General information
New legislation took effect to clarify and simplify civil protection laws and consolidate the six types of civil protection orders into one chapter of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW).
Forms and instructions
There is now one consolidated form set for protection orders involving vulnerable adults, domestic violence, harassment, stalking, and sexual assault:
- Official court forms related to protection orders are available on the State Court website
- Forms and instructions for filing a Petition for Protection Order from Washington LawHelp or use their interactive interview to create the completed forms for printing
Extreme risk protection orders still use separate forms. This order requires a person who is a significant danger of causing personal injury to self or others in the near future to surrender weapons.
- Official court forms for extreme risk protection orders are available on the State Court website.
For all protection orders, you must file your paperwork with the Court Clerk before 11:00 am in order to have a judge review your paperwork that day. If you file later than 11:00 am a judge will review it on the next business day.
King County District Court has information about Civil Protection Order Filings and Exhibits: How to present your evidence.
Free self-help kit from the law library
A free Sealed Name Change for Domestic Violence Survivors self-help kit is available for download due to the generosity of the King County Law Library.
Additional resources
- Washington VINE Protective Order (VPO) is an automated service that allows you to track the status of a protective order. You can register to be notified about service, expiration, or attempts to purchase firearms.
- For updates about the custody status of offenders, register with Washington VINE.
- Information about gender-based violence from Legal Voice.
- Information about how to hide your address from a stalker or abuser from Washington LawHelp.
- Information about how the criminal justice system can help people experiencing domestic violence from Washington LawHelp.
- Information about abusive litigation, such as when a domestic violence abuser uses the court system to repeatedly bring the victim back to court, is available from Legal Voice.
Joel's Law allows for a Petition for Initial Detention to be filed by a family member, guardian, conservator, or federally recognized Indian tribe. These petitions address situations where a person with a behavioral health disorder is a danger to themselves, others, property, or is gravely disabled. The Washington State Health Care Authority has a fact sheet with information about the process.