Protective Orders

AZPoint

Welcome to AZPOINT, the Arizona Protective Order Initiation and Notification Tool. Through an interview in this portal, you can quickly and accurately fill out the forms that are needed to request an Order of Protection at an Arizona court.

Protective orders are designed to prohibit a specific person from coming near your home, work site, school, or other locations as listed on the order. Protective orders cannot guarantee your safety, but they can provide you with legal recourse if the person violates the order. The City Court does not charge a filing fee for any protective order.

Protective orders cannot resolve landlord / tenant disputes and cannot change child custody or visitation orders.

If you are or will be involved in a legal action related to divorce, separation, paternity, child support, custody, or visitation, you must file your petition for a protective order with the Superior Court.

File a Protective Order

There are two types of protective orders:

Order of Protection

  • An Order of Protection is issued against a specific person who has committed an act of domestic violence against you or who may commit an act of domestic violence against you.
  • You may qualify for an Order of Protection if you and the defendant are married or were married in the past, if you live together or lived together in the past, if you have a child in common, if one of you is pregnant by the other, or if one of you is a parent, stepparent, grandparent, sibling, or in-law of the other.
  • An Order of Protective becomes valid when it has been served, and it expires two years after the date of service. If the order has not been served after one year, it automatically expires.

Injunction Against Harassment

  • An Injunction Against Harassment is issued against a specific person who has committed a series of acts of harassment against you personally.
  • You should request an Injunction Against Harassment if you do not have a relationship with the defendant that meets the requirements of an Order of Protection.
  • An Injunction Against Harassment becomes valid when it has been served, and it expires one year after the date of service. If the order has not been served after one year, it automatically expires.

The defendant has the right to contest the protective order at any time before it expires. If the defendant requests dismissal or modification of the protective order, the Court will set a hearing within 5 to 10 days. You will receive notice of the hearing. If you fail to appear at the hearing, the protective order may be dismissed.