This section defines domestic violence for the purposes of getting a domestic relationship personal protection order (“PPO”).

A judge can issue a domestic relationship PPO when the judge believes that a current or former spouse, someone with whom you have a child in common, someone you are/were dating, or someone who lives/lived in the same household as you may commit any of the following acts:

• entering unlawfully onto property (premises);
• assaulting, attacking, beating, molesting, or wounding you;
• threatening to kill or physically injure you;
• unlawfully removing minor children from you when you have legal custody of them and removing them is not permitted in the custody or parenting time order;
• purchasing or possessing a firearm;
• interfering with your efforts to remove your children or personal property from premises that are solely owned or leased by the abuser;
• interfering with you at your job or school or acting in a way that harms your job or school relationship or environment;
• having access to information in records concerning a minor child of both you and the abuser that will tell the abuser about the address or telephone number of you/your child or about your work address;
• committing stalking or aggravated stalking against you even if s/he is not arrested for those crimes;
• injuring, killing, torturing, neglecting, or threatening to do so to an animal in which you have an ownership interest, with the intent to cause you mental distress or to exert control over you; or
• any other specific act or behavior that interferes with your personal liberty or that causes a reasonable fear of violence.¹

¹ MCL § 600.2950(1), (4)

In a domestic relationship personal protection order, a judge may order the abuser to:

• not go into a specific place;
• stop assaulting, attacking, beating, molesting or wounding you;
• stop threatening to kill or physically injure you;
• not remove minor children from you when you have legal custody of them and removing them is not permitted in the custody or parenting time order;
• stop stalking you;
• stop contacting you or harassing you at your workplace, residence, school, child’s daycare;
• not attend school in the same building as you – but this only applies if you are a minor who has been the victim of sexual assault and you and the abuser are both enrolled in a public or private school from kindergarten to 12^th grade;
• not buy or have in his/her possession a firearm;
• not interfere with your efforts to remove your children or personal property from premises that are solely owned or leased by the abuser;
• not interfere with you at your job or school or act in a way that harms your job or school relationship or environment;
• not have access to information in records concerning a minor child of both you and the abuser that will tell the abuser about the address or telephone number of you/your child or about your work address;
• not commit stalking or aggravated stalking against you;
• not commit or threaten to commit any of the following with the intent to cause you mental distress or to exert control over you: injure, kill, torture, or neglect an animal in which you have an ownership interest; not remove the animal from your possession or take/keep the animal; and
• not do any other specific act or behavior that interferes with your personal liberty or that causes a reasonable fear of violence.¹

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

¹ MCL § 600.2950(1)

When you and the abuser live in different states, the judge may not have “personal jurisdiction” (power) over an out-of-state abuser. This means that the court may not be able to grant an order against him/her.

There are a few ways that a court can have personal jurisdiction over an out-of-state abuser:

1. The abuser has a substantial connection to your state. Perhaps the abuser regularly travels to your state to visit you, for business, to see extended family, or the abuser lived in your state and recently fled.
2. One of the acts of abuse “happened” in your state. Perhaps the abuser sends you threatening texts or harassing phone calls from another state but you read the messages or answer the calls while you are in your state. The judge could decide that the abuse “happened” to you while you were in your state. It may also be possible that the abuser was in your state when s/he abused you s/he but has since left the state.
3. If you file your petition and the abuser gets served with the court petition while s/he is in your state, this is another way for the court to get jurisdiction.

However, even if none of the above apply to your situation, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t get an order. If you file, you may be granted an order on consent or the judge may find other circumstances that allow the order to be granted.

You can read more about personal jurisdiction in our Court System Basics - Personal Jurisdiction section.

Note: If the judge in your state refuses to issue an order, you can file for an order in the courthouse in the state where the abuser lives. However, remember that you will likely need to file the petition in person and attend various court dates, which could be difficult if the abuser’s state is far away.

You may be eligible to file a domestic relationship PPO against:

• your current or former spouse;
• someone with whom you have a child in common;
• someone you are dating or used to date; or
• anyone who lives in your home or has lived in your home.¹

If you do not qualify for a domestic relationship PPO, you may qualify for non-domestic stalking personal protection orders or a non-domestic sexual assault personal protection order.

If your children are being abused, you should know that:

• Unemancipated children are not eligible to file for a domestic relationship PPO against a parent.²
• A minor can file for a domestic relationship PPO with the help of a “next friend,” an adult who can file on behalf of the minor.³
• If your child is experiencing abuse but you do not qualify for a domestic relationship PPO, you may want to consider speaking with an advocate at your local domestic violence organization and/or talking to a lawyer to understand all options that may be available to you. Go to our MI Finding a Lawyer page for legal referrals.

¹ MCL § 600.2950(1)
² MCL § 600.2950(27)(b)
³ MCR 3.703(F)(1)

If you are a minor, under 18¹, you can get a PPO with the assistance of a “next friend.” The “next friend” can be a parent or other trusted adult over the age of 18 who will file for the PPO on your behalf. If you are between the ages of 14 - 17, you may be able to appoint a “next friend” to file on your behalf. If you are 13 or younger, then the court will appoint a “next friend” for you.² However, you cannot get a domestic relationship PPO against your parent unless you are emancipated.³

You may want to contact the clerk of court in your area or a local domestic violence organization for more information on getting a personal protection order as a minor. Depending on the county, the process or the forms may be different, but the law is the same. For a list of local organizations in your area, please go to MI Advocates and Shelters page. For a list of courthouses, please go to MI Courthouse Locations.

¹ MCR 3.702(6)
² MCR 3.703(F)
³ MCL § 600.2950(26)(b)

A judge can issue you an ex parte domestic relationship PPO without a full court hearing and without the abuser present. An ex parte domestic relationship PPO is valid for at least 182 days, approximately six months. Once the PPO is issued, the abuser will be notified that you have an order against him/her.¹

The abuser has the right to file a motion to change (modify) or cancel (rescind) the ex parte personal protection order and request a hearing within 14 days of being served with the order unless s/he has a good reason to extend the time to file the motion.² If the abuser does request a court hearing, a hearing will normally be set for some time during the following 14 days³ and you may have to face the abuser at that hearing. If the abuser is licensed to carry a gun due to his/her job, such as a job in law enforcement, the hearing will take place within five days instead of 14.⁴ You must attend that hearing if you want to keep your PPO unless the judge gives you permission to appear via video conferencing.⁵ If you do not appear at the hearing in some way, a judge may take away your PPO.

If the abuser does not request a court hearing, you will probably not have to go back to court. However, you should check with a domestic violence organization or legal resource in your community; the court in your area might have its own rules about this. To find an organization in your area to for legal help please visit MI Advocates and Shelters or MI Finding a Lawyer.

You may have additional court hearings if you want to change or extend your PPO, or if the abuser violates the PPO. The abuser may come to those hearings. See How do I change or extend my domestic relationship PPO?

¹ MCL § 600.2950(13)
² MCL § 600.2950(11)(g), (13)
³ MCL § 600.2950(14)
⁴ MCR 3.707(A)(2)
⁵ MCR 3.705(B)(3)

Although you do not need a lawyer to file for a domestic relationship PPO, it may be to your advantage to seek legal counsel.  This is especially important if the abuser has a lawyer.  Even if the abuser does not have a lawyer, it is recommended that you contact a lawyer to make sure that your legal rights are protected.

If you cannot afford a lawyer but want one to help you with your case, you can find information on legal assistance and domestic violence agencies on the MI Places that Help page. The domestic violence agencies in your area may be able to help you with the forms if you cannot find a lawyer.  In addition, the law allows court staff to help you fill out the forms, if you request it, and to explain the proper way to serve the papers but the law does not require the court staff to do so.¹  Your will find contact information for courthouses on the MI Courthouse Locations page.

If you are going to be in court without a lawyer, our Preparing for Court – By Yourself section may be useful to you.

¹ MCL § 600.2950b(4)

You can go to the family division of the circuit court to get a petition during normal business hours, Monday through Friday. To find the courthouse in your area, go to MI Courthouse Locations.

You may also get a sample petition online on our MI Download Court Forms page.

At the courthouse, tell the clerk of court that you want to file a petition for a personal protection order. Let the clerk know whether you are filing for a domestic relationship PPO (or a non-domestic PPO). 

When your case number is called, you will appear before the judge for an ex parte hearing where the judge will read your petition and ask you why you want a PPO. The abuser will not be present for the ex parte hearing.  At the end of this hearing, the judge can grant you an ex parte domestic relationship PPO that will be valid for at least 182 days, approximately six months.¹ 

If the judge grants an ex parte PPO, the court clerk will give you a copy of the order.  Review the order before you leave the courthouse to make sure that the information is correct.  If something is wrong or missing, ask the clerk how you can correct the order before you leave.

An ex parte domestic relationship PPO is enforceable anywhere in Michigan as soon as it is signed by a judge, even before it is served on the abuser.²  However, it may not be enforceable outside of Michigan until the abuser has been served with papers that tell him/her about the PPO. If you plan on leaving Michigan before the abuser has been served, please speak with an advocate at a domestic violence organization in your area to figure out a safety plan.  Go to our MI Advocates and Shelters for organizations near you.

¹ MCL § 600.2950(13)
² MCL § 600.2950(12)

Unlike many other states, a hearing for a final order isn’t automatically scheduled by the judge after you get your ex parte PPO. The abuser has the right to file a motion to change (modify) or cancel (rescind) the personal protection order and request a hearing within 14 days of being served with the ex parte order unless s/he has a good reason to extend the time to file the motion.¹ If the abuser does request a court hearing, a hearing will normally be set for some time during the following 14 days; if s/he uses a gun for his/her job, it would take place within five days.² 

You must go to the hearing, if the abuser requests one.  If you do not go to the hearing, a judge might take away your ex parte PPO. See the At the Hearing section for ways you can show the judge that you were abused.  If the abuser requested a hearing, but does not show up, the judge may continue with the hearing without the abuser or s/he may order a new hearing date.

You have the right to bring a lawyer to represent you at the hearing. If you need more time to find a lawyer, especially if you show up to court and the abuser has a lawyer and you do not, you may ask the judge for a “continuance” to set a later court date so you can have time to find a lawyer for yourself.  Go to our MI Finding a Lawyer page for legal referrals.

¹ MCL § 600.2950(11)(g), (13)
² MCL § 600.2950(14)

Once you get a protection order, there may be laws that prohibit the respondent from having a gun in his/her possession.  There are a few places where you can find this information:

• first, read the questions on this page to see if judges in Michigan have to power to remove guns as part of a temporary or final order;
• second, go to our State Gun Laws section to read about your state’s specific gun-related laws; and
• third you can read our Federal Gun Laws section to understand the federal laws that apply to all states.

You can read more about keeping an abuser from accessing guns on the National Domestic Violence and Firearms Resource Center’s website. 

These are some things you may want to consider after you have been granted a PPO.  Depending on what you think is safest in your situation, you may do any or all of the following:

• Review the order before you leave the courthouse. If something is wrong or missing, ask the clerk how to correct the order before you leave.
• Make several copies of the order as soon as possible.
• Keep a copy of the order with you at all times.
• Leave copies of the order at your workplace, at your home, at the children’s school or daycare, in your car, with a sympathetic neighbor, and so on.
• Give a copy to the security guard or person at the front desk where you live and/or work along with a photo of the abuser.
• Give a copy of the order to anyone who is named in and protected by the order.
• You may wish to consider changing your locks, if permitted, and your phone number.

You may also wish to make a safety plan. People can do a number of things to increase their safety during violent incidents, when preparing to leave an abusive relationship, and when they are at home, work, and school. Many batterers obey orders of protection, but some do not and it is important to build on the things you have already been doing to keep yourself safe. Click on the following link for suggestions on Safety Planning.

You can file an ex parte motion to extend your order by requesting a new expiration date. The motion to extend must be filed with the court that issued the PPO at least three days before the order is set to expire and the court must act on the motion within three days after it is filed. However, even if you don’t file the motion to extend on time, you may still be able to start a new PPO proceeding against the abuser.¹

You can file a motion to modify or terminate the personal protection order any time after the personal protection order is issued.² A hearing would be held where both parties can be present and the judge would decide whether or not to grant your request.

There are no fees to file a motion to modify, terminate, or extend a personal protection order.³

Note: The respondent has the right to file a motion to modify or terminate an ex parte personal protection order or an ex parte order extending a personal protection order within 14 days after being served with, or receiving actual notice of, the order. If the respondent files any other motion to modify or terminate a personal protection at any other time, s/he must first show that there is “good cause” to do so.⁴

¹ MCR 3.707(B)(1)
² MCR 3.707(A)(1)(a)
³ MCR 3.707(D)
⁴ MCR 3.707(A)(1)(b)

If the court refuses to grant a domestic relationship PPO, the judge must state in writing the specific reasons s/he refused to issue a personal protection order. If a hearing is held, the judge must also immediately say these reasons out loud (“on the record”) the specific reasons s/he refuses to issue a PPO.¹ If you believe that an error was made in denying you the order, you may want to show the transcript to a lawyer to ask if there are any legal grounds to appeal the decision. You can read some basic information about appeals on our Filing an Appeal page and for legal referrals, you can go to our MI Finding a Lawyer page.

If you are not granted a PPO, there are still some things you can do to stay safe. It might be a good idea to contact one of the domestic violence resource centers in your area to get help, support, and advice on how to stay safe. They can help you devise a safety plan and help connect you with the resources you need. To find a shelter or advocate in your area please visit our MI Advocates and Shelters page under the Places that Help tab on the top of this page.

Also, if an additional incident occurs, you may decide to re-apply for a PPO based on the new incident.

¹ MCLA 600.2950(7)

A non-domestic stalking personal protection order (PPO) can be issued based on stalking, aggravated stalking, or cyberstalking, as defined below, even if it’s never reported to the police. (If you have one of the domestic relationships described here, you would file for a domestic relationship PPO instead.)

Stalking is when someone commits harassment against you two or more times and it reasonably causes you to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or bothered (“molested”). Harassment is repeated, unwanted contact that has no valid purpose and that reasonably causes you to suffer emotional harm (distress). It includes, but is not limited to:

• following you or appearing within your sight;
• approaching or confronting you in a public place or on private property;
• appearing at your workplace or home;
• entering onto, remaining on, or putting an object on property that you own, rent (lease), or that you are currently occupying;
• contacting you by telephone; or
• sending you mail, email or text messages.¹

Cyberstalking, for the purposes of this PPO, is when the respondent commits the crime of posting or attempting to post messages about you through the Internet, computer, or any other form of electronic communication without your consent; it doesn’t matter if the information posted is true or not true. To qualify for a protection order under this ground, all of the following must be true:

• The respondent knows or should know that posting the message could cause two or more separate acts of harassment committed against you by anyone.
• The respondent has the intention of causing someone to act in a way that would terrorize, frighten, intimidate, threaten, harass, or bother (“molest”) you and you actually do feel one of those emotions as a result of actions someone committed based on the post.
• You suffer emotional distress as a result of actions someone committed based on the post.³

Note: Someone who is in prison cannot apply for a stalking personal protection order while incarcerated.⁴

¹ MCL § 750.411h(a), (c)-(f)
² MCL § 750.411i(2)
³ MCL § 750.411s(1)
⁴ MCL § 600.2950a(31)

In an ex parte or final non-domestic stalking personal protection order (PPO), the judge can order the respondent not to:

• follow you or appear within your sight;
• appear at your home or workplace;
• approach or confront you in a public place or on private property;
• enter onto or remain on property that is owned, leased, or occupied by you;
• send you mail or other communications, such as email;
• contact you by telephone;
• place an object on, or deliver an object to, property owned, leased, or occupied by you;
• threaten to kill or physically injure you;
• attend school in the same building as you – but this only applies if you are a minor who has been the victim of sexual assault and you and the abuser are both enrolled in a public or private school from kindergarten to 12^th grade;
• purchase or possess a firearm; and
• post any messages through the Internet, a computer, or any electronic medium that violates the law against posting messages through an electronic medium without consent.¹

¹ MCL § 600.2950a(1); see Michigan Courts website, PPO petition form cc380

You can file for an order against a minor who is at least ten years old.¹ You would file in the county where you live or where the respondent lives. If the minor does not live in Michigan, you would file in the county where you live.² However, you cannot get an order against your own minor child unless s/he is emancipated.¹

¹ MCL § 600.2950a(27)(a), (27)(c)
² MCR 3.703(E)(2); MCL 712A.2(h)

There is no fee to get the forms for a PPO¹ and there should be no fee to file the PPO; however, it seems that some counties may be charging a fee to file the forms in court. Michigan law specifically says that fees cannot be charged to file a motion to modify, terminate, extend, or to enforce a personal protection order if it is violated² and Michigan law states that a fee cannot be charged to start a civil action for a PPO.³ Therefore, if your county is charging you to file for a PPO, you may want to connect with a local legal services organization to see if they can advocate on your behalf so that you don’t have to pay any filing fees.

When it comes to service, the petition and order can be served by anyone who is not a party to the case who is over 18. 

¹ See MCLA 600.2950b(4)
² MCR 3.707(D); MCLA 600.2529(1)(e)
³ MCLA 600.2529(1)(a)

Michigan law makes it clear that courts are cannot make available to the public on the Internet any information regarding the registration, filing, or issuance of a PPO if such publication would be likely to reveal the identity or location of the victim.¹

¹ MCR 3.705(C)

A non-domestic sexual assault personal protection order (PPO) can be issued ex parte or after the respondent is notified and a hearing is held.

Temporary ex parte order
When you file for a non-domestic sexual assault personal protection order, you could get a temporary ex parte order, which means it is issued without written or oral notice to the respondent or his/her attorney. The judge must make a decision on whether to issue you an ex parte order within one business day of when you file the petition. An ex parte personal protection order is only supposed to be issued if the allegations in your complaint clearly show that:

• immediate and severe injury, loss, or damage will result if you have to wait for the respondent to be notified before you get the order; or
• notifying the respondent would put you in danger.¹

A temporary non-domestic sexual assault personal protection order will last for at least 182 days, approximately six months, unless the respondent request a hearing and, at that hearing, the judge shortens or dismisses the order. The respondent generally has 14 days from when s/he is served with the order in which s/he can file a motion to modify or dismiss the order and request a hearing. The time to file the motion can be extended beyond 14 days if there is “good cause.”² The hearing will generally be held within 14 days of when the motion was filed, except it will be held within five days if the respondent:

• has a license to carry a concealed weapon and is required to carry a weapon as a condition of his or her employment;
• is a police officer sheriff, a deputy sheriff or a member of the Michigan department of state police;
• is a local corrections officer or a department of corrections employee; or
• is a federal law enforcement officer who carries a firearm during the normal course of his or her employment.³

Final personal protection order
If there is a hearing on a petition for PPO and the judge issues an order after the hearing, the order will be a final order that can last for any length of time ordered by the judge.

You may also be able to extend your order. See Can my non-domestic sexual assault PPO be extended?

¹ MCL § 600.2950a(12); see also MCR 3.705(A)(1)
² MCL § 600.2950a(13)
³ MCL § 600.2950a(14); see also MCR 3.707(A)(2)

When you and the abuser live in different states, the judge may not have power (“personal jurisdiction”) over an out-of-state abuser. This means that the court may not be able to grant an order against him/her.

There are a few ways that a court can have personal jurisdiction over an out-of-state abuser:

1. The abuser has a substantial connection to your state. Perhaps the abuser regularly travels to your state to visit you, for business, to see extended family, or the abuser lived in your state and recently fled.
2. One of the acts of abuse “happened” in your state. Perhaps the abuser sends you threatening texts or harassing phone calls from another state but you read the messages or answer the calls while you are in your state. The judge could decide that the abuse “happened” to you while you were in your state. It may also be possible that the abuser was in your state when s/he abused you s/he but has since left the state.
3. If you file your petition and the abuser gets served with the court petition while s/he is in your state, this is another way for the court to get jurisdiction.

However, even if none of the above apply to your situation, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t get an order. If you file, you may be granted an order on consent or the judge may find other circumstances that allow the order to be granted.

You can read more about personal jurisdiction in our Court System Basics - Personal Jurisdiction section.

Note: If the judge in your state refuses to issue an order, you can file for an order in the courthouse in the state where the abuser lives. However, remember that you will likely need to file the petition in person and attend various court dates, which could be difficult if the abuser’s state is far away.

A minor can file for an order. However, a minor cannot get an order against his/her own parent unless the minor is emancipated.¹

¹ See MCL § 600.2950a(27)(b)

Filing
You can file for a non-domestic sexual assault personal protection order in the family division of circuit court.¹ If the respondent is 18 or older, you can file in any county in Michigan, regardless of where you and the respondent live.² If the respondent is a minor, you can file in the county where either you live or the respondent lives. If s/he does not live in Michigan, you would file in the county where you live.³ The respondent does not have to be arrested or charged with sexual assault or any other crime to qualify.¹ The steps to file may be similar to the steps for getting a domestic relationship PPO. You can find the forms for a non-domestic sexual assault PPO on our MI Download Court Forms page.

Service
The order can be served upon the respondent in one of the following ways:

• personally;
• by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, with delivery restricted to the addressee (respondent) at his/her last known address(es); or
• by any other method allowed by the Michigan Court Rules.⁴

If the respondent is under 18 years old, his/her parent, guardian, or custodian must also be served in one of the ways listed above.⁴ If it is not clearly written on the order, you may want to ask the judge how you are supposed to serve the order.

A law enforcement officer or clerk of the court who knows that the order exists can serve the respondent with a copy of the order at any time, including orally “serving” him/her by telling the respondent the following:

1. the order exists;
2. the specific terms of the order;
3. the penalties for violating the order; and
4. where the respondent can get a copy of the order.⁴

This type of oral notice is considered valid service.⁴ It might happen if, for example, the respondent is pulled over by the police for a traffic stop and while running his/her name through their system, the officer is alerted that there is an un-served order. In addition, oral notice of the order may happen if you call the police due to a violation of the order and when the police arrive, they realize that the respondent has not yet been served. At that point, the officer is supposed to serve the respondent with a true copy of the order or “serve” him/her orally. Then the respondent would be given the chance to follow (comply with) the PPO before s/he can be arrested for violating it.⁵

¹ MCL § 600.2950a(1)
² MCR 3.703(E)(1)
³ MCR 3.703(E)(2) & MCL 712A.2(h)
⁴ MCL § 600.2950a(18)
⁵ MCL § 600.2950a(22)

A judge can issue you an ex parte non-domestic sexual assault PPO without a full court hearing and without the abuser present. An ex parte non-domestic sexual assault PPO is valid for at least 182 days (approximately six months).¹ Once the PPO is issued, the abuser will be notified that you have an order against him/her.

The abuser has the right to file a motion to modify (change) or rescind (cancel) the ex parte personal protection order and request a hearing within 14 days of being served with the order (unless s/he has a good reason to extend the time to file the motion). If the abuser does request a court hearing, a hearing will normally be set for some time during the following 14 days¹ and you may have to face the abuser at that hearing. (If the abuser is licensed to carry a gun due to his/her job, such as a job in law enforcement, the hearing will take place within five days instead of 14).² You must attend that hearing if you want to keep your PPO unless the judge gives you permission to appear via video conferencing.³ If you do not appear at the hearing in some way, a judge may take away your PPO.

If the abuser does not request a court hearing, you will probably not have to go back to court. However, you should check with a domestic violence organization or legal resource in your community - the court in your area might have its own rules about this. To find an organization in your area to for legal help please visit MI Advocates and Shelters or MI Finding a Lawyer.

You may have additional court hearings if you want to change or extend your PPO, or if the abuser violates the PPO. The abuser may come to those hearings. See Can my non-domestic sexual assault PPO be extended?

¹ MCL § 600.2950a(13)
² MCL § 600.2950a(14)
³ MCR 3.705(B)(3)

To extend a non-domestic sexual assault PPO, you can file a motion to extend the order in which you will request a new expiration date. The motion must be filed with the court that issued the PPO no later than three days before the order is to expire. The court must act on the motion within three days after it is filed.¹

If you do not file the motion to extend within this timeframe, you may still be able to file a new petition for a new PPO against the respondent and start the process all over again.

¹ MCR 3.707(B)(1)

If you have a valid Michigan PPO that meets federal standards, it can be enforced in another state. The Violence Against Women Act, which is a federal law, states that all valid PPOs granted in the United States receive “full faith and credit” in all state and tribal courts within the US, including US territories. See How do I know if my PPO is good under federal law? to find out if your PPO qualifies.

Each state must enforce out-of-state PPOs in the same way it enforces its own orders, which means if the abuser violates your out-of-state PPO, s/he will be punished according to the laws of whatever state you are in when the order is violated. This is what is meant by “full faith and credit.” To make this even clearer, every Michigan PPO says that the order is enforceable in any state as long as the defendant has been notified of the order.¹

¹ MCL § 600.2950(11)(b)

An ex parte temporary order can be enforced in other states as long as it meets the requirements listed in How do I know if my PPO is good under federal law?¹

Note: The state where you are going generally cannot extend your ex parte temporary order or issue you a permanent order when the temporary one expires. If you need to extend your temporary order, you will have to contact the state that issued the order and arrange to be at the hearing in person or by telephone or electronic means if that is an option offered by the court. However, you may be able to reapply for one in the new state that you are moving to if you meet the requirements for getting a protective order in that state – but, if you apply for one in a new state, the abuser would know what state you are living in, which may put you in danger.

Federal law does not require you to take any special steps to get your personal protection order (PPO) enforced in another state.

Many states do have laws or regulations (rules) about registering or filing of out-of-state orders, which can make enforcement easier, but a valid PPO is enforceable regardless of whether it has been registered or filed in the new state.¹ Rules differ from state to state, so it may be helpful to find out what the rules are in your new state. You can contact a local domestic violence organization for more information by visiting our Advocates and Shelters page and entering your new state in the drop-down menu.

Note: It is important to keep a copy of your PPO with you at all times. It is also a good idea to know the rules of states you will be living in or visiting to ensure that your out-of-state order can be enforced in a timely manner.

¹ 18 U.S.C. § 2265(d)(2)

You do not need a lawyer to get your PPO enforced in another state.

However, you may want to get help from a local domestic violence advocate or attorney in the state to which you move. A domestic violence advocate can let you know what the advantages and disadvantages are for registering your PPO, and help you through the process if you decide to do so.

To find a domestic violence advocate or an attorney in the state you are moving to, select your state from the Places that Help page.

Custody, visitation, and child support provisions that are included in a PPO can be enforced across state lines. Law enforcement and courts in another state are required by federal law to enforce these provisions.¹

¹ 18 USC § 2266

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

To have your order changed, extended, or canceled, you will usually 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 rather than in person so that you do not need to return to the state where the abuser is living. To find out more information about how to modify a restraining order, see the Restraining Orders page for the state where your order was issued.

If your order does expire while you are living in Michigan, you may be able to get a new one issued in Michigan but this may be difficult to do if no new incidents of abuse have occurred in Michigan. To find out more information on how to get a personal protection order (PPO) in Michigan, visit our MI Restraining Orders page.

Michigan state law gives full protection to an out-of-state (“foreign”) protection order as long as you can show the officer a copy of the order and can truthfully tell the officer that you believe the order is still in effect.¹ It does not have to be entered into the state or federal registry in order to be enforced by a Michigan police officer, but the officer does need to believe that it is a valid order.²

¹ Mich. Laws §§ 600.2950j(1); 600.2950l(3)
² Mich. Laws § 600.2950l(4)

Federal law says that states cannot charge for registration of a protection order “whether issued inside or outside the State, tribal, or local jurisdiction.”¹ Therefore, Michigan courthouses should not charge to register a foreign protection order in Michigan. Go to our MI Courthouse Locations page for contact information.

¹ 42 U.S.C. § 3796gg-5(a)(1)