To file a restraining order in Hillsborough County, go to the George Edgecomb Courthouse in Tampa or the Plant City Courthouse, fill out a petition for an injunction for protection, and submit it to the clerk at no cost. Florida calls these civil orders “injunctions for protection” rather than restraining orders, and a judge can review your petition the same day you file. If the judge grants a temporary order, a full hearing follows within 15 days.
Pick the Right Type of Injunction
Florida offers six categories of injunction, and the one you choose depends on your relationship with the other person and what they’ve done. The clerk cannot pick for you, so knowing the category before you arrive saves time.
Domestic Violence
Use this if the respondent is a family or household member: spouse, ex-spouse, someone related by blood or marriage, someone you live with as a family, or the other parent of your child even if you never lived together.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.30 – Domestic Violence Injunction
Dating Violence
Use this if you had a romantic relationship with the respondent within the past six months that involved an expectation of affection or sexual involvement and was ongoing rather than a single encounter.2Florida Senate. Florida Code 784.046 – Action by Victim of Repeat Violence, Sexual Violence, or Dating Violence for Protective Injunction
Repeat Violence
Use this if the respondent has committed at least two acts of violence or stalking against you or an immediate family member, with one of them in the past six months. No particular relationship is required, so this covers neighbors, coworkers, and strangers.2Florida Senate. Florida Code 784.046 – Action by Victim of Repeat Violence, Sexual Violence, or Dating Violence for Protective Injunction
Sexual Violence
Available regardless of relationship, but you must have reported the incident to law enforcement and be cooperating in the criminal case, or the respondent must have been sentenced to state prison for the offense with a release date within 90 days of your filing.2Florida Senate. Florida Code 784.046 – Action by Victim of Repeat Violence, Sexual Violence, or Dating Violence for Protective Injunction
Stalking and Cyberstalking
Use this when you can show a pattern of harassment with no legitimate purpose that causes substantial emotional distress. Cyberstalking is the same conduct carried out through electronic communication or unauthorized access to your online accounts. Both follow the same filing process.3The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 784.0485 – Stalking Injunction; Powers and Duties of Court and Clerk
What to Bring to the Courthouse
Bring a state-issued photo ID, along with the respondent’s name, date of birth, physical description, and an address where they can be located.4Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Domestic Violence/Restraining Orders The more detail you have about the respondent, the easier the sheriff’s job will be when it comes time to serve them. If you don’t have a home address, provide a workplace or any location they frequent.
You can download the petition in advance or fill it out at the courthouse. For domestic violence, the form is Florida Supreme Court Approved Form 12.980(a).5Florida Courts. Petition for Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence Other categories have their own forms, and clerk staff will direct you to the right one.
Write the petition with specific facts: dates, descriptions of what happened, any prior incidents, police report numbers, and whether the respondent has access to weapons. A judge decides whether to grant a same-day temporary order based entirely on what’s in the petition, so vague statements won’t help you. You sign under oath, so everything must be truthful.
Where and When to File
Hillsborough County accepts injunction petitions at two locations:
- George Edgecomb Courthouse, 800 E. Twiggs St., Tampa. Open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with weekend and holiday hours from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Plant City Courthouse, 301 North Michigan Ave., Plant City. Open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Weekend and holiday filings happen only at Edgecomb during the morning window.6Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Domestic Violence Injunction Filing Locations If you need protection on a Saturday afternoon or a holiday evening, you’ll have to wait for the next available filing window.
There is no filing fee for any category of injunction for protection in Florida.4Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Domestic Violence/Restraining Orders The statute prohibits the clerk from charging petitioners.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 741.30 – Domestic Violence Injunction Clerk staff can help you with the administrative paperwork, but they cannot give legal advice about what to put in your petition.
Keeping Your Address Off the Paperwork
The respondent will receive a copy of everything you file. If you don’t want them to learn where you now live, leave your current address out of the petition itself and file a separate Notice of Confidential Address using Florida Family Law Form 12.980(h).8Florida Courts. Confidentiality in Domestic Violence Cases The clerk’s office offers this option for domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking cases.4Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Domestic Violence/Restraining Orders
For longer-term address protection, Florida’s Address Confidentiality Program through the Attorney General’s office gives you a substitute mailing address that state and local agencies will accept, keeping your real address out of public records beyond the court case.
What Happens the Day You File
A judge reviews your petition, often the same day, to decide whether an “immediate and present danger” of violence exists.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.30 – Domestic Violence Injunction This happens ex parte, meaning without the respondent present, based only on what you wrote.
A temporary injunction can include several protections right away:
- A no-contact order barring calls, texts, email, and third-party communication.
- A requirement that the respondent stay at least 500 feet from your home, work, school, or other places you frequent.
- Exclusive use of a home you share with the respondent.
- Temporary time-sharing with your children, up to 100 percent.
- Exclusive care of shared pets, with the respondent barred from contact with the animals.
These come from the injunction statute itself and reflect the court’s broad authority to order whatever relief is necessary to protect you.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 741.30 – Domestic Violence Injunction If the judge finds the petition doesn’t show immediate danger, the temporary order is denied, though the court may still schedule a hearing.
Getting the Respondent Served
A temporary injunction has no legal effect on the respondent until they are officially notified. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office handles service: deputies locate the respondent and hand them the petition, the temporary order, and the hearing date. The court cannot enforce the order or find the respondent in violation until service is complete.
If the sheriff cannot find the respondent after diligent effort, you may need to pursue alternative service, which usually means filing an affidavit detailing the search and then publishing notice in a local newspaper for four consecutive weeks. It takes longer, but it keeps a respondent from avoiding the order by hiding.
The Final Hearing Within 15 Days
A temporary injunction lasts no more than 15 days, and the court schedules a full hearing before it expires.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 741.30 – Domestic Violence Injunction The same 15-day framework applies to stalking injunctions.9The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 784.0485 – Stalking Injunction
Both sides testify at this hearing. Bring witnesses, photos, screenshots of texts, police reports, medical records, and anything else that supports your account. The respondent can testify and present evidence too. The judge then decides whether to enter a final injunction.
You must attend. If you don’t show up, the court will likely dismiss your case and dissolve the temporary order.4Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts. Domestic Violence/Restraining Orders This is the stage where cases most often fall apart. A final injunction can run for a set period or indefinitely depending on the facts.
What a Final Injunction Actually Does
Once a final order is in place, it carries real teeth. A first violation of a domestic violence injunction is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, and the statute defines specific violations: going within 500 feet of your home, school, or workplace; contacting you by phone or through a third party; damaging your property; coming within 100 feet of your car; or refusing to turn in firearms the court ordered surrendered. After two prior convictions for violating any injunction against the same victim, the next violation becomes a third-degree felony.10Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.31 – Violation of an Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence The same escalation applies to stalking, dating violence, repeat violence, and sexual violence injunctions.11Florida Senate. Florida Code 784.047 – Penalties for Violating Protective Injunctions
If a violation happens, call 911. You can also file an affidavit with the court; once the state attorney has it, they have 30 working days to decide whether to file criminal charges, seek a contempt finding, or both.10Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.31 – Violation of an Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence
A final domestic violence or stalking injunction also strips the respondent of the right to possess firearms or ammunition under Florida law, and a separate violation of that prohibition is itself a first-degree misdemeanor.12Justia Law. Florida Code 790.233 – Possession of Firearm or Ammunition Prohibited When Person Is Subject to an Injunction Federal law under 18 U.S.C. ยง 922(g)(8) adds up to 10 years in prison for possession while subject to a qualifying order.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
Extending or Changing the Order
Either party can ask the court to modify or dissolve an active injunction at any time by filing a motion that explains why.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 741.30 – Domestic Violence Injunction Common reasons include adjusting a no-contact provision to allow coordination around children, or updating a stay-away address after a move.
If your injunction has a set expiration date and you still need protection, file a motion to extend using Florida Family Law Form 12.980(i) before the order expires.14Florida Courts. Motion for Extension of Injunction for Protection File early enough that the court can set a hearing before the current order lapses. If it lapses, you lose the protection and have to start over with a new petition.