A restraining order is court order that can protect you from being physically abused, threatened, stalked, or harassed.

If you are asking for a Domestic Violence Restraining Order or an Elder Abuse Restraining Order, there is no cost. If you are asking for a Civil Harassment Restraining Order, you don't have to pay a fee if the person you want a restraining order against:

• Was violent
• Threatened you
• Stalked you
• Acted in a way that scared you.

Here are 4 kinds of orders you can ask for:

• Domestic Violence Restraining Order,
• Civil Harassment Restraining Order,
• Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse Restraining Order, and
• Workplace Violence Restraining Order.

You can ask for a Domestic Violence Restraining Order if:

• A person has abused you, and
• You have a close relationship with that person (married or registered domestic partners, divorced, separated, dating or used to date, live together or used to live together*), or you are related (parent, child, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, mother-in-law, son-in-law) or you have a child with the person.

You can ask for a Civil Harassment Restraining Order if you suffer harassment by someone who is not close to you.

Harassment is violence, a threat of violence, or actions that really scare, annoy or harass you, done on purpose and for no good reason.

Civil harassment order can be used to protect you from roommates, neighbors, and co-workers.

You can ask for an Elder or Dependent Adult Restraining Order if:

• You are 65 or older, or you are between 18 and 64 and have certain disabilities, and
• You are a victim of:
• Physical or financial abuse,
• Neglect, abandonment or
• Treatment that has physically or mentally hurt you.

You can ask for a Workplace Violence Restraining Order if:

• You are an employer, and
• You seek a restraining order to protect an employee* who has suffered violence or a real threat of violence at the workplace.