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Legal Information: California

Restraining Orders

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Updated: 
January 11, 2024

What should I do when I leave the courthouse?

These are some things you may want to consider after you have been granted a restraining order. Depending on what you think is safest in your situation, you may do any or all of the following: 

  • Review the order before you leave the courthouse.  If you have any questions about it, be sure to ask the judge or clerk.
  • Make several copies of the restraining order as soon as possible.
  • Keep a copy of the order with you all of the time.
  • Leave copies of the order at your work place, at your home, at the children’s school or daycare, in your car, with a sympathetic neighbor, and so on.
  • Give a copy to the security guard or person at the front desk where you live and/or work along with a photo of the abuser.
  • Give a copy of the order to anyone who is named in and protected by the order.
  • If the court has not given you an extra copy for your local law enforcement agency, take one of your extra copies and deliver it to them.
  • You may wish to consider changing your locks and your phone number.

If the abuser did not come to the hearing, you must have the new DVRO served on him/her again.  You can find contact information on our CA Sheriff Departments page.

You may also wish to make a safety plan. Survivors can do a number of things to increase their safety during violent incidents, when preparing to leave an abusive relationship, and when they are at home, work, and school.  Many batterers obey protective orders, but some do not and it is important to build on the things you have already been doing to keep yourself safe.  Click on the following link for suggestions on Safety Planning.