A civil court order issued to prevent continuing acts of family violence. Family violence is defined as any act by one member of a family or household intended to physically harm another member, a serious threat of physical harm, or the abuse of a child.
It is intended to prevent the offending person from contacting you. A judge can order that the offending person (defendant) not contact you in person, by phone, in writing or other means and can order the defendant from contacting you at specific locations such as your residence, work, school or other locations. A judge can also order that the defendant surrender and/or not purchase firearms and ammunition.
Victims must remain cautious and have a personal safety plan. It is not an order for temporary child custody for the purpose of preventing a parent from seeing children, unless the children are endangered. It is not an order for visitation.
Emergency Order of Protection
If the Court has closed for business, Emergency Orders of Protection are granted by a judge in writing verbally, or telephonically to protect a person who is in imminent danger of domestic violence. Emergency Orders of Protection are available from local law enforcement agencies. If you are not in immediate danger, you can locate your local law enforcement agency's non-emergency telephone number by calling information at 411. There is a fee charged by your telephone carrier to call 411. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
The law enforcement agency will dispatch an officer to review your situation. If appropriate, the officer will contact the court after hours to request the Court grant an Emergency Order of Protection. If the order is granted, it will be a temporary order that expires seven (7) calendar days after issuance. You will need to go to a Law Library Resource Center location to complete and file a Petition for a longer Order of Protection, if you would like the order to continue.
You may apply for and receive an Order of Protection if you meet the following requirements:
The defendant is:
AND
The defendant committed, or is about to commit, any of the following:
Any dangerous crime against a child under 15 years of age (A.R.S. 13-604.01) which includes: second degree murder; aggravated assault resulting in serious physical injury or involving the discharge, use or threatening use of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument; sexual assault; molestation of a child; sexual conduct with a minor; commercial sexual exploitation of a minor; sexual exploitation of a minor; child abuse; kidnapping; sexual abuse or continuous sexual abuse of a child; taking a child for the purpose of prostitution; child prostitution; involving or using minors in drug offense.
AND/OR
Any of the following acts in which the defendant:
If the defendant is under 12 years of age, the injunction against harassment or order of protection must be filed in the Juvenile Department.
You may request an Order of Protection at any of the Law Library Resource Center locations at the Superior Court, or go to one of the municipal courts or one of the justice courts. Regardless of where you reside in Arizona, generally, any court in Arizona may issue an Order of Protection.
When you arrive at the Law Library Resource Center, you will be required to complete the necessary paperwork using a computerized Domestic Violence prompt system.
Alternatively, you can use AZPOINT, the Arizona Protective Order Initiation and Notification Tool. It has been designed to help you fill out a petition for an Order of Protection. Through an interview in AZPOINT, you can quickly and accurately fill out the forms that are needed to request an Order of Protection at an Arizona court. An Order of Protection is a court order that is issued to stop a person from committing domestic violence or from contacting other people protected by the order. The portal will also help you figure out whether you (the plaintiff) and the person from whom you are seeking protection (the defendant) have a qualifying relationship for an Order of Protection. Your information will be saved in AZPOINT for up to 90 days. At any time during this 90-day period, you may take the next step of filing your petition at an Arizona court. Until you file your petition at a court, you will be able to return to AZPOINT to update your information if necessary. You are encouraged to speak to a victim advocate before you file your petition. An advocate can help you make a safety plan and give you more information about how an Order of Protection works and how it will be served on the defendant. For more information, click here to go to AZPOINT.
If you completed the Petition on AZPoint, you will provide your confirmation to court staff. If you do not remember your confirmation number, court staff can assist you.
The paperwork will include a Petition in which you will be required to provide specific acts of domestic violence and name each individual you believe should be included as a protected person. You must sign and swear or affirm to the truth of the petition before a person authorized to administer an oath. Court staff is available to help facilitate your completion of the necessary paperwork and to direct you through the process of filing the paperwork. There is no fee to file a Petition for Order of Protection. Please allow at least two hours to complete the process and be prepared to describe all incidents between yourself and person from whom you are seeking protection. If you are seeking protection from multiple persons, you will be required to complete paperwork for each person.
After you complete the paperwork you will appear before a judge to give testimony regarding the incidents you have alleged in the petition. If the judge finds sufficient grounds, the judge will issue the Order of Protection and the court will send the Order of Protection and a copy of the petition out for service TODAY, unless the court delays it. The court cannot delay sending the order out for service for more than 72 hours.
Advocates are available at each Superior Court location (and some municipal courts) to provide assistance.
Please be aware that not all requests are granted and some may require a court hearing with the person you are seeking protection from before issuance.
Effective 01/01/2020 - If the Judge grants your Petition, the court will send the Order of Protection and a copy of the petition out for service TODAY, unless the court delays it. The court cannot delay sending the order out for service for more than 72 hours.
There is no cost for service of an Order of Protection. If law enforcement is unable to serve the Order within 15 days, law enforcement will contact you. Law enforcement has a continuing duty to attempt service, so if you have additional information about the defendant's location, please contact the law enforcement agency.
Until the Order is served, you should keep an additional copy of the Order of Protection in your possession in order for law enforcement to complete service on the defendant if the defendant has not been served and comes near you. Call 911; explain that you have an Order of Protection and the defendant is approaching you. Have the law enforcement officer serve the defendant with your copy of the Order of Protection.
A served Order of Protection is enforceable by law enforcement in any state or tribal nation in the United States.
Orders of Protection are not valid until served on the defendant. The Order of Protection must be served within one year of its issuance. Orders of Protection served on or after September 24, 2022, are valid for 2 years. Orders of Protection served before September 24, 2022, are valid for 1 year.
Even if you initiate contact, the Defendant could be arrested for violating this protective order. If the Defendant does not want you to contact him/her, the Defendant has the right to request a protective order against you.
If you or the Defendant needs to get personal belongings from the other, you may request standby from the judge. Standby allows you or the Defendant to return once with a law enforcement officer to obtain necessary personal belongings from the residence. Neither law enforcement nor this protective order can resolve conflicts over property, title, furniture, finances, real estate, or other ownership issues.
You may request that the judge order the Defendant not to possess, receive, or purchase firearms or ammunition.
If the Defendant disagrees with the Order of Protection, he/she has the right to request a hearing which will be held within 5 to 10 business days after a written request has been filed in the court that issued the order.
To request a hearing on an Order of Protection, the Defendant must go to one of the Law Library Resource Center locations to complete a Request for Hearing form. A hearing date will be set and the plaintiff will be notified of the hearing.
If you live outside Maricopa County, you may download and complete the Notice of Hearing form that is located on the Court's website. You must follow the instructions set forth in the Procedures.
A plaintiff may request that an Order of Protection be dismissed or quashed at any time during the term of the order. Only a judge can dismiss or quash an Order of Protection.
To file a motion to dismiss or quash an Order of Protection, you must go to one of the Law Library Resource Center locations to complete a motion. You will be required to provide identification to court personnel at the time you complete the Motion to Dismiss or Quash. You will be required to appear before a judge and explain why you want to dismiss the order. Please allow at least two hours for the entire process.
A plaintiff may request that an Order of Protection be modified at any time during the term of the Order. Only a judge can modify an Order of Protection.
To modify an Order of Protection, you must go to one of the Law Library Resource Center locations to complete the appropriate paperwork. You will be required to provide identification to court personnel at the time you complete the paperwork. If the defendant has been served with the original Order of Protection but has not requested a hearing, you will be required to appear before a judge and explain why you want to modify the order. If a modification is requested after a hearing has been held on the original Order of Protection, a hearing will be set and notice of the hearing must be given to the defendant.
Please allow at least two hours for the entire process.
Check the events calendar for upcoming workshops, clinics, and other legal events.
Disclaimer: The files included within the Law Library Resource Center's website are copyrighted. Users have permission to use the files, forms, and information for any lawful purpose. The files and forms are not intended to be used to engage in the unauthorized practice of law. The Court assumes no responsibility and accepts no liability tor actions taken by the users of these documents, including reliance on their contents. All files are under continual revision. If you are not using these forms right away, or if you plan to use them repeatedly, we strongly recommend that you check the site regularly to determine whether the files you are using have been updated.
