Legal Information: Maryland

Restraining Orders

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Updated: 
November 10, 2020

Am I eligible for a peace order?

Peace orders are meant to protect people who do not qualify for a domestic violence protective order. If you are eligible to file for a domestic violence protective order, you are not eligible for a peace order.1 (To see if you would qualify for domestic violence protective order, go to Who can get a protective order?)

Here are a few examples of relationships that may qualify you for a peace order:

  • a boyfriend/ girlfriend who you do not have a child in common with and with whom you do not live;
  • a neighbor;
  • a co-worker;
  • an acquaintance;
  • a stranger;
  • a parent, stepparent, child, or stepchild of you or the abuser with whom you do not currently live and with whom you have not lived for 90 days or more within 1 year before the filing of the petition.1

1“Peace and Protective Orders” Brochure,” MD Judiciary

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