How to request a Protective Order

There is no fee for requesting a Protective Order. You have to fill out forms, file them with the court, and attend court hearings. The County Sheriff will serve the Respondent.

• The Online Court Assistance Program will help you prepare the necessary forms. Visit utcourts.gov and click :OCAP Document Preparation or:
• Fill-in-the-blank forms are on this website linked below or contact a victim advocate.

Take the completed forms and identification to the district court in the county where you or the Respondent live or where the abuse took place. Locate the clerks office. Tell the clerk that you want to file a Request for a Protective Order. Show the clerk your drivers license or other identification. The clerk will:

• Check your paperwork and your identification.
• Watch you sign the Request.
• Sign the Request after you and assign a case number and a judge. You will need your case number and the judges name for other forms you will have to fill out.
• Take you and your papers to a judge for the ex parte hearing.

All of the forms listed here will need to be completed and filed for your filing to be accepted at the courthouse.

(Information courtesy of www.utcourts.gov)

How to request a Dating Violence Protective Order

Who can get a dating violence protective order?

Someone who is at least 18 years of age and would not be defined as a cohabitant with the respondent and was or is in a relationship where both parties agreed they had been or are dating; such as had developed interpersonal bonding over a mere fraternization.

There is no fee for requesting a Protective Order. You have to fill out forms, file them with the court, and attend court hearings. The County Sheriff will serve the Respondent.

• The Online Court Assistance Program will help you prepare the necessary forms. Visit utcourts.gov and click :OCAP Document Preparation or:
• Fill-in-the-blank forms are on this website linked below or contact a victim advocate.

Take the completed forms and identification to the district court in the county where you or the Respondent live or where the abuse took place. Locate the clerks office. Tell the clerk that you want to file a Request for a Protective Order. Show the clerk your drivers license or other identification. The clerk will:

• Check your paperwork and your identification.
• Watch you sign the Request.
• Sign the Request after you and assign a case number and a judge. You will need your case number and the judges name for other forms you will have to fill out.
• Take you and your papers to a judge for the ex parte hearing.

All of the forms listed here will need to be completed and filed for your filing to be accepted at the courthouse.

(Information courtesy of www.utcourts.gov)

What can I do if someone is stalking me?

If someone is stalking you, you can ask the court for a Civil Stalking Injunction. This is a court order that orders the stalker to stop stalking you.

What is stalking?

A person stalked you if that person did three things:

• Stalked you two or more times. "Stalked" means that person stayed physically or visually close to you, or made threats directed at you.
• Knew or should have known that the stalking would cause a reasonable person to be emotionally distressed or to be afraid of being physically hurt.
• Actually made you or an immediate family member emotionally distressed or afraid of being physically hurt. An "immediate family member" means your spouse, child, sibling, or any other person who lives with you now, or who lived with you within the past 6 months.

In addition to your own statements in the Request, you must provide some other evidence of stalking, like police reports, sworn statements from witnesses, audiotapes, photos, letters, etc. For a complete definition of stalking, see Utah Code §76-5-106.5 and §77-3a-101 - 103.

How will the stalking injunction help me?

The Court can order the Respondent (the person who is stalking you) to:

• Not stalk you,
• Not contact or go near you, and
• Not go near other people listed in the order.

You will need to complete and file all of the forms listed here for your filing to be complete and accepted by the court.

An adult uses these to apply for an order of protection for minor children less than 18 years old, when protection for those children is not requested as part of an adult's request for a protective order. Those who are at least 16 years old can also apply on their own for an order of protection, using the forms for adults that are listed above. To get court-ordered protection using these forms for child protective orders, fill out these forms and file them at your local juvenile court.

All the forms listed here will need to be completed in order for the juvenile court to accept your filing.

(information courtesy of www.utcourts.gov)