Protection from Abuse
Need help?
If you are in danger, call: 911
You can also contact the Domestic Violence Hotline. They can help people find resources for emergency housing, medical care, and support and advocacy for you and your children. Call toll-free: 800-897-5465, or visit the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition website.
If you want to ask the court for a protective order and… |
Then… |
---|---|
you live in Salt Lake County. |
contact Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake to see if you qualify for free representation. |
you live outside Salt Lake County. |
Call 800-662-4545 or contact Timpanogos Legal Center for help with preparing your documents. Call their Hotline 801-649-8895 |
If you have been served with a protective order or stalking injunction |
These web pages provide information about protective orders and stalking injunctions:
See the Finding Legal Help web page for information about free and low cost ways to get the help of an attorney. |
---|
- Abuse of Vulnerable and Elder Adults
- Child Protective Order
- Civil Stalking Injunction
- Cohabitant Protective Order
- Dating Violence Protective Order
- Sexual Violence Protective Order
- Safety Planning (Utah Domestic Violence Coalition)
- Expunging Civil Protective Orders and Civil Stalking Injunctions
Protection from abuse or stalking
A protective order or a stalking injunction can protect against domestic violence, intimate partner violence or stalking. Both are orders from a court.
- The person requesting the order is called the petitioner. The petitioner can be protected by an order and may also request orders protecting other people, such as their children.
- The person the order is requested against (and against whom it may be issued) is called the respondent.
A protective order or a stalking injunction can place restrictions on the respondent if the court finds the respondent threatened, attempted or committed violence against the petitioner or stalked the petitioner.
A protective order or a stalking injunction can order the respondent to:
- avoid contact or communication in any way with people listed on the order,
- stop committing or threatening violence against the petitioner,
- stay away from the petitioner's home, work, school, or place of worship,
- not have a firearm or other type of weapon.
A protective order can also temporarily give custody of any shared children to the petitioner.
If the respondent violates a protective order or stalking injunction, they can be arrested and charged with a Class A Misdemeanor.
Different resources for different relationships
There are several different types of court orders that can protect against abuse or stalking:
- Child Protective Order
- Cohabitant Protective Order
- Dating Violence Protective Order
- Sexual Violence Protective Order
- Civil Stalking Injunction
Whether a protective order or a stalking injunction is appropriate depends on the relationship between the petitioner and the respondent. Not every instance of abuse will involve a protective order, but there still might be help available. Below are different types of orders and resources available:
If you are the petitioner and your relationship to the respondent is… |
And you are facing… |
Then you can… |
---|---|---|
a cohabitant, which means you:
|
abuse, including:
|
request a Cohabitant Protective Order. You must be 16 or older. However, a 16- or 17-year-old cannot ask for a protective order against their parent or their minor sibling. See the Protective Orders web page for more information and forms. |
you are or were dating or in a dating relationship , which is:
If you were in a consensual sexual relationship, you would be considered to be cohabitants – see above. A dating relationship does not mean casual fraternization in a business, educational, or social context. |
dating violence or abuse, which might include:
|
request a Dating Violence Protective Order. You must be 18 years old or older, or be emancipated. See the Protective Orders web page for more information and forms. |
you have no relationship, but you were:
|
sexual violence, including:
|
request a Sexual Violence Protective Order. See the Protective Orders web page for more information and forms. |
none of the above. |
request a Civil Stalking Injunction. A minor with a parent or guardian can file. See the Civil Stalking Injunctions web page for information and forms. |
|
none of the above, and you are filing on behalf of a child under 18. |
fear that the minor child has been or is facing an imminent threat of:
|
request a Child Protective Order. Any interested adult can request an order to protects a minor child, including:
See the Child Protective Orders web page for information and forms. |
none of the above and you are worried about a vulnerable adult. A vulnerable adult includes a person who is 65 years old or older, or a dependent adult who has a mental or physical impairment which affects their ability to:
|
fear that a vulnerable adult is facing:
|
Make a safety plan
A safety plan is a personalized plan to stay safe if you are:
- in an abusive relationship
- preparing to leave an abusive relationship
- leaving an abusive relationship
- have left an abusive relationship.
See the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition's Safety Planning web page for more information.
Respond to a protective order or stalking injunction
If you are the respondent and you have been served with a protective order or stalking injunction, read the order carefully. Be sure to follow the order. If you do not follow the order, you can be arrested and charged with a Class A Misdemeanor.
For information about responding to a protective order or stalking injunction, see the web page that matches your order:
- Child Protective Order
- Civil Stalking Injunction
- Cohabitant Protective Order
- Dating Violence Protective Order
- Sexual Violence Protective Order
Make sure that the court has your correct contact information. The court needs your contact information to send you notices about the case. See the Notifying the Court of Address, Contact Information, or Name Changes web page for information and forms.