To file a restraining order in Connecticut, bring a completed Application for Relief from Abuse (Form JD-FM-137) to the clerk’s office at any Superior Court. There is no filing fee. A judge reviews your application the same day, and if you face immediate physical danger, a temporary order can be issued without the other person being present. A full hearing follows within 14 days, or within 7 days if the person you’re seeking protection from has firearms or a gun permit.1Justia Law. Connecticut Code 46b-15 – Relief for Victim of Domestic Violence
Who Can File
Connecticut’s restraining order statute, § 46b-15, is for people harmed by a “family or household member.” That category is broad. It covers spouses and former spouses, parents and children, people who share a child regardless of whether they ever lived together, blood or marriage relatives, current and former cohabitants, people who are dating or recently dated, and, if you are 60 or older, a caretaker living in your home.1Justia Law. Connecticut Code 46b-15 – Relief for Victim of Domestic Violence
Both adults and minors can apply. You and the other person do not need to live together now.
The conduct you’re reporting also has to fit Connecticut’s definition of domestic violence under § 46b-1, which reaches further than physical hitting. It covers a continuous threat of physical harm, stalking, a pattern of threatening behavior, and coercive control.2Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut Code Chapter 815a – Orders of Protection and Relief Coercive control, added in 2021, includes isolating you from friends or family, controlling your finances, monitoring your movements, threatening you about your immigration status, harming or threatening your pets to intimidate you, and coercing sexual acts or threatening to release sexual images. You do not need bruises or a police report.
Filling Out Form JD-FM-137
The Application for Relief from Abuse is Form JD-FM-137. You can pick it up at any Superior Court clerk’s office or download it from the Connecticut Judicial Branch website. It asks for identifying information about you and the respondent: full names, dates of birth, and addresses.
The part that matters most is the sworn affidavit where you describe what happened. Be specific. Dates, times, locations, and exact words carry weight; general statements don’t. Instead of “he threatened me several times,” write “on March 12, 2026, around 9 p.m., he blocked the kitchen doorway and said he would hurt me if I tried to leave.” Judges issue same-day temporary orders based on concrete facts that show immediate danger.
The form also asks whether the respondent has firearms, a gun permit, a long gun eligibility certificate, or an ammunition certificate. Answer honestly. Your answer affects how quickly the hearing is scheduled and triggers safety procedures when the order is served.1Justia Law. Connecticut Code 46b-15 – Relief for Victim of Domestic Violence
If you share minor children with the respondent, you may also need to complete an affidavit concerning children.
What to Bring as Evidence
Your sworn statement alone can be enough for a temporary order, but documentation strengthens your case at the full hearing. Useful materials include police reports from past incidents, medical records, photographs of injuries or property damage, and screenshots of threatening texts or emails. Bring originals and keep copies.
For financial abuse or coercive control, evidence looks different. Bank statements showing accounts drained or opened without your consent, records of cancelled insurance policies, documentation of withheld ID, and a dated log of controlling incidents in your own handwriting all help establish a pattern.
If You Need to Protect Your Address
If you’ve relocated and the respondent doesn’t know where you live, filing court papers can expose your address. Connecticut’s Address Confidentiality Program, run by the Secretary of State’s office, gives you a substitute mailing address with no link to your actual home and forwards your first-class mail. The substitute address can also appear on your driver’s license, voter registration, school enrollment, and other state and local records.3State of Connecticut. Address Confidentiality Program You enroll through an application assistant at a domestic violence or sexual assault crisis program. It is free. If your safety depends on keeping your location secret, enroll before you file.
Filing at the Courthouse
Take your completed application and affidavit to the clerk’s office at the Superior Court. There is no fee. A judge reviews the paperwork, often the same day. You may also meet briefly with a Family Relations Officer, who can walk you through the process and ask about safety concerns.
If the judge finds you face immediate and present physical danger, the court issues an ex parte temporary restraining order on the spot, without notifying the respondent first.1Justia Law. Connecticut Code 46b-15 – Relief for Victim of Domestic Violence If the judge doesn’t grant an immediate order, your case isn’t dismissed. The court still schedules a hearing and issues an Order and Notice of Court Hearing to be served on the respondent.4State of Connecticut. State Marshal Commission Manual – Section 11 Restraining Orders and Civil Protection Orders
Service and the Hearing Date
Once the court issues the temporary order, the respondent must be formally served with your application, affidavit, the order, and notice of the hearing. In Connecticut, service is handled by a state marshal, constable, or other officer authorized by law. You cannot serve the papers yourself.5Connecticut General Assembly. Service of Civil Orders of Protection
When your application says the respondent has firearms or a gun permit, the serving officer must notify local law enforcement before making contact and request that a police officer be present during service.5Connecticut General Assembly. Service of Civil Orders of Protection
The hearing date depends on firearms. In standard cases, the court must hold the hearing within 14 days of the temporary order. When the application indicates the respondent possesses firearms or holds any gun permit or certificate, the hearing must happen within 7 days.1Justia Law. Connecticut Code 46b-15 – Relief for Victim of Domestic Violence
At the Hearing
Both you and the respondent can attend, present evidence, call witnesses, and testify. The judge may also review a risk assessment report prepared by the court’s Family Services unit, which can include the respondent’s criminal history, any existing protection orders, and outstanding warrants. That report is shared with both parties.1Justia Law. Connecticut Code 46b-15 – Relief for Victim of Domestic Violence
You don’t need a lawyer, but having one helps when custody, housing, or financial support is in play. Connecticut Legal Services and local domestic violence organizations often provide free representation for restraining order hearings. If you can’t afford an attorney, ask the clerk’s office for a referral or call 211.
If the respondent was properly served and doesn’t appear, the hearing can proceed and the judge can issue a final order based on your testimony and evidence alone.
What to Ask the Judge For
A final order can do much more than tell the respondent to stay away. The court has wide discretion to shape the order, and the judge can only grant what you request. Available relief includes:
- Prohibition on threatening, harassing, assaulting, or contacting you
- A stay-away order barring the respondent from your home, even if they live there
- No restraint on your liberty or freedom of movement
- Temporary custody and visitation arrangements for minor children
- Protection for pets you own or keep
If you’re married to the respondent or share children, the court can also order the respondent to keep paying rent or the mortgage, maintain utility service, keep existing health and auto insurance in place without changing coverage or beneficiaries, and provide financial support for your shared children. You can be given temporary possession of a vehicle, checkbook, identification documents, house keys, and other personal items you need.1Justia Law. Connecticut Code 46b-15 – Relief for Victim of Domestic Violence
This is where many applicants leave protection on the table. If you need the electric bill paid or your health insurance kept active, ask for it explicitly, in writing on the application or out loud at the hearing.
How Long the Order Lasts
A final restraining order can last up to one year. Before it expires, you can file a motion to extend, and the court can grant more time for as long as it considers necessary. There is no cap on how many times you can renew. If the respondent didn’t appear at the original hearing, your motion to extend can be served by first-class mail to the respondent’s last known address.2Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut Code Chapter 815a – Orders of Protection and Relief
File the extension motion early. The court needs time to schedule a hearing and have the respondent served before the current order expires. If it lapses, you start over with a new application.
If the Order Is Violated
Violating a Connecticut restraining order is a criminal offense. A standard violation is a class D felony carrying up to five years in prison. Certain violations involving direct contact or entering your dwelling are elevated to a class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years.6Justia Law. Connecticut Code 53a-223b – Criminal Violation of a Restraining Order
If the respondent violates the order, call 911. Don’t try to handle it yourself. Keep a copy of the order on you or on your phone so you can show responding officers. Each violation is a separate charge, so even a single text message or an appearance at your workplace can lead to arrest.
A Note on Immigration Status
Filing for a restraining order in Connecticut does not require proof of citizenship or immigration status. The coercive control definition explicitly recognizes immigration-based threats as a form of domestic violence. Victims of domestic violence may also qualify for a U visa, a separate federal benefit for crime victims who cooperate with law enforcement; it requires a law enforcement certification on Form I-918, Supplement B.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Victims of Criminal Activity: U Nonimmigrant Status Many Connecticut legal aid organizations help with both at no cost.