Am I eligible to file for a protective order?
You can file for a protective order from domestic abuse against any of the following people:
- a family or household member who you lived with at the time of the abuse or at anytime within the past year. (Note: “Family or household members” means your spouse, someone you live with, your parent, or another person you are related to by blood or marriage);
- an ex-spouse who you are separated from or divorced from;
- someone you have a child in common with (even if you were never married and never lived together); or
- someone you have/ had an intimate relationship with and have had contact with during the year before the abuse. (Note: An “intimate relationship” means a significant romantic involvement, not necessarily a sexual one).1
1 Iowa Code § 236.2(2), (4), (5)