Domestic Abuse
How to obtain protective orders
For more information on definition, what you will need, how to serve
and how to enforce Protective Orders, click here.
Fill out a Protective Order Petition with the Third District Court (Matheson Court House - 450 So. State Street). Legal Aid or a court clerk will assist the victim in this process.
- Once the petition is filled out, a judge will review the petition and decide whether an immediate (ex parte) protective order should be issued. Legal Aid or the court clerk will then set a court hearing within 20 days at which time both the victim and abuser are to appear.
- The court will then deliver the order to the appropriate law enforcement agency to have it personally served on the abuser.
- At the court hearing the judge decides whether to extend the protective order and determines how long it will be necessary.
A protective order can require the abuser to:
- Immediately leave the victim's home;
- Not harm the victim or any other family members;
- Avoid any personal, telephone, written, or indirect contact with the victim;
- Stay away from the victim's employment;
- Or any other relief necessary for the safety and welfare of the victim or family member.
There is no charge to file the petition, to have a protective order issued, to obtain certified copies of the order, or to serve the order on the abuser.
Persons should be advised that lying to obtain a Protective Order
may be considered a felony under the Utah Code.
A violation of a protective order is a criminal violation.
It is punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
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