Restraining Orders

If you or your family or household member request this, the judge can order the address and phone number of the following places to be removed from the protective order:

1. your home or the home of anyone protected by the order; (Note: The order will not even mention the county where the home is located;
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

The judge can also require the court clerk 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, keep a confidential record of it for court use only, and not show it to the respondent. (Note: 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, that can be shown to the respondent for the purpose of receiving mail associated with the case.)²

Therefore, if you do not want the abuser to know this type of personal information, make sure to tell that to the clerk when filing your petition and/or check the box to keep addresses and telephone numbers for residences, workplaces, schools, and childcare facilities confidential.

¹ Tex. Fam. Code § 85.007(a)
² Tex. Fam. Code §§ 82.011; 85.007(b)