PFA in Philadelphia: Filing, Hearings, and Final Orders

To file a PFA in Philadelphia, go to the Domestic Violence Intake Unit on the 8th floor of Family Court at 1501 Arch Street during weekday business hours, or to Room B-03 of the Criminal Justice Center at 1301 Filbert Street any other time. Filing is free, staff will help you prepare the petition, and a judge can issue a temporary Protection From Abuse order the same day. A final hearing follows within ten business days.

Whether You Qualify to File

Pennsylvania’s Protection From Abuse Act is limited to petitioners who have a specific relationship with the person they need protection from. You qualify if that person is a current or former spouse, someone you live with or lived with as a romantic partner, a parent of your child, a family member by blood or marriage, or a current or former sexual or intimate partner.¹ Parents and adult children are covered. The relationship does not have to be current.

Parents and guardians can also file on behalf of a minor child who is being abused by a household member or intimate partner.

What Counts as Abuse

The statute reaches more than physical violence. You can file based on:

Intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causing bodily injury, with or without a weapon
Placing you in reasonable fear of imminent serious bodily injury
False imprisonment
Sexual abuse of a child in the household
A repeated course of conduct, including following you, that places you in reasonable fear of bodily injury (stalking)
Sexual assault or rape between the qualifying parties¹

You do not need visible injuries or a prior police report. A credible description is enough to start.

Where and When to File

During weekdays, go to the Domestic Violence Intake Unit on the 8th floor of the Philadelphia Family Court building at 1501 Arch Street. Staff there help you prepare and file the petition even if you do not have a lawyer.² You can also download the petition from the Philadelphia Courts website, fill it out ahead of time, and bring it with you.

When Family Court is closed, file for an emergency PFA at the Criminal Justice Center, Room B-03, 1301 Filbert Street. That office is open 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. on weekdays and around the clock on weekends and holidays. The phone number is 215-683-7280.²

There is no filing fee at any stage. Pennsylvania law prohibits charging PFA petitioners for filing, service, modification, withdrawal, certified copies, or appeals. If the court grants the order, costs are assessed against the defendant.³

What to Bring and What the Petition Asks

You do not need to have everything about the defendant, but the more identifying details you can provide, the easier it is for the Sheriff’s Office to serve them. Useful information:

Full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number if you have it
Current home address and workplace
Physical description: height, weight, hair color, distinguishing features
Vehicle make, model, color, and license plate

An address where the defendant can actually be found is the most important piece, because without it the Sheriff cannot complete service.⁴

The petition itself includes a narrative section where you describe what happened. Focus on the most recent incident: what the defendant did, when, where, and any injuries. If there is a pattern of earlier incidents, describe it. The judge relies heavily on this narrative when deciding whether to issue a temporary order, so specific detail matters more than length. If disclosing your home address would put you at risk, you can withhold it on the petition and the court will accommodate that.

The Temporary Order

After you file, a judge reviews your petition the same day in an ex parte hearing. The defendant is not present. You explain the situation, and if the judge finds you are in immediate danger, a temporary PFA is issued on the spot.³

The temporary order takes effect immediately and stays in place until the final hearing, which must be scheduled within ten business days.⁵ The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office then serves the defendant with the temporary order, the petition, and the notice of the final hearing date.⁴ If the defendant cannot be located, the hearing may be continued and the temporary order extended until service is completed.

The Final Hearing

The final hearing is where the judge decides whether to issue a longer-term order. The defendant will be there and can bring a lawyer, present evidence, and cross-examine you. You carry the burden of proof and must show by a preponderance of the evidence (more likely than not) that abuse occurred. That is a lower standard than the beyond a reasonable doubt standard in criminal cases.³

Preparation matters here. The Philadelphia Courts advise petitioners to bring written evidence such as medical records, photos of injuries, repair bills, and text messages or other communications. If anyone saw the abuse firsthand, bring them to testify. Witnesses who will not come voluntarily can be subpoenaed through the 11th floor of Family Court at 1501 Arch Street.² Plan to testify yourself about the facts in the petition and be ready to tell the judge exactly which protections you want.

If the judge finds abuse occurred, a final PFA is issued. If you do not meet the burden of proof, the temporary order dissolves and the case is dismissed. Cases often fall apart at this stage when petitioners show up with no documentation or witnesses and the defendant contests everything.

What a Final Order Can Include

The judge tailors the order to your situation and to what you ask for. Available protections include:

A no-contact provision barring any communication by phone, text, social media, email, or through third parties
A stay-away requirement covering your home, workplace, and your children’s school
Exclusive possession of the home, even if the defendant’s name is on the lease or deed
Temporary child custody, with conditions on any visitation
Financial support, including rent, mortgage, or support for you and your children
Surrender of all firearms, ammunition, and any firearms license to the Sheriff’s Office

These are authorized under 23 Pa. C.S. § 6108.⁶ Ask specifically for the protections you need. Judges generally grant what is requested rather than adding provisions on their own.

When children are involved and the judge finds the defendant abused them or poses a risk, the defendant will not get unsupervised visitation. In serious cases the court can require supervised visitation at a secure facility or deny custodial access entirely. A PFA custody arrangement is temporary and does not replace a full custody case, which either party can file separately.⁶

How Long the Order Lasts

A final PFA runs for a fixed period set by the judge, up to three years.⁶ Before it expires, you can petition to extend it. The court will grant an extension if the defendant has committed new acts of abuse or shown a pattern of behavior indicating continued risk. If the defendant was recently incarcerated and is being released within 90 days of the order’s expiration, or was released within the past 90 days, you can get an extension without proving new abuse. There is no limit on how many times an order can be extended.³

Either party can also petition to modify an active order to update an address, adjust custody, or change the restrictions. The court will hold a hearing before making changes.

If the Defendant Violates the Order

Police can arrest the defendant without a warrant whenever they have probable cause to believe any term of the PFA was violated, even if the violation did not happen in the officer’s presence. Any firearms or weapons found at the time of arrest are seized.⁷

A conviction for indirect criminal contempt carries a mandatory minimum $300 fine (up to $1,000) and up to six months in jail or six months of supervised probation. The contempt hearing must be scheduled within ten days of the charge being filed.⁸ Contempt is separate from any criminal charges for the underlying behavior, so a defendant who violates the PFA by assaulting you can face both.

Getting Help

You do not need a lawyer to file. The intake staff at Family Court will walk you through the paperwork, and many petitioners represent themselves. Having legal representation at the final hearing is a real advantage, though, especially if the defendant has an attorney or custody is at stake.

Several Philadelphia organizations provide free legal representation to PFA petitioners, including Philadelphia Legal Assistance and Community Legal Services. The Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-866-723-3014 operates 24 hours a day for crisis support, safety planning, and referrals to free legal services and emergency housing. If you are in immediate physical danger, call 911 first.

1
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 23 Section 6102 – Definitions
2
Philadelphia Courts. Protection From Abuse in Philadelphia County
3
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 23 Chapter 61 – Protection From Abuse
4
Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office. Protection From Abuse Service in Philadelphia County
5
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Protection Orders
6
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 23 Section 6108 – Relief
7
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 23 Section 6113 – Arrest for Violation of Order or Agreement
8
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 23 Section 6114 – Contempt for Violation of Order or Agreement