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Fill out domestic violence restraining order forms

To get a domestic violence restraining order, first you have to tell the court about the abuse you've experienced and the protection you want.

You do this by filling out a set of court forms. This usually takes one to several hours for most people.

Before you start

In your forms, give details about why you need a restraining order. Writing about abuse can be upsetting or bring up a lot of emotions.

💬 You can get help from:

You don't need a lawyer, but if you want one, you can hire your own lawyer or see if your county has lawyers who may be able to help you for free or a low cost.

Request  a domestic violence restraining order

You will need to fill out at least four forms to ask for a restraining order. There may be extra forms if you are married or have children with the other side (person you want a restraining order against).

Forms will not save automatically. To save a form (so you can work on it later), download the form by clicking on the upper righthand corner, save to a computer that you can safely use, and open the saved form.
 

🔗 All court form links open in a new tab so you don’t lose your place.

  • Fill out all required forms

    1.  
    2. Request for Domestic Violence Restraining Order (form DV-100)
      Use this form to tell the judge: 
      • What orders you want the judge to make 
      • How you’ve been abused by the person you want a restraining order against  

    This section is very important. The judge will decide whether to grant (give) you a restraining order based on what you write in this section. 

    📌First, keep in mind that abuse:

    • can be spoken, written, or physical
    • it can affect you emotionally, physically, or financially
    • You can see some examples of abuse in Item 5 of DV-100 (box at the top). There are other types of abuse not listed. Write about anything that happened that you want the judge to know about.

    In item 5,

    • Start with the most recent abuse first, even if it is not the worst abuse.
    • Write down the facts of what happened. The judge needs facts to make a decision. 
      • For example, if the person has been harassing you, tell the judge what the person did to harass you, how many times they contacted you and what they said each time they contacted you. 
    • If you have proof (like an email or a text message), you can include it with your request.  If you need more space to write, you can use form MC-025.
    • Once you are finished writing about the most recent event, use items 6 and 7 to write about any other incident that you want the judge to know about, including the worst abuse.
      • For each incident give as much detail as you can.
      • If you need more space, use form MC-025 or a blank piece of paper.

    What if I don't have exact dates?

    If you don't remember the exact day something happened, give an estimate and write down that it is an estimate (example: Around my birthday in August 2020). To help you remember, think about whether the incident happened around a holiday or special occasion.

    1.  Confidential CLETS Information (form CLETS-001)
      The information on this form will help police enforce your restraining order. The court will not use the information on this form and the person you want a restraining order against will not get a copy.
    Some information is mandatory and is marked with an asterisk (*). You may not have all the other information about the restrained person. Fill in as much as you can.
    1. Notice of Court Hearing (form DV-109) 
      The court will fill out most of this form. You only need to fill out items 1 and 2. 
    2. Temporary Restraining Order (form DV-110)

      Fill out items 1, 2, and 3.  The court will fill out the rest, although in some courts, you may need to check the boxes for the orders you're asking for. Ask your self-help center for help if you're not sure.

  • Fill out forms for specific situations

    If you want to ask for child custody and visitation orders

    If you have a child with the other side, you can ask the judge to make custody and visitation orders right now. Fill out:

    1. Request for Child Custody and Visitation Orders (form DV-105) 
      • Complete this form if you want to ask a judge to make custody and visitation orders in your case.
      • File (turn in) this form with form DV-100. 
    2. Child Custody and Visitation Order (form DV-140)
      • On form DV-140, complete items 2 and 3, and the judge will complete the rest of this form. 
      • File (turn in) this form with form DV-110.
    3. Request for Orders to Prevent Child Abduction (form DV-108) (optional)
      • If you believe that the other parent may take your child without your permission, you can ask the court to protect against this. 
      • To ask a judge for orders to prevent child abduction, you must complete form DV-108. 
      • File (turn in) this form with form DV-100. This form is optional because you do not have to ask for these orders if you want to ask for custody. 
    4. Order to Prevent Child Abduction (form DV-145) (optional)
      • On form DV-145, complete items 1 and 2 and the judge will complete the rest of this form.
      • File (turn in) this form with form DV-110. This form is optional because you do not have to ask for these orders if you want to ask for custody. 

    If you want to ask for child support

    1. Check item 24 on form DV-100 if you want to ask for child support.
    2. Then fill out Income and Expense Declaration (form FL-150).
      • This form asks how much money you earn and what your expenses are.
      • Fill it out and attach proof of your income (like pay stubs) from the past two months.   

    Child support is the amount of money a judge tells a parent to pay each month to support their child. To decide who will pay child support, a judge will:
    • look at both parents' ability to pay child support and
    • the amount of time each parent spends with their child. 

    Most of the time child support is paid to the parent who has the child most of the time. Learn more about child support.

    If you want to ask for spousal support

    If you are married to the other side or have a registered domestic partnership, you can ask the court to make the other side pay you spousal support. Spousal support is money that is paid from one spouse to another to help with living expenses.

    You can ask for spousal support now, or you can also ask for spousal support in a divorce or legal separation case if you file one, so this step is an optional part of your restraining order request.

    To ask for spousal support:

    1. Check item 25 on form DV-100.
    2. Then fill out Income and Expense Declaration (form FL-150).
      • This form asks how much money you earn and what your expenses are.
      • Fill it out and attach proof of your income (like pay stubs) from the past two months.  

    📌 If you are also asking for child support, you only need to fill out form FL-150 once.

    The judge decides the amount by looking at the: 

    • Needs of spouse with less money 

    • Ability to pay for spouse with more money 

    The judge will look at how much one spouse needs to meet their expenses and whether the other spouse makes enough to meet that need. The judge could also consider domestic violence as a factor to decide the amount of spousal support.

    ⚠️ Do not attach or include sensitive information, like your social security number on your court papers. Most papers you file with the court can be viewed by anyone who asks to see them at the courthouse.

  • Check to see if you have any local forms to complete

    • Some county courts have additional local forms they require you to use.   
    • Contact your court's self-help center, the court clerk’s office, or check your court’s website (opens in a new tab), to see if they have any local forms you need to use. 

File Your Request

What's Next

Once you’ve completed the forms and made copies, you’ll file them with the court. 

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