Restraining Orders

For the purposes of getting an order of protection, Arizona law defines “domestic violence” as the occurrence of one or more of the following acts:

• assault or aggravated assault, such as hitting or kicking you;
• threatening or intimidating you, as defined by law;
• sexual assault;
• use of an electronic communication to terrify, intimidate, threaten or harass;
• harassment or aggravated harassment;
• stalking;
• surreptitious photographing, videotaping, filming or digitally recording or viewing, which the law defines as photographing, videotaping, recording, or secretly watching you without your consent:
  • while you are in a private place, such as a bathroom or bedroom, and doing a private act, such as urinating or having sexual intercourse; or
  • while your breasts, buttocks, or genitals are exposed in a way that they are not normally exposed in public;
• the unlawful distribution of nude/sexual images of you/your child;
• endangerment - placing you at risk of immediate death or physical injury;
• unlawful imprisonment;
• kidnapping;
• criminal trespass in the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd degrees;
• criminal damage;
• interfering with judicial proceedings;
• custodial interference;
• negligent homicide, manslaughter, and murder in the 1^st degree or 2^nd degree;
• cruelty to animals, but only if it involves:
  • intentionally causing cruel neglect or abandonment of a pet in that person’s care that results in serious physical injury to the animal;
  • intentionally causing any animal to suffer cruel mistreatment;
• preventing or interfering with the use of a telephone in an emergency, as described in subsection (a)(3) of the law;
• aggravated domestic violence, as defined by law;
• abuse to a vulnerable adult or child;
• dangerous crimes against children, as defined by law; and/or
• disorderly conduct but only if it involves:
  • fighting, violent, or seriously disruptive behavior;
  • making unreasonable noise;
  • recklessly handling, displaying or discharging a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument;
  • using abusive or offensive language or gestures to someone in a way that is likely to provoke that person to take immediate physical retaliation.¹

Note: For the act to be considered domestic violence, you must have a specific relationship with the abuser, which is explained in Who can get an order of protection?

To read the legal definitions of these crimes, you can go to our Selected Arizona Statutes page.

¹ A.R.S. § 13-3601(A)