To file a restraining order in Las Vegas, you apply for what Nevada calls a protection order at either the Clark County Family Court or the Las Vegas Justice Court, depending on your relationship with the person threatening you. There is no filing fee. A judge reviews your written application the same day and, if the facts show a credible threat, issues a Temporary Protection Order on the spot.
Which Court Handles Your Situation
Your relationship to the person you need protection from decides which court and which statute apply.
If the person is a current or former spouse, someone you’re dating or dated, a person you share a child with, a blood or marriage relative, a current or former custodian, or someone you live or lived with, you file a domestic violence protection order under NRS 33.018. That goes through the Family Court at 601 North Pecos Road.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 33.018 – Acts Which Constitute Domestic Violence; Exceptions2Nevada Judiciary. Clark County District Court Family Division
If the person is an acquaintance, coworker, neighbor, stranger, or anyone else who doesn’t fit those relationship categories, you file a stalking or harassment protection order under NRS 200.591. The conduct must be enough that a reasonable person would feel terrorized, frightened, or intimidated.3Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 200 – Crimes Against the Person
If someone has committed or attempted a sexual assault against you, you can file a sexual assault protection order under NRS 200.378, regardless of your relationship.4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 200.378 – Court May Impose Temporary or Extended Order Stalking, harassment, and sexual assault applications are filed at the Las Vegas Justice Court at 200 Lewis Avenue.5Nevada Judiciary. Las Vegas Township Justice Court
A workplace harassment order under NRS 33.200–33.360 is a separate category, but it can only be filed by the employer, not by the individual employee.6Clark County Justice Court, NV. Protection Orders Getting the category right the first time keeps your application in the correct court.
What to Put in Your Application
The Application for Protection Order includes a written statement describing what happened. Because the judge reviewing a temporary order does not hear from you in person, that statement is the case. Write in specifics: dates, locations, exactly what was said or done, and the effect on you. “He kept bothering me” doesn’t clear the bar. “On March 12, he came to my workplace and said he would hurt me if I didn’t respond to his calls” does.
You’ll also need identifying information for the person you want the order against, called the adverse party. Provide their full legal name, home address, physical description, and date of birth if you have them. A workplace address helps the court arrange service. If some details are missing, file with what you know. An incomplete application beats no application when your safety is at stake.
Supporting evidence carries real weight. Police reports, medical records, screenshots of threatening messages, photographs of property damage, and voicemail recordings give the judge something beyond your narrative. Put them in chronological order so the pattern of escalation is easy to follow. The Nevada Supreme Court–approved forms are available for free at the Justice Court website and the Self-Help Center.7Clark County Justice Court, NV. Protection Order Forms
Filing and Cost
You can file in person at the appropriate courthouse or submit your application electronically through the eFileNV system.8Family Law Self-Help Center. How to Apply for a Family Court Protection Order If you want help completing the paperwork, the Southern Nevada Family Justice Center at 861 North Mojave Road offers in-person assistance with domestic violence applications, with a 3:00 p.m. last call for TPO filings.9Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Southern Nevada Family Justice Center The Civil Law Self-Help Center at the Regional Justice Center provides free guidance on forms and filing.7Clark County Justice Court, NV. Protection Order Forms
Under NRS 33.050, you pay nothing upfront. The court can later assess costs against the adverse party, reduce them, or waive them entirely. The clerk also cannot charge you for a certified copy of your order.10Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 33 – Injunctions; Protection Orders Cost is not a reason to wait.
The Temporary Protection Order
Once you file, a judge reviews your application ex parte, without the adverse party present. If your statement and evidence show a credible threat, the judge issues a Temporary Protection Order right away. For domestic violence orders, the TPO stays in effect until the extended order hearing, which must be scheduled within 45 days.11Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 33.020 – Requirements for Issuance of Temporary and Extended Orders The Nevada Self-Help Center describes TPOs as lasting “up to 45 days” in most cases.12State of Nevada Self-Help Center. Protection Order Overview
A TPO typically orders the adverse party to stay away from your home, workplace, and school, and to stop all contact. It can also give you temporary custody of children and exclusive possession of a shared residence. It only becomes enforceable once the adverse party has been served.13Clark County Justice Court, NV. Application for Protection Order
Service is usually handled by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department or a constable, who personally delivers the paperwork. The court will notify you once service is complete. Until then, keep a copy of the TPO with you. If the person approaches you and law enforcement responds, having the order on hand makes enforcement immediate.
The Extended Order Hearing
A TPO is a stopgap. Longer-term protection comes from an Extended Protection Order, which requires a hearing where both sides can appear. The adverse party has the right to attend, testify, present evidence, and bring witnesses. Prepare as if you’ll need to prove your case from scratch, because the judge at the hearing may not be the one who issued your TPO.
The standard is preponderance of the evidence: more likely true than not. Live testimony carries more weight than written statements alone. If witnesses saw the behavior, bring them. Written affidavits from people who don’t appear are generally far less persuasive.
If granted, an extended order can last up to two years.10Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 33 – Injunctions; Protection Orders If you don’t show up, your TPO expires and the court cannot extend it without you.14State of Nevada Self-Help Center. Domestic Violence Protection Orders
Emergency and After-Hours Access
Dangerous situations don’t wait for business hours. Because Clark County’s population is well above the 52,000 threshold in NRS 33.020, courts here must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays, to receive electronic communications and issue emergency temporary protection orders when the alleged abuser has been arrested and is in custody.10Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 33 – Injunctions; Protection Orders The court can confirm the arrest with law enforcement and transmit a signed order electronically to the detention facility so it’s served before release.
If you’re in immediate danger and the person has not been arrested, call 911. Officers responding to a domestic violence call can arrest the aggressor under Nevada’s mandatory arrest law, which opens the path to an emergency TPO through the 24-hour judicial process. The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 offers around-the-clock safety planning while you wait for court access.
What a Protection Order Can Cover
The core of the order is a no-contact and stay-away directive, but the court can do more. In your application, you can ask for temporary custody of children and exclusive possession of a shared home. You can also ask that pets be included: Nevada allows courts to grant you temporary custody of household animals and order the adverse party to stay away from them. If the person has threatened or harmed a pet, put that in your written statement, since it also shows a pattern of coercive behavior.
Firearms can be addressed as well. When a court issues an extended domestic violence protection order in Nevada, the adverse party is prohibited from purchasing or acquiring any firearm for as long as the order remains in effect.10Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 33 – Injunctions; Protection Orders Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8) can also bar possession of firearms or ammunition by a person subject to a qualifying domestic violence order issued after a hearing with notice and an opportunity to participate.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts A TPO issued ex parte typically does not trigger the federal ban; an extended order issued after a full hearing usually does. If you’re worried about the adverse party’s access to weapons, raise it with the judge so firearm surrender can be written into the order.
Penalties If the Order Is Violated
The teeth behind the paper depend on which order was violated and whether it’s a repeat.
For a domestic violence order under NRS 33.100, violation of a temporary order is a misdemeanor. A first violation of an extended order is a misdemeanor, a second is a gross misdemeanor, and a third or more is a category D felony.10Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 33 – Injunctions; Protection Orders Each separate act can be charged as its own offense, so a visit to your home and a phone call later that day are two violations, not one.
Stalking, harassment, and sexual assault orders carry steeper penalties from the start. A first-time violation of a temporary order is a gross misdemeanor, and violation of an extended order is a category C felony.3Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 200 – Crimes Against the Person4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 200.378 – Court May Impose Temporary or Extended Order If the order is violated, call the police and report it. Bring your copy of the order.