To file a protective order in Indiana, complete Form PO-0100 (the Petition for an Order for Protection and Request for a Hearing) and submit it to the Clerk of the Court in the county where you live, where the respondent lives, or where the incident happened. Filing is free. A judge reviews your petition without the other party present, and if the facts support it, a temporary ex parte order can be issued the same day, followed by a full hearing within 30 days.
Who Can File
Indiana Code 34-26-5-2 limits protective orders to petitioners who have a specific relationship with the person they need protection from. You can file if the respondent is a current or former spouse, someone you live with or used to live with, someone you have a child with, someone you are or were dating, or a family member by blood, marriage, or adoption. A parent or legal guardian can file on behalf of a minor child who has been a victim of domestic violence, family violence, stalking, or sexual assault.1Justia. Indiana Code Title 34 Article 26 Chapter 5 – Indiana Civil Protection Order Act
You also need to show that the respondent committed or threatened qualifying conduct: domestic or family violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Harassment (a repeated pattern of behavior causing emotional distress) can also be a basis, but a harassment-only petition is treated differently. The court cannot issue a same-day ex parte order for harassment alone and must hold a hearing with notice to the respondent first.2Indiana Office of Court Services. Protection Orders
Complete Form PO-0100
The petition is Form PO-0100. You can download it from the Indiana Judicial Branch website or pick up a paper copy at your local Clerk of the Court’s office.3Indiana Judicial Branch: Office of Court Services. Protection Order Deskbook Forms
The form asks for identifying information about the respondent so law enforcement can locate and serve them. Provide as much as you have: full legal name, current address, physical description, and vehicle make and model. You also need to list any existing civil or criminal cases involving either party or a child of either party.4Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 34-26-5-3 – Forms, Clerical Assistance, Protective Order Registry
The narrative section is the part the judge relies on most. Write a chronological account of what happened, with specific dates, locations, and descriptions of the abuse or threats. Mention weapons, prior police reports, and earlier incidents of violence. The judge uses this narrative to decide whether to issue an immediate ex parte order, so be specific.
If listing your home address could put you at further risk, file a separate Request for Confidentiality of Home Address with your petition. That keeps your location out of the public record and hidden from the respondent.
Where to File, and What It Costs
You can file in the county where you live (even temporarily), where the respondent lives, or where the violence or harassment took place.5Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 34-26-5-4 – Jurisdiction, Venue Pick whichever is safest and most practical.
There are two ways to submit the petition. You can file electronically through the Indiana Protection Order E-Filing Service, which connects to the state’s Odyssey case management system and lets you track your case remotely.6Indiana Judicial Branch. E-filing Protection Orders Otherwise, hand-deliver the forms to the Clerk of the Court during business hours.
Indiana law bars the court from charging you for filing, service of process, witnesses, or subpoenas in a protective order case, and the same rule applies to enforcement proceedings. The court can only collect costs from the respondent if it finds your claim has merit and issues the order.7Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 34-26-5-16 – Fees
What Happens After You File
A judge reviews the petition without the respondent present. If the judge finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the facts support domestic violence, family violence, sexual assault, or stalking, a temporary ex parte order can be issued right away.2Indiana Office of Court Services. Protection Orders (If your petition is based solely on harassment, the court schedules a hearing before granting any relief.)
Once a temporary order issues, the court arranges for the respondent to be served with formal legal notice of the petition and the order. Local law enforcement or a process server typically handles it. The temporary order stays in effect until the full hearing.
The court must hold that hearing no later than 30 days after the petition is filed. Both sides can present evidence, call witnesses, and testify. If the judge finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the alleged conduct occurred, a final protective order issues. Final orders last two years from the date issued unless the court sets a different end date. If you do not attend, the court may dismiss your petition. If the respondent does not appear, the judge can issue the order by default based on what has already been submitted.1Justia. Indiana Code Title 34 Article 26 Chapter 5 – Indiana Civil Protection Order Act
What the Order Can Do
Some relief is available immediately in the ex parte order. A judge can prohibit the respondent from contacting you directly or indirectly, order them to stay away from your home, workplace, school, and places your family regularly goes, prohibit them from threatening or committing violence against you and designated household members, and prohibit them from using any device to track your location or your property.
Other relief can be granted ex parte but requires a follow-up hearing within 30 days: exclusive custody of a pet, evicting the respondent from a shared home regardless of who owns it, and temporary use of a shared car or other essential personal property.2Indiana Office of Court Services. Protection Orders
Some relief is only available after notice to the respondent and a full hearing. That includes supervised or denied parenting time; orders that the respondent pay your rent or mortgage, child support, attorney fees, medical bills, counseling costs, shelter expenses, or repair bills tied to the violence; GPS monitoring at the respondent’s expense; and orders directing a mobile carrier to transfer a phone number you or your child uses to your name alone, even if the account is in the respondent’s name.2Indiana Office of Court Services. Protection Orders
Firearms
After holding a hearing, an Indiana court can order the respondent to surrender all firearms, ammunition, and deadly weapons and prohibit possession for the duration of the order. This cannot be done through an ex parte order alone.2Indiana Office of Court Services. Protection Orders
Federal law adds a separate restriction. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 922(g)(8), it is a federal crime for a person to possess a firearm or ammunition while subject to a protective order that was issued after a hearing they had notice of and an opportunity to participate in, that restrains them from threatening or harassing an intimate partner or child, and that either includes a finding that they represent a credible threat to the physical safety of that person or explicitly prohibits the use of physical force. This applies whether or not the Indiana court specifically ordered surrender.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts
If the Respondent Violates the Order
Call 911 or your local police right away. Keep a copy of the order with you so responding officers can see it. Violating any term of a protective order is the crime of invasion of privacy under Indiana Code 35-46-1-15.1. A first offense is a Class A misdemeanor, carrying up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000. If the respondent has a prior unrelated conviction for violating a protective order or for stalking, the charge becomes a Level 6 felony, punishable by six months to two and a half years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.9Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-46-1-15.1 – Invasion of Privacy, Offense, Penalties You can also pursue enforcement by filing a petition for contempt under the same case number as your existing order.10Indiana Office of Court Services. Protection Order Deskbook
Changing, Ending, or Extending the Order
You can dismiss the order voluntarily at any time by filing a written request with the court or making an oral request on the record during a court session. The court must dismiss the case promptly and without conditions once you request it.11Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 34-26-5-12 – Dismissal
If your circumstances change while the order is active, you can ask the court to modify it. The court can modify an order after giving notice to the other party and holding a hearing, whether or not the respondent appears. You would need to show that domestic or family violence has occurred or that modification is necessary.
Because a final order typically lasts two years, start on an extension well before it expires if you still feel unsafe. The Indiana Division of State Court Administration provides forms for requesting an extension. You complete them and submit them to the clerk, and the court then schedules a hearing to decide whether to extend the order.1Justia. Indiana Code Title 34 Article 26 Chapter 5 – Indiana Civil Protection Order Act