How to Get a LASC Protective Order in Los Angeles

To get a protective order in Los Angeles, you file a petition with the Los Angeles Superior Court (LASC) using the Judicial Council forms that match your relationship to the other person, submit a detailed sworn declaration, and ask a judge for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that holds until a full hearing takes place within 21 to 25 days. Domestic violence petitions carry no filing fee, and LASC’s “File at Home” portal lets you start the process online without visiting a courthouse.¹ A final order can last up to five years, and in some cases longer.

Pick the Right Type of Order First

Your relationship with the person you need protection from decides which order you file, which forms you use, and which LASC division you file in. Choosing wrong means paperwork rejected at intake or a case assigned to the wrong courthouse.

Domestic Violence Restraining Order

A Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DVRO) is governed by the Domestic Violence Prevention Act starting at Family Code § 6200.² You can seek one if the other person is a current or former spouse, someone you live with or used to live with, someone you are dating or previously dated, a person you share a child with, or a close relative by blood or marriage. DVROs use the DV-100 series and are filed in the Family Law division.³ There is no filing fee.

Civil Harassment Restraining Order

When there is no close family or intimate relationship — neighbors, coworkers, acquaintances, strangers — you file a Civil Harassment Restraining Order (CHRO) under Code of Civil Procedure § 527.6.⁴ CHROs use the CH-100 series and are filed in the Civil division.⁵ The filing fee runs $435 to $450, but it is waived entirely if you are alleging violence, stalking, or threats of violence. If your case does not involve those allegations, you can still ask for a fee waiver based on financial hardship.⁶

Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse Order

This order protects people 65 or older, adults aged 18 to 64 whose physical or mental limitations restrict their ability to carry out daily activities or protect their rights, and anyone aged 18 to 64 admitted to a 24-hour inpatient facility such as a hospital or nursing home.⁷ A conservator, trustee, or other legal representative can file for the protected person.

Workplace Violence Restraining Order

Only an employer can petition for a workplace violence restraining order, which protects an employee who has experienced violence or credible threats at work. These are governed by Code of Civil Procedure § 527.8. An employee seeking protection on their own uses a CHRO instead.

What You Have to Show

The judge measures your evidence against the legal definitions, which differ between order types.

For a DVRO, Family Code § 6203 defines “abuse” broadly: intentionally or recklessly causing bodily injury, sexual assault, placing someone in fear of serious physical harm, and conduct that disturbs the peace of the other party.⁸ That last category covers behavior like destroying personal property, isolating someone from friends and family, and controlling their movements. You do not need to show physical injury.

For a CHRO, “harassment” under CCP § 527.6 means unlawful violence, a credible threat of violence, or a knowing pattern of conduct directed at you that seriously alarms or distresses you and serves no legitimate purpose. The conduct must be something a reasonable person would find substantially distressing, not merely annoying.

The proof standards also differ, and this catches filers off guard. For a DVRO, you must prove your case by a preponderance of the evidence — more likely than not. For a CHRO, you need clear and convincing evidence, a noticeably higher bar that affects how much documentation you should gather before filing.

Writing the Request and Declaration

The declaration is where most cases are won or lost. A judge reviewing your TRO request is reading it cold, with no context beyond what you put on the page, and may spend only a few minutes doing it. Vague statements like “he threatens me all the time” carry almost no weight.

Organize your declaration chronologically. For each incident, include the date, approximate time, location, what the other person did or said in their words as close as you can recall, and how it affected you. Name any witnesses. If you called the police, include the report number. Attach supporting evidence: screenshots of threatening texts or emails, photos of injuries or property damage, medical records, and police reports. Specificity beats length.

Where and How to File

LASC operates multiple courthouses across Los Angeles County. DVROs go to a Family Law courthouse; CHROs go to a Civil courthouse. You can also begin the process online through LASC’s File at Home portal, which uses guided interviews to fill in forms based on your answers and, in many cases, lets you submit them electronically without a trip to the courthouse.¹

If you are worried that filing will reveal your home address, California’s Safe at Home program, run by the Secretary of State, provides a substitute mailing address for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, elder abuse, and child abduction. Once enrolled, you use the substitute address on all court filings.⁹

Getting a Temporary Order and a Hearing Date

After filing, a judge reviews your paperwork to decide whether to issue a TRO, usually the same day or the next business day. For a DVRO, the judge looks for “reasonable proof of a past act or acts of abuse” and can rely solely on your sworn declaration.¹⁰ If granted, the TRO takes effect immediately and lasts until the full hearing.

Whether the TRO is granted or denied, the court sets a hearing within 21 days, or up to 25 days for good cause.⁴ A denied TRO does not end your case. The hearing still goes forward, and you can still get a long-term order.

Serving the Other Party

The restrained party must be personally served with copies of your filed documents and the TRO before the hearing. Service by mail does not count. The person who serves the papers must be at least 18 and cannot be you or any other protected person listed on the petition.¹¹

Common options are hiring a registered process server, asking the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (which charges a modest fee), or having any other eligible adult hand-deliver the papers. After service, the server signs the proof-of-service form (DV-200 for DVROs, CH-200 for CHROs) under penalty of perjury, and you file it with the court before the hearing. If the other party is not served in time, the judge will typically continue the hearing and extend the TRO, but every delay works against you.

The Hearing and What a Final Order Can Include

At the hearing, both sides can testify, call witnesses, introduce evidence, and cross-examine. If the judge grants the order, a final restraining order can last up to five years and is entered into the California Restraining and Protective Order System (CARPOS), making it visible to law enforcement statewide.¹²

Relief available depends on the type of order:

Stay-away orders setting a specified distance from you, your home, your workplace, your vehicle, and your children’s school.
No-contact provisions covering calls, texts, emails, and contact through third parties.
Move-out orders, in DVRO cases, requiring the restrained party to leave a shared residence even if their name is on the lease.
Temporary child custody and visitation orders in DVRO cases. Under Family Code § 3044, a finding of domestic violence creates a legal presumption against awarding custody to the person who committed the abuse.¹³
Exclusive possession of property and temporary financial support in DVRO cases.
Sole care and control of a pet owned by either party, with an order for the restrained person to stay away from the animal.¹⁰

Firearms Surrender

Make sure the judge checks the firearms-relinquishment box on your order. Under Family Code § 6389, a person subject to a DVRO must surrender all firearms and ammunition within 24 hours of being served, either to local law enforcement or to a licensed firearms dealer for sale or storage.¹⁴ Within 48 hours, the restrained person must file a receipt with the court and the serving agency proving the surrender.

Federal law adds a second layer. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8), possessing any firearm or ammunition while subject to a qualifying protective order is a federal felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.¹⁵ A final DVRO issued after a noticed hearing almost always qualifies.

Renewing or Ending the Order Later

You can apply to renew a restraining order up to three months before it expires, and you must file before the expiration date. Once an order lapses, you cannot renew it; you would need to file a brand-new petition.¹⁶ For DVROs, you file form DV-700 under Family Code § 6345, and you can request another five years or a permanent order.¹⁷ You do not have to prove the restrained person violated the original order. The question is whether you have a reasonable fear of future abuse, and California courts have held that an absence of new incidents during the order’s life is not, on its own, grounds to deny renewal, since the order itself may be the reason nothing happened. For CHROs, CCP § 527.6 allows renewal for up to five additional years without requiring a showing of new harassment.

Either party can also ask the court to modify or end an active order. For DVROs, you file a Request to Change or End Restraining Order (DV-300) with a Notice of Court Hearing (DV-310); there is no fee. If the request affects child custody or visitation, the court may require mediation first.¹⁸ The other party must be served and has the right to oppose the request at the hearing.

1
Los Angeles Superior Court. File at Home
2
California Legislative Information. California Family Code 6200 – Domestic Violence Prevention Act
3
Judicial Council of California. Request for Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DV-100)
4
California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 527.6 – Harassment
5
Judicial Council of California. Judicial Council of California Form CH-100 – Request for Civil Harassment Restraining Orders
6
California Courts. File Your Request for Civil Harassment Restraining Orders
7
California Courts. Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse Restraining Orders in California
8
California Legislative Information. California Family Code 6203 – Definition of Abuse
9
California Secretary of State. Safe at Home
10
California Legislative Information. California Family Code 6320 – Ex Parte Orders
11
Judicial Council of California. Proof of Personal Service (CLETS) (Domestic Violence Prevention) (Form DV-200)
12
Judicial Branch of California. California Courts Protective Order Registry
13
California Legislative Information. California Family Code 3044
14
California Legislative Information. California Family Code 6389 – Relinquishment of Firearms
15
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
16
California Courts. Ask to Renew a Restraining Order
17
Judicial Council of California. Request to Renew Restraining Order (Domestic Violence Prevention) (DV-700)
18
California Courts. Ask to Change or End a Domestic Violence Restraining Order