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Legal Information: Virginia

Restraining Orders

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Laws current as of July 9, 2025

Step 3: Service of process

If the judge granted you a preliminary protective order, the court will send a copy and a notice of hearing to the sheriff or police so that they can serve the abuser with these papers. The abuser must be served with the notice of hearing before the hearing can take place. If the sheriff cannot find the abuser to serve him/her with this notice, then the judge may wish to postpone the hearing. If this is the case, be sure to ask for your preliminary order to be extended.

You may wish to stay in touch with the sheriff or police to see if they received your paperwork from the court, and to see if the abuser has been served or not.

You can find more information about service of process in our Preparing for Court – By Yourself section, in the question called What is service of process and how do I accomplish it?

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