A permanent restraining order in Colorado lasts indefinitely. There is no expiration date, no renewal requirement, and no scheduled review. Colorado courts call these Permanent Protection Orders (PPOs), and once a judge signs one after a hearing, it stays in force until a court specifically modifies or dismisses it.1Justia. Colorado Code 13-14-104.5 – Procedure for Temporary Civil Protection Order A PPO issued in 2010 is still enforceable in 2026 if nobody has petitioned the court to change it.
The word “permanent” is only partly accurate. Either party can ask the court to end or modify the order, but the request has to clear several procedural hurdles, and the court can refuse. In one situation described below, the court is required to refuse.
Permanent Versus Temporary Orders
A Temporary Protection Order (TPO) is different. It is an emergency measure that typically lasts about 14 days, just long enough for the court to hold a full hearing on whether to convert it into a permanent order.2Colorado Judicial Branch. Getting a Protection Order Once that hearing produces a PPO, the indefinite clock starts and does not stop on its own.
Who Can Ask the Court to End It, and When
Colorado law does not allow the restrained person to challenge a PPO right away. A waiting period applies, and its length depends on when the order was originally issued:
- For orders issued on or after July 1, 2013, at least two years must pass after the PPO was granted, or two years after the court decided any previous motion to modify or dismiss.
- For orders issued before July 1, 2013, at least four years must pass after the PPO was granted, or four years after the court decided any previous motion.
These waiting periods bind only the restrained person.2Colorado Judicial Branch. Getting a Protection Order The protected person can ask the court to modify or dismiss the order at any time, with no waiting period.3Justia. Colorado Code 13-14-108 – Modification and Termination of Civil Protection Orders
How to File a Motion to Modify or Dismiss
The paperwork is Colorado Judicial Branch Form JDF 397, “Motion to Modify/Dismiss Protection Order,” available on the Colorado courts website in multiple languages.4Colorado Judicial Branch. Motion to Modify / Dismiss a Protection Order You will need the original case number, the full names of both parties, and a written explanation of what has changed since the order was issued and why the order is no longer necessary.
Fingerprint Background Check
If you are the restrained person, you must complete a fingerprint-based criminal history check through both the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the FBI before filing.5Colorado Judicial Branch. Instructions for Restrained Person – Motion to Modify / Dismiss Protection Order The check has to be conducted within 90 days before you file. Older results will not be considered. Attach the results as an exhibit to the motion. CBI charges roughly $39.50 for a combined Colorado and nationwide fingerprint-based record check.6CBI. Employment and Background Checks
Filing and Serving the Other Party
File the motion with the clerk of the court that originally issued the PPO. A protected person who is a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual violence is not charged a filing fee.7Justia. Colorado Code 13-14-109 – Fees and Costs
After filing, you must personally serve the other party with the motion and notice of the hearing date. Colorado’s modification statute requires personal service under Rule 4(e) of the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure.3Justia. Colorado Code 13-14-108 – Modification and Termination of Civil Protection Orders Service has to be performed by someone at least 18 years old who is not a party to the case, such as a professional process server or sheriff’s deputy. Once service is complete, the court sets a hearing date and notifies both sides.
What the Court Weighs at the Hearing
The person asking for the change carries the burden of proof. They have to show, by a preponderance of the evidence, that circumstances have changed enough to justify modifying or dismissing the order and that the order is no longer necessary.3Justia. Colorado Code 13-14-108 – Modification and Termination of Civil Protection Orders Preponderance means more likely than not. It is a lower bar than a criminal case, but the moving party still has to bring real evidence.
The statute directs the court to weigh several factors:
- Whether the restrained person has followed every term of the order without any violations.
- Whether the restrained person has completed any conditions the court attached, such as treatment or counseling.
- Whether the restrained person has any new criminal convictions since the order was issued.
- The current relationship between the parties and whether ongoing protection is still warranted.
Both sides get to present their case. The protected person can testify about continued fear, unwanted contact attempts, or any other reason to keep the order in place. If the protected person has asked the court to keep their address confidential, the court will not disclose it during these proceedings.3Justia. Colorado Code 13-14-108 – Modification and Termination of Civil Protection Orders
Compliance matters here in a very concrete way. Even minor contact that technically violates the order can undermine years of otherwise clean behavior and sink a motion to modify.
When the Court Cannot Lift the Order at All
One situation removes the court’s discretion completely. If the restrained person has been convicted of, or pled guilty to, any misdemeanor or felony against the protected person after the PPO was issued (other than the original offense that led to the order), the court is prohibited from modifying or dismissing the order.2Colorado Judicial Branch. Getting a Protection Order The order becomes truly permanent at that point. There is no mechanism to undo it. A single new conviction involving the protected person permanently closes the door.
Firearm Restrictions Run With the Order
Because a PPO has no end date, any firearm restriction attached to it also has no end date. When a Colorado court issues a protection order involving domestic violence that included the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force, the court must order the restrained person to stop possessing or purchasing firearms or ammunition for as long as the order is active.8CBI. Colorado Code 13-14-105.5 – Civil Protection Orders Prohibition on Possessing or Purchasing a Firearm Federal law adds a separate prohibition under 18 U.S.C. ยง 922(g)(8), with penalties up to 10 years in prison for a violation.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts Ending those restrictions requires ending the underlying order.