Restraining Orders

Generally, only the state that issued your protection order can change, extend, or cancel it.

To have your order changed, extended, or canceled, you will likely have to file a motion or petition in the court where the order was issued. You may be able to request that you attend the court hearing by telephone or video rather than in person, so that you do not need to return to the state where the abuser lives. You can find out if this is possible in your state by calling the clerk of the court that issued your order. If you need contact information for that court, go to our Courthouse Locations page and choose the state from the drop-down menu. To learn more about changing your order, see the Restraining Orders page for the state where your order was issued.

If you have registered your out-of-state (“foreign”) order with a Kentucky court, you have to let that court know if the order ends or is changed  by the court that issued it. Within two business days, you must:

• notify the clerk at the Kentucky courthouse where you registered your order; and
• present a copy of the new order, if there is one, so it can be registered (authenticated).¹

If your order does expire while you are living in Kentucky, you may be able to get a new protective order in Kentucky. However, this may be difficult to do if no new incidents of abuse have occurred in Kentucky. To find out more information on how to get a protective order in Kentucky, visit our Kentucky Protective Orders page.

¹ Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 403.7535(1), (2); 456.170(1), (2)