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Legal Information: Texas

Restraining Orders

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Laws current as of February 29, 2024

What types of protective orders are available?

In Texas, there are three types of orders of protection based on family violence:

  1. Temporary ex parte protective order;
  2. Final (permanent) protective order; and
  3. Magistrate’s order of emergency protection (what most people call an emergency protective order).

The first two orders are issued by the civil court upon your application. The abuser does not have to be arrested for you to get one of these orders. The third order is issued by the criminal court after the abuser is arrested. Each order is explained in more detail in the following questions.

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