To get a no-contact order in Virginia, you file a petition for a protective order at the courthouse — free of charge — and ask a judge to prohibit the other person from contacting or coming near you. Which courthouse depends on your relationship to that person: the Juvenile and Domestic Relations (JDR) District Court handles family or household members, and the General District Court handles everyone else. If you are in immediate danger, a magistrate can issue an emergency order the same day, day or night.
Virginia does not use the phrase “no-contact order” as a standalone remedy you request. The order that does that work is called a protective order, and it can prohibit calls, texts, emails, social-media contact, third-party contact, and physical presence near you.
Which Court You File In
The first decision is which courthouse to walk into, because it is fixed by your relationship to the respondent.
File in JDR District Court if the person is a “family or household member.” Under Virginia law that includes a current or former spouse regardless of whether you live together; parents, stepparents, children, stepchildren, siblings, half-siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren regardless of where they live; in-laws who live in your home; anyone you share a child with, even if you never married or lived together; and anyone who currently lives with you or lived with you within the past 12 months, along with either person’s children in the home.1Child Welfare Information Gateway. Definitions of Domestic Violence – Virginia
File in General District Court for anyone who does not fit that list. This covers neighbors, coworkers, acquaintances, strangers, and dating partners who have never lived with you or shared a child with you. Anyone subjected to violence, threats, force, or stalking can petition here; you do not need a specific relationship.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 19.2-152.9 – Preliminary Protective Orders
Two other Virginia mechanisms can restrict contact but are not something you file for in the same way. When someone has been criminally charged for something they did to you, a judge can impose a no-contact condition as part of bail or pretrial release; that is set by the criminal court, not requested by you.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 19.2 Chapter 9 – Bail and Recognizances And a peace bond, which requires the other person to post money guaranteeing they will keep the peace for up to a year, is narrower than a protective order and used when the situation does not meet the protective-order threshold.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 19.2-19 – Recognizance to Keep the Peace; When Required
If You Are In Immediate Danger Tonight
You do not have to wait for the courthouse to open. Any judge or magistrate in Virginia can issue an emergency protective order (EPO) at any hour, including nights and weekends. Usually a law-enforcement officer responding to an incident requests the EPO from a magistrate for you, but you can also go to a magistrate directly and ask under oath.5Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 19.2-152.8 – Emergency Protective Orders Authorized
The magistrate must find probable danger of further violence, force, or threat. The EPO can prohibit contact with you and your family members and include other terms the magistrate considers necessary for your safety. It is issued without the other person present and takes effect as soon as it is served.
An EPO expires at 11:59 p.m. on the third day after issuance. If that day falls on a day the court is closed, it extends automatically to 11:59 p.m. of the next day the court is open. Use those few days to file for a preliminary protective order so protection continues.
Filing the Petition
Go to the clerk’s office of the correct court. Virginia’s court self-help site offers a free program called I-CAN! Virginia that walks you through completing the forms and prints instructions on what to do next.6Virginia Court System. Assistance with Protective Orders There is no charge to file the petition and no charge for law enforcement to serve it.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 19.2-152.10 – Protective Order
Bring what you have before you arrive. The clerk will want:
- Names and addresses for you and the respondent
- A written account of the incidents with specific dates, times, and locations
- Any evidence: text messages, emails, voicemails, photos of injuries, medical records, police report numbers
- Contact information for anyone who witnessed the abuse or threats
You will complete a petition form and give an affidavit or sworn testimony to a judge or intake officer explaining why you need protection. To grant a preliminary protective order without the other person present, the court must find good cause, meaning immediate danger of further abuse or evidence that abuse recently occurred.
What Happens After You File
If the judge grants the preliminary order, law enforcement serves it on the respondent, and it takes effect at that point. The order sets a date for a full hearing, which must occur within 15 days.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 19.2-152.9 – Preliminary Protective Orders
If the respondent cannot be personally served in time, the court can extend the preliminary order for up to six months to allow more time for service. If the respondent has been served but the hearing is continued for good cause, the preliminary order remains in effect until the hearing happens.
Preparing Evidence for the Full Hearing
The full hearing is when the respondent gets to appear and contest the order, and it is when the judge decides whether to issue a final protective order. Judges hear many of these cases. The petitions that succeed are the ones with organized, specific evidence rather than general statements of fear.
Write down every incident with the date, time, place, and exactly what was said or done. “On March 12 at approximately 9 p.m. at my apartment, he said he would hurt me if I left” is more useful to a judge than “he threatened me several times.”
For digital evidence, preserve the original messages when you can, not just screenshots. Courts prefer messages that show the date, time, and sender in their original form because screenshots can be edited or clipped out of context. Export the full conversation thread so the judge sees the whole exchange.
Bring copies of police reports, medical records showing injuries, and photographs of injuries or property damage. If a witness saw or heard what happened, ask them to appear in person. Live testimony carries more weight than a written statement because the judge can ask follow-up questions.
The Full Hearing
Both sides present evidence and testimony. You go first as the petitioner. Walk through the incidents in chronological order and stick to specifics. The respondent or their attorney will have the chance to cross-examine you and put on their own evidence.
The judge decides whether the evidence supports a finding that the abuse, stalking, or threatening behavior happened and whether an order is necessary for your safety. You do not need a lawyer to file for or obtain a protective order. If the respondent hires one, cross-examination can be harder to handle alone, and many Virginia courts have victim advocate programs that can help you prepare even though they cannot represent you at the podium.
What the Final Order Can Do for You
A final protective order is more than a stay-away directive. In a family abuse case under Virginia Code § 16.1-279.1, the judge can include any combination of:
- No contact by any means, including phone, text, email, social media, or through third parties, extending to your family members
- Stay-away requirements covering your home, workplace, school, or other specified locations
- Exclusive possession of a shared residence, without changing ownership
- A bar on the respondent shutting off utilities at the residence, and exclusive use of a shared cell phone number or device
- Temporary use of a jointly owned or individually owned vehicle
- An order for the respondent to provide and pay deposits for alternative housing
- Required counseling, batterer intervention, or other treatment programs
- Possession of companion animals
- Temporary child custody, visitation, and child support
A non-family abuse order under § 19.2-152.10 covers the contact prohibitions and stay-away provisions but not custody, housing, or vehicle issues, because those arise from shared domestic life.8Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 16.1-279.1 – Protective Order in Cases of Family Abuse
How Long the Order Lasts
An emergency protective order expires at 11:59 p.m. on the third day after it is issued, with the automatic extension if the court is closed that day. A preliminary protective order lasts until the full hearing, scheduled within 15 days. A final protective order lasts up to two years, and the court can extend it for additional two-year periods when you file a motion showing continued need for protection. There is no limit on the number of extensions.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 19.2-152.10 – Protective Order
Either party can file a motion at any time to modify or dissolve the order, and courts give these motions priority on the docket. If you are the petitioner asking to dissolve the order, the court can sometimes act without a full hearing. If the respondent asks, the court usually holds a hearing so both sides can be heard.9Virginia’s Judicial System. JDR Manual – Protective Orders Dissolving the order ends all of its protections permanently unless you file a new petition later. When circumstances have shifted but you still have some concerns, modifying the terms is often the better path.
If the Respondent Violates the Order
Report violations to law enforcement immediately. For a family abuse protective order, violating a no-contact or stay-away term is a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a fine up to $2,500. Causing serious bodily injury while violating the order is a Class 6 felony. Entering your home while you are there, or entering and lying in wait, is also a Class 6 felony. On any conviction for violating the order, the court must impose some jail time and cannot fully suspend the sentence, and the court will issue a new protective order lasting up to two years from the conviction date.10Justia Law. Virginia Code 16.1-253.2 – Violation of Provisions of Protective Orders For a non-family abuse protective order, a violation is punishable as contempt of court.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 19.2-152.10 – Protective Order
A documented pattern of violations also strengthens your case when you later ask to extend the order.
If you need help navigating the process, the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services funds victim advocacy programs throughout the state that can assist with safety planning and petition preparation. The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 can connect you with Virginia-specific resources.