To file a Domestic Violence Protection Order in Washington, you complete a Petition for Protection Order and a Law Enforcement and Confidential Information Form at your county Superior Court clerk’s office, pay nothing, and ask a judge to review your petition the same day. If the judge grants a temporary order, the court schedules a full hearing within about 14 days, law enforcement serves the respondent for free, and you return to court to ask for a longer-term order. You do not need a lawyer, and you do not need a criminal case against the respondent.
Who Can File
Chapter 7.105 of the Revised Code of Washington covers civil protection orders, and a DVPO requires a specific relationship with the person you need protection from. Two categories qualify.
Intimate partners include current or former spouses, current or former domestic partners, people who share a child, and people who are or were in a dating relationship. Family or household members include adults related by blood or marriage, people who currently live together, and people who previously shared a home.
If your situation does not fit either category, Washington offers other civil protection orders under the same chapter, including stalking and antiharassment orders.
What Counts as Domestic Violence
Washington’s definition is broad. It covers physical harm, bodily injury, assault, and conduct that causes fear of imminent physical harm. Sexual assault and nonconsensual sexual contact against a family member or intimate partner qualify, as does stalking. You do not need visible injuries or a hospital record. Threats that put you in genuine fear of being hurt meet the legal threshold.
A single serious incident can justify a DVPO. A documented pattern strengthens the petition, but you do not need a long history to file.
Step One: Fill Out the Forms
Two forms start the case. The Petition for Protection Order (form PO 001) is the main document. The Law Enforcement and Confidential Information Form (form PO 003, often called LECIF) gives police what they need to identify and locate the respondent for service. Both are available on the Washington Courts website or at your local Superior Court clerk’s office.1Washington State Courts. Court Forms: Protection Orders
What to Write in the Petition
The petition asks you to describe the most recent incidents of domestic violence in chronological order. Dates, times, and locations matter. Describe what happened, what was said, whether weapons were involved, and what injuries resulted. Gather supporting material before you go to the courthouse: medical records, photographs of injuries, screenshots of threatening messages. You do not attach them to the petition itself, but you want them ready for the hearing.
What to Put on the LECIF
The LECIF needs the respondent’s current home or work address and a physical description, including height, weight, hair color, and identifying features such as tattoos. If the respondent owns or has access to firearms, include that. The court is required to address firearms in the order, and the more detail you provide up front, the faster service and surrender happen.
No Fees
Washington charges nothing for a DVPO. The statute prohibits courts and public agencies from charging petitioners for filing, service of process, or certified copies of the order.2Washington State Legislature. RCW 7105105 Filing Provisions Governing All Protection Orders
Step Two: The Same-Day Temporary Order
After you file, a judge reviews your petition the same day in an ex parte hearing, meaning the respondent is not present. Some courts hold this hearing in person or by phone; others decide on the written petition alone. The judge is asking a narrow question: does the petition show enough evidence of danger to justify immediate protection?
If the judge grants a temporary order, it typically includes a no-contact provision, a stay-away distance from your home and workplace, and a requirement that the respondent surrender firearms and any concealed pistol license.3Washington State Legislature. RCW 7105305 Ex Parte Temporary Protection Orders The order also sets the date for the full hearing, generally within 14 days.
One important limit: the temporary order is not enforceable until the respondent is served. Until then, the respondent has no legal obligation to comply because they have not been officially notified.
Step Three: Service on the Respondent
Law enforcement serves DVPO papers at no cost to you.2Washington State Legislature. RCW 7105105 Filing Provisions Governing All Protection Orders Officers attempt to hand-deliver the documents at the respondent’s home, workplace, or last known location. Proof of service is then filed with the court.
If officers cannot locate the respondent before the hearing, ask the judge to extend the temporary order and reschedule. Courts routinely reissue temporary orders to allow more time for service. This is common and does not mean your case is weakening. Stay in contact with the clerk’s office and confirm each new hearing date.
Step Four: The Full Hearing
At the full hearing, the judge decides whether to grant a longer-term DVPO. Both you and the respondent may testify, present evidence, and call witnesses. The standard of proof is preponderance of the evidence, meaning you must show it is more likely than not that domestic violence occurred. That is a significantly lower bar than the criminal “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard.
You must attend. If you do not show up, the temporary order will likely be dismissed. The respondent can choose not to appear; if they do not, the judge may grant the order based on your testimony and petition alone.
A judge will not issue a mutual protection order against both parties unless each person has filed a separate petition and the court finds that both independently qualify. A respondent cannot ask the judge to issue an order against you during your hearing without filing their own petition.
What You Can Ask the Final Order to Include
Washington gives judges broad discretion to tailor the order. Under RCW 7.105.310, a final DVPO can include any combination of the following:4Washington State Legislature. Chapter 7105 RCW Civil Protection Orders
- A no-contact provision barring direct, indirect, or third-party contact, including phone, text, email, and social media.
- A stay-away distance from your home, workplace, school, vehicle, and person.
- Exclusion from a shared residence, even if the respondent is on the lease or title.
- Protection for children, including exclusion from a child’s school or day care.
- Surrender of all firearms, dangerous weapons, and any concealed pistol license. This is mandatory under state law, not optional.
- Exclusive custody of pets, with the respondent prohibited from interfering.
- Possession of essential personal effects, with law enforcement available to stand by while you collect belongings from a shared home.
- A requirement that the respondent attend a domestic violence treatment program.
The court sets the duration based on the circumstances. Orders can be issued for a fixed period or, in cases involving serious or ongoing risk, without an expiration date.
If the Respondent Violates the Order
Call 911 immediately. You do not need to wait to see whether the situation escalates. The violation itself is the crime, whether or not the respondent actually harms you.
Under RCW 7.105.450, violating a DVPO is a gross misdemeanor carrying up to 364 days in jail, plus a mandatory $15 surcharge that funds Washington’s domestic violence prevention account. The charge becomes a class C felony, carrying up to five years in prison, if the violation involves an assault that does not rise to first- or second-degree assault, if the respondent’s conduct recklessly creates a substantial risk of death or serious physical injury, or if the respondent has at least two prior convictions for violating any protection order.5Washington State Legislature. RCW 7105450 Penalties for Violations of Protection Orders
Renewing Before the Order Expires
If your DVPO was issued for a fixed period, file a motion to renew it within 90 days before it expires. The court schedules a renewal hearing within 14 days of your motion. You do not have to prove you still fear the respondent. The burden flips to the respondent, who must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that circumstances have substantially changed and that they will not resume acts of domestic violence when the order expires.6Washington State Legislature. RCW 7105405 Renewal of Protection Orders
If the renewal is uncontested and you are not asking to change the order’s terms, the court can renew based on your written motion alone, without a hearing. Original terms stay in place unless you specifically request a change.
File early. Renewal requires that the respondent be served at least five judicial days before the hearing, and law enforcement needs time to locate them. Filing early in the 90-day window gives you a cushion if service takes longer than expected.