How to Get a PPO in Michigan: Filing, Service, and Enforcement

To get a PPO in Michigan, file a petition with the family division of the circuit court in the county where you live or where the person you want protection from lives. There is no filing fee. A judge often reviews the petition the same day and can sign an order without the other person present if you show an immediate risk of harm. The process is the same in outline for all three types of Personal Protection Orders the state recognizes, but you have to pick the right type before you file.

Pick the Right Type of PPO

Michigan has three PPOs, and each covers a different situation.

A Domestic Relationship PPO is for protection from a current or former spouse, someone you share a child with, someone you have or had a dating relationship with, or someone you live with or previously lived with. Michigan defines a dating relationship as frequent, intimate associations with romantic involvement, so a coworker or casual acquaintance does not qualify.¹

A Nondomestic Stalking PPO is available no matter your relationship to the respondent. Your petition has to describe conduct that fits Michigan’s definition of stalking, aggravated stalking, or cyberstalking: a willful pattern of repeated or continuing harassment that would make a reasonable person feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened. In practice, that means at least two separate unwanted acts sharing the same purpose.²

A Nondomestic Sexual Assault PPO is for someone who was convicted of sexually assaulting you, or someone who subjected you to, threatened you with, or placed you in reasonable fear of sexual assault. No criminal conviction is required for the second category. The petition just has to describe the conduct.²

What the Order Can Prohibit

A Domestic Relationship PPO lets the judge restrict a wide range of behavior. You can ask the court to bar the respondent from:

Assaulting you, threatening to kill you, or threatening physical injury to you or another named person
Entering your home, interfering with you at work or school, or disrupting your employment or education
Taking minor children from the parent with legal custody
Purchasing or possessing a firearm
Accessing records that would reveal your address, phone number, or workplace
Injuring, killing, removing, or threatening an animal you own, when done to control or distress you
Any stalking or aggravated stalking conduct
Any other specific act that interferes with your personal liberty or creates a reasonable fear of violence

That last item is a catch-all. If the behavior you’re worried about doesn’t match a listed item exactly, the judge can still prohibit it as long as it threatens your safety or freedom.¹

Nondomestic PPOs are narrower. A stalking PPO prohibits stalking, aggravated stalking, or cyberstalking. A sexual assault PPO can include contact and proximity restrictions tied to sexual assault conduct.

Prepare Your Petition and Evidence

Before you head to the courthouse, gather the respondent’s full legal name and, if possible, date of birth, current address, workplace, and physical description. Law enforcement needs that information to identify and serve the person.

The heart of the petition is a chronological account of what has happened. For each incident, write down the exact date, time, and location, and describe what the respondent did or said in specific factual terms. “He threatened me” is weak. “On March 12, 2026, at approximately 9 p.m., he called my phone and said he would hurt me if I didn’t let him in” gives the judge something to work with.

Bring anything that backs up your account:

Police report numbers from earlier incidents
Photos of injuries or property damage
Screenshots of threatening texts, emails, or social media messages
Names and contact information for witnesses

You do not need a lawyer to file. Many people file on their own. If your situation involves complicated custody issues or serious violence, talking with an attorney can help.

File the Petition

Petition forms are free from the circuit court clerk’s office in your county or from the Michigan Courts website.³ Use the form that matches the type of PPO you selected. If you are filing on behalf of a minor child, you can petition as a “next friend,” an adult filing on the child’s behalf.

Fill out the form using the incident list you prepared. Sign it in front of the court clerk with a valid photo ID. File it with the circuit court clerk in the county where you live or where the respondent lives. There is no filing fee. The clerk assigns a case number and sends the petition to a judge for review.

How the Judge Decides

A judge reviews the petition, often the same day, though some courts take 24 to 48 hours. Most petitioners ask the judge to sign the order “ex parte,” meaning without notice to the respondent.

For an ex parte PPO, your petition has to show two things: that the facts entitle you to a PPO, and that notifying the respondent first would put you in immediate danger, or that the respondent would try to harm you if they learned you were seeking protection.¹ The judge decides based only on what you wrote, so detail matters.

If the judge grants the ex parte PPO, it takes effect immediately. If the judge denies it, you have 21 days to request a full hearing where both sides appear before the judge decides. If you miss that window, the petition is essentially dead and you would need to start over.²

Serve the Respondent

After the judge signs the order, the respondent has to be formally notified through service. You cannot serve the papers yourself. Someone over 18 has to do it. Options include:

The sheriff’s office, which in many counties serves PPOs at no cost
A private process server, typically $20 to $100 depending on the area
Any adult you know who is not involved in the case
Certified or registered mail with return receipt requested and delivery restricted to the respondent

Once service is completed, the person who delivered the papers fills out a Proof of Service form, which is printed on the back of the petition and order forms. File it with the court clerk. Skipping this step causes enforcement problems later.

Enforcement Before and After Service

A PPO is legally effective the moment the judge signs it, but enforcement plays out differently depending on whether the respondent knows about it.

If police respond to a call and the respondent has not been served, the officer will tell the respondent that the order exists, explain what it prohibits, and give them a chance to comply. If the respondent refuses, the officer can make an immediate arrest. Absent a separate crime like assault, the respondent will not be arrested for conduct that happened before they knew the order existed.¹

Once the respondent has been served or has been given notice by an officer, any future violation can lead to arrest on the spot. The court clerk enters the PPO into the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN), a statewide database, and PPOs entered into LEIN are recognized across state lines.

How Long the Order Lasts and How to Extend It

An ex parte PPO is valid for at least 182 days, roughly six months. The judge can set a longer duration, and a PPO issued after a full hearing may last longer.²

To extend the order past its expiration, file an ex parte motion to extend no later than three days before the current order expires. The court has to act within three days of filing.⁴ If the judge grants it, an amended order is issued and has to be served on the respondent again. Miss the three-day deadline and you are not locked out; you can file a new PPO petition against the same respondent.

If the Respondent Challenges the Order

A PPO is not a criminal conviction, but it restricts the respondent’s behavior right away and shows up on their record. The respondent can file a motion to modify or rescind the order. For an ex parte order, that motion has to be filed within 14 days of being served, or the respondent has to show good cause for filing later.¹

The court then schedules a hearing where both sides can present evidence. The judge can keep the order, change its terms, or dissolve it. If the order is dissolved, the clerk files paperwork to remove it from LEIN. Plan to attend any hearing the respondent requests. The court can act even if you do not appear, and your absence can work against you.

Penalties for Violating a PPO

Violating a PPO is criminal contempt of court. A respondent age 17 or older who knowingly disobeys any term of the order faces up to 93 days in jail and a fine of up to $500 for each violation.¹ If the conduct is also a separate crime, like assault or breaking and entering, the respondent can be charged with that crime on top of the contempt.

If you believe the respondent has violated your order, call 911. Do not try to enforce it yourself. Keep a log of every incident with dates, times, and evidence, even when police do not make an arrest at the scene. That record strengthens later contempt proceedings.

A Note on Firearms

A domestic PPO can trigger the federal firearms ban, but only after a hearing where the respondent received notice and had an opportunity to participate, and only where the order restrains the respondent from threatening or harassing an intimate partner or child.⁵ An ex parte order alone does not trigger it. Michigan’s domestic PPO statute separately lets the judge prohibit the respondent from buying or possessing firearms as a term of the order, which takes effect immediately. If firearm access is a safety concern, request that restriction directly in your petition.¹

Who Cannot Be a Respondent

A court cannot issue a nondomestic PPO against a child under 10. A nondomestic PPO also cannot be issued if the respondent is the petitioner’s unemancipated minor child, or if the petitioner is the respondent’s unemancipated minor child. Prisoners cannot file for a nondomestic PPO, and an order issued in violation of that rule has to be rescinded.² These limits do not apply to Domestic Relationship PPOs, which have their own eligibility rules based on the relationship between the parties.

1
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws Section 600.2950
2
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws Section 600.2950a
3
Michigan Courts. Personal Protection Proceedings Forms
4
Michigan Courts. Domestic Violence Benchbook – Extension of PPO
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts