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Legal Information: Iowa

Restraining Orders

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Updated: 
November 3, 2023

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 IA ST § 236.2(2), (4), (5)