To fill out and file a Michigan PPO, you pick the petition form that matches your relationship to the respondent and the conduct involved, write a dated, specific statement of facts, attach whatever evidence you have, and take the completed petition to the family division of your local circuit court. There is no filing fee, and in most cases a judge reviews the paperwork the same day and can sign an ex parte order on the spot.
Pick the Right Petition Form
Michigan uses three different petitions. Choosing the wrong one is the most common reason a petition stalls, so start here.
- Form CC 375, Domestic Relationship PPO, under MCL 600.2950. Use this if the respondent is your current or former spouse, someone you share a child with, someone you live or lived with, or someone you have or had a dating relationship with. It covers physical violence, threats of harm, and conduct that interferes with your personal liberty.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.2950 – Personal Protection Order
- Form CC 377, Non-Domestic Stalking PPO, under MCL 600.2950a. Use this when there is no domestic relationship but the respondent has engaged in a pattern of behavior like following you, showing up uninvited, or sending repeated unwanted messages.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.2950a – Personal Protection Order
- Form CC 380, Non-Domestic Sexual Assault PPO. Use this if someone without a domestic connection has committed or threatened sexual assault. A single incident is enough, unlike the stalking form.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.2950a – Personal Protection Order
All three forms are free on the Michigan Courts website under “Personal Protection Proceedings Forms,” and paper copies are available at any circuit court clerk’s office.3Michigan Courts. Personal Protection Proceedings Forms
Fill Out the Petition
The petition asks you to identify yourself, identify the respondent, describe what happened, and explain why you need the order now. Work through it in order.
Identifying the Respondent
Give the respondent’s full legal name, home address, and workplace address. Add date of birth, height, weight, hair color, and any distinguishing features like tattoos or scars if you know them. Law enforcement uses these details to locate and identify the person if the order is violated, so put in everything you have. If you do not know the respondent’s address, write what you do know. The court may still be able to proceed.
Writing the Statement of Facts
This section decides your petition. The judge grants or denies based almost entirely on what you write here, so describe specific incidents in chronological order: what the respondent did, when it happened, and where. Use dates. “On March 14, 2026, the respondent came to my workplace and threatened to hurt me” is far more persuasive than “the respondent has been threatening me.” Skip general statements about the respondent’s character and stick to concrete actions.
What the judge needs to see depends on which form you filed. For a domestic relationship PPO, the record has to show violence, threats of violence, or conduct that interferes with your personal liberty.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.2950 – Personal Protection Order For a stalking PPO, the judge looks for a repeated pattern. For a sexual assault PPO, describe the assault or threatened assault clearly enough that the court understands what happened.
Everything on the petition is signed under penalty of perjury. Stick to what actually happened. Exaggerating or including incidents you cannot support may undercut your credibility if the respondent later challenges the order.
Attaching Supporting Documents
Attach anything that backs up your account: police reports, medical records, screenshots of threatening texts or social media messages, photos of injuries or property damage, and written witness statements. None of this is required, but a judge who sees a police report or hospital record next to your written statement has a much easier time granting the order.
Protecting Your Address
If listing your home address on a court document could put you in danger, Michigan runs the Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program. Participants get a substitute mailing address to use on court filings and other government documents. Contact a local domestic violence advocacy organization or the Michigan Secretary of State’s office about enrollment before you file, so the substitute address is ready when you fill in the petition.
File the Petition
Take or send the completed petition to the family division of the circuit court. You can file in the county where you live or where the respondent can be found. There is no filing fee for a PPO petition.4Michigan Courts. Petition for Personal Protection Order (Domestic Relationship) The clerk assigns a case number and forwards your paperwork to a judge.
Asking for an Ex Parte Order
Most petitions are filed ex parte, meaning the judge reviews your paperwork and decides without the respondent present or even aware you have filed.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.2950 – Personal Protection Order On the form, check the box requesting an ex parte order and explain why waiting for a full hearing would expose you to immediate harm.
The judge reads your statement of facts and attachments. If the judge finds reasonable cause to believe the respondent will commit a prohibited act, and that waiting would cause irreparable harm, the order is signed that day. Some courts call you in for a brief ex parte hearing with a few questions first. Either way, turnaround is typically same-day.
If the Judge Denies the Petition
A denial usually means the statement of facts was not specific enough or did not clearly establish the conduct the statute requires. You can refile with a stronger petition. A legal aid attorney or domestic violence advocate can help you tighten the narrative before you try again.
Get the Order Served on the Respondent
A signed PPO is not enforceable until the respondent receives official notice. You cannot hand the papers over yourself. Someone else has to do it.
- Law enforcement. In many Michigan counties the sheriff’s department or local police will serve PPO papers. Some agencies charge a fee, others do it at no cost.
- Professional process server. Private servers are usually faster but typically cost more than law enforcement. The clerk’s office can give you names of local servers.
- Certified or registered mail. Someone else can mail the papers with delivery restricted to the respondent and a return receipt requested. This only works if the respondent actually accepts delivery.
Once the respondent is served, whoever delivered the papers fills out the Proof of Service form (CC 383) and files it with the clerk. That filing does two things: it makes the order fully enforceable, and it triggers entry of the order into Michigan’s Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN), where every officer in the state can see it during any encounter with the respondent. The LEIN entry also feeds the national NCIC Protection Order File, which law enforcement across the country can access.
After the Order Is in Place
The judge sets the expiration date on the order itself. If you still need protection as it approaches expiration, file a motion to extend before it runs out. Do not wait until the last day; give the court time to act.
The respondent can file a motion asking the court to modify or dissolve the PPO. If a hearing is scheduled, plan to attend and bring documentation supporting your original petition plus anything new that has happened since. Until the court actually changes or terminates the order, every term stays in effect. A pending hearing is not a reason for the respondent to ignore it.
A respondent who violates any term, by showing up at your home, calling you, or anything else the order prohibits, can be arrested on the spot. Violation is criminal contempt of court and can bring jail time, fines, or both, with escalating penalties for repeat violations. If the conduct is also a separate crime like assault or stalking, the respondent can be charged with that crime on top of the contempt.
One cross-cutting point on firearms: under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8), a qualifying protection order prohibits the respondent from possessing, buying, shipping, or receiving firearms or ammunition, but the federal ban requires an order issued after a hearing where the respondent had notice and a chance to participate, plus either a credible-threat finding or an explicit ban on the use or threatened use of physical force. An ex parte PPO that has not yet gone through such a hearing generally does not trigger the federal firearms prohibition on its own.
Under the federal Violence Against Women Act (18 U.S.C. § 2265), a valid Michigan PPO remains enforceable in every state, tribe, and territory as long as the respondent received notice and had an opportunity to be heard, or will have that opportunity in the case of a temporary ex parte order. You do not have to re-register the order in another state, though some states offer voluntary registration that helps local officers find it faster.