Protective Orders

Victim's Profile

A protective order is a civil court order issued by a court to prevent continuing acts of family violence, dating violence, stalking or sexual assault. Generally, a protective order is valid for up to two (2) years and is enforceable by law enforcement.

A protective order can order the abuser to:

stay a specified distance, such as 200 yards or more, away from the addresses listed in the order, generally your home, school and work addresses;
not commit or threaten to commit violence against you or members of your family;
not threaten or harass you directly, or threaten or harass you through someone else;
not contact you or communicate with you at all;
not follow you (for Stalking Protective Orders only);
not possess any weapons unless that person is a peace officer;
not remove or harm pets or companion animals; and
not remove children from your care.

Protective Order attorneys in the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office represent victims of family violence, dating violence, stalking and sexual assault who seek protective orders. Anyone seeking assistance may call the Protective Order office at (817) 884-1623 between 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday.

To seek a protective order, either the applicant or the abuser must live in Tarrant County, or an incident of violence must have occurred in Tarrant County. The applicant must provide a daytime address where the constable can serve the abuser with notice of the hearing date.

Prosecuting attorneys cannot represent anyone for a protective order who has any kind of criminal charge pending in Tarrant County or anyone who is on parole or probation. If the applicant has a divorce or a Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship (child support, visitation, custody and/or paternity) pending in Tarrant County, the request for assistance may be referred to another agency, or the applicant may be encouraged to retain a private attorney who can file a protective order as part of the existing family law case.

Before Protective Order attorneys can make a determination to file a protective order application, a Protective Order Questionnaire must be completed. After review, the applicant will be advised by an Assistant Criminal District Attorney if a protective order application will be filed.

You may also request a hard copy of the questionnaire be mailed to you by calling the main number at 817-884-1623 or by emailing your request to pounit@tarrantcountytx.gov.