasmas. From the analysis it is found that the simple surface boundary condition for the continuum electron energy equation previously employed by the present author is correct when there is no surface emission. A similar simple surface boundary condition is deduced for surfaces with given finite emission rates.