Restraining Orders

A temporary or permanent protection order may:

• order the abuser to stop hitting, threatening, or harming you or your children;
• order the abuser to stay away from you and/or your children;
• order the abuser to stop contacting you and/or your children;
• order the abuser to move out of the home you share or out of your home (if you can prove that physical or emotional harm would happen if s/he stayed in the home);
• order the abuser to stay away from your home;
• order the abuser to not interfere with your job or school or do anything that would harm your employment or educational relationships/environment;
• give you temporary care and control of your children and order parenting time rights, supervised or unsupervised (this part of the order only lasts up to 1 year); and grant you temporary decision-making responsibility when it is related to preventing domestic abuse or preventing the child from witnessing domestic abuse;
• order the abuser to continue to make payments on the mortgage or rent, insurance, utilities and related household services, transportation, medical care, or child care when the respondent has an existing duty or legal obligation;
• order the abuser to not hide or get rid of your personal effects, land, or homes that are yours alone or shared with the abuser;
• order the abuser to not threaten, harm, kill, hide or take any animal owned by you or by a child of you or the abuser;
• make specific arrangements for the possession and care of an animal owned by you or by a child of you or the abuser;¹
• depending on the circumstances, order the abuser to not have or buy any firearm or ammunition for the duration of the order and to give up any that s/he currently has in his/her possession or control to a licensed firearms dealer, private party or to law enforcement;² and
• do anything else that the judge thinks is necessary for your safety.¹

An emergency protection order (these are different than temporary ex parte orders) can do any of the following:

• order that the abuser stop contacting, harassing, injuring, intimidating, threatening, molesting, touching, stalking, sexually assaulting or abusing the victim, the victim’s child or the abuser’s child;
• order that the abuser be removed from the home you share or from your home if it is shown that physical or emotional harm would otherwise happen;
• give temporary care and control of any minor child involved;
• order the abuser to not contact a minor child at school, at work, or wherever s/he may be found;
• order the abuser to not threaten, harm, kill, hide or take any animal owned by the victim or by a child of either party; and/or
• make specific arrangements for the possession and care of an animal owned by the victim or by a child of either party.³

Whether a judge orders all or some of the above depends on the facts of your case.

¹ Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 13-14-105(1)(a)-(j)(I), 13-14-104.5(8)
² Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-14-105.5(1)(a) & (2)(c)
³ Colo. Rev. Stat § 13-14-103(1)(b)