Any individual (the Petitioner) may complete the required injunction paperwork and submit it to the court requesting the judge issue a court ordered injunction for protection from another individual (the Respondent).  Different documentation is required for each of the four types of Injunctions Orders: Domestic Violence; Dating Violence; Sexual Assault; Repeat Violence. Forms are available at the office of the Clerk of Courts or the Victim Service Center.

Injunction Orders are civil matters and are not valid until the other person has been served by Law Enforcement, a Process Server or another authority who can document that the Injunction Order was legally served. Once approved by the court, both the Petitioner and the Respondent are bound by the stipulations of the order.

Domestic Violence 
To invoke this injunction, the Respondent has to be a spouse, former spouse, related to the Petitioner by blood or marriage, be living with or have lived with the Petitioner in the past, or has children with the Petitioner. The Petitioner should have a safety plan including where he/she will safely reside until the Injunction Order is in place and what are his/her other options and available support systems.  

Dating Violence
The dating relationship must have existed within the past six months and must have been characterized by the expectation of affection or sexual involvement between the parties. Two incidents of violence must have occurred within the last six months.

Dating violence does not include violence in a casual acquaintanceship or violence between individuals who only have engaged in ordinary fraternization in a business or social context.

Sexual Assault Injunction Order
This petition can be used by a victim of sexual violence or the parent or legal guardian of a minor child who is living at home and is a victim of sexual violence. In some cases this petition can be requested by a victim of sexual violence whose perpetrator is going to be released from prison within 90 days. The crime must be reported to the police.

Injunction Order Against Repeat Violence
Repeat violence means that two incidents of violence have been committed against you or a member of your immediate family by another person, each of which must have been within 6 months of filing this petition.