Restraining Orders

If you or your adult family or household member asks for it, the judge must remove the address and phone number of the following places from your protective order:

1. your home, including the county you live in, or the home of anyone protected by the order;
2. your workplace or the workplace of anyone protected by the order; and
3. the daycare center or school of any child protected by the order.¹

Remember, however, that if you file in the county where you live, the abuser will be aware of where the court case is happening and may conclude that is where you live. You may want to make a safety plan before filing.

The judge must also make sure to:

• remove the address and phone number of the three places mentioned above from the public court records and keep a confidential record of them for court use only;
• remove your mailing address and county of residence from the public records of the court if it’s different than your home address. The clerk must keep a confidential record of it for court use only and cannot show it to the abuser.²

The judge must tell you and any family and household members who appear in court with you about this option to keep your information confidential.³ If you choose to keep your mailing address confidential, you will have to include the mailing address of someone else, such as a family member or friend, who will receive the mail and notices related to the case on your behalf.⁴

If you do not want the abuser to know this information about you and your family, make sure to:

• tell the clerk when filing your petition; and
• check the box to keep this information confidential when filling out any court forms.

¹ Tex. Fam. Code §§ 82.011; 85.007(a)
² Tex. Fam. Code §§ 82.011; 85.007(b)
³ Tex. Fam. Code § 85.007(a-1)
⁴ Tex. Fam. Code § 82.011(1)(B), (C)