How to Get a Temporary Restraining Order in Washington State

To get a temporary restraining order in Washington State, you file a petition for a civil protection order in the appropriate court, and a judge can review it the same day and issue a temporary ex parte order that takes effect immediately and lasts up to 14 days, until a full hearing decides whether to extend it. There are no filing fees, no service fees, and you can start the process yourself. Since July 1, 2022, one statute governs almost every civil protection order in the state: RCW Chapter 7.105.1Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW Chapter 7.105 – Civil Protection Orders

Washington uses the term “protection order” rather than “restraining order” for these standalone civil cases. A restraining order in Washington is usually a provision inside a divorce or family law case. If you are already in a divorce or custody case, you can request the same kind of relief inside that proceeding. If not, what you want is a temporary protection order under RCW 7.105.

Pick the Right Type of Order

The category you file under depends on your relationship to the person and what they have done. Filing under the wrong one can slow you down.

  • Domestic violence protection order, for physical harm, assault, sexual contact, stalking, harassment, or coercive control by an intimate partner or a family or household member. Coercive control is defined by statute as a pattern of behavior that causes physical, emotional, or psychological harm and unreasonably interferes with a person’s free will.
  • Sexual assault protection order, for victims of nonconsensual sexual contact or penetration, regardless of the relationship.
  • Stalking protection order, for repeated following, monitoring, or unwanted contact that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.
  • Antiharassment protection order, for a pattern of conduct that seriously alarms, annoys, or harasses without a legitimate purpose. This is the usual route for neighbors, acquaintances, or coworkers who do not fit the domestic violence or stalking categories.
  • Vulnerable adult protection order, for adults who are vulnerable due to age, disability, or incapacity and face abuse, neglect, abandonment, or financial exploitation.

For a domestic violence order, “family or household members” is defined broadly and includes current and former spouses, domestic partners, people who share a child, blood relatives, current and former cohabitants, and people in a dating relationship where at least one person is 16 or older.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 26.50 – Domestic Violence Prevention Definitions

Who Can File

You can file on your own behalf starting at age 15 for domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and antiharassment protection orders.3Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts. Chart of Civil Protection Orders A petitioner who is 15 or older can also file on behalf of a minor family or household member if the minor chooses that petitioner and the petitioner is capable of pursuing the minor’s interests. If the petitioner is under 18 and has no attorney, the court may appoint a guardian ad litem at no cost.4Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 7.105.105 – Filing Provisions Governing All Petitions

If disclosing your address on court papers would put you at risk, you can leave it off the filed documents and give the court an alternative address or email for service purposes instead.

What to Put in the Petition

The petition is your case for immediate protection, so it has to give the judge specific facts to work with. Describe each incident with detail: what happened, when, where, and what the respondent said or did. Vague or exaggerated language tends to hurt more than help, because you sign the petition under penalty of perjury and any inconsistencies will surface at the full hearing.

Supporting evidence is not required to get a temporary order, but it makes a real difference. Useful materials include:

  • Police reports, even if no arrest was made.
  • Text messages, voicemails, emails, or social media posts showing threats, harassment, or unwanted contact.
  • Medical records or photographs of injuries.
  • Written statements from witnesses, signed under oath.

If you want the court to exclude the respondent from a shared home or restrict contact with children, bring your lease, any existing custody order, and anything else that shows your housing or parenting situation. The judge can put those provisions into the temporary order itself.

Where and How to File

Superior courts handle domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and antiharassment protection orders. District and municipal courts also have jurisdiction over antiharassment orders. You generally file in the county where you live, where the respondent lives, or where the conduct happened.

Filing is free. RCW 7.105 bars courts from charging any fee or surcharge as a condition of getting a protection order, and you are entitled to free certified copies of everything, including the service packet for the respondent. Service of process by law enforcement or a public agency is also free to you.4Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 7.105.105 – Filing Provisions Governing All Petitions

Petitions are accepted in person, by mail (for incarcerated people or those who cannot file otherwise), and through electronic filing. Superior courts already offer e-filing, and all courts of limited jurisdiction must offer it by January 1, 2026.

The Temporary Order and the Same-Day Decision

After you file, a judge reviews the petition and can issue a temporary protection order the same day. This is an ex parte decision, meaning the respondent is not notified and does not get to respond before the temporary order takes effect. The point is immediate safety, not a final ruling on the facts.

A temporary order lasts up to 14 days.5Washington Courts. Understanding Washington State Protection Orders It can include most of the same protections the court can order after a full hearing: no contact by any means, stay-away distances from your home, work, or school, exclusion of the respondent from a shared residence, temporary custody of children, and an order to surrender firearms.

If the judge denies the temporary order, your case is not over. You still get a full hearing where both sides can present evidence. Denial just means the judge did not see enough urgency for ex parte relief before the respondent is heard.

Getting the Respondent Served

The temporary order is not enforceable against the respondent until they have been formally served with it and with notice of the hearing. Personal service, where someone physically hands the papers to the respondent, is the standard method. Law enforcement typically handles service for domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault protection orders, and the court or a public agency cannot charge you for it.

If the respondent cannot be located or is avoiding service, you can ask the court to authorize an alternative method such as mail, publication, or electronic delivery. If service has not been completed by the hearing date, the court will generally reissue the temporary order and set a new hearing date rather than let the order lapse.

The Full Hearing

The full hearing usually takes place within 14 days of the temporary order, depending on service and the court’s calendar. Hearings can be held in person or remotely by phone or video at the court’s discretion.6Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 7.105.205 – Hearings and Remote Hearings

Both sides can testify, call witnesses, and submit evidence. You are not required to have a lawyer, but representation helps in contested cases, especially when the respondent brings one. If the court finds it necessary, it can appoint counsel for the petitioner, subject to available funding.

If you do not appear, the court will likely dismiss the temporary order. If the respondent does not appear after being properly served, the court can grant the full order by default. A full protection order can include everything a temporary order can, plus provisions requiring the respondent to pay your court costs and attorney fees.7Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 7.105.310 – Relief for Temporary and Full Protection Orders

What the Temporary Order Can Require

Judges have wide latitude to fit the order to your situation. Common provisions include:

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  • No contact with you by any means, including through third parties.
  • A stay-away distance from your home, workplace, school, or other locations you name.
  • Exclusion of the respondent from a shared home, even if they are on the lease or title.
  • Temporary custody of children and restrictions or conditions on visitation.
  • Surrender of all firearms and a bar on acquiring new ones while the order is active.
  • A prohibition on interfering with your ability to keep or retrieve a pet.

    • The court can also require the respondent to participate in treatment or counseling and, in appropriate cases, submit to electronic monitoring.7Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 7.105.310 – Relief for Temporary and Full Protection Orders

    If the Respondent Violates the Order

    Once the respondent has been served, the temporary order is enforceable by police. Knowingly violating a protection order is a gross misdemeanor in Washington, carrying up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.8Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9A.20.021 – Classification of Crimes It becomes a Class C felony if the violation involves an assault that is not first- or second-degree assault, if the respondent has at least two prior violations, or if the conduct is reckless and creates a substantial risk of death or serious injury.9Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 7.105.450 – Enforcement and Penalties

    Call 911 if the respondent violates the order. Officers can arrest without a warrant on probable cause that a violation happened. Save screenshots of any messages, note dates and times of unwanted contact, and ask witnesses to write down what they saw. And do not agree informally to ignore the order. Voluntarily resuming contact does not undo it. The order stays legally in force until a court formally modifies or terminates it, and the respondent can be arrested and prosecuted for a violation regardless of your role in the communication. If you no longer need the order, go back to court to end it properly.