Vermont Restraining Orders

Laws current as of July 11, 2024

What is a relief from abuse order?

A relief from abuse order is a court order that is designed to stop violent, harassing and threatening behavior. It can also stop the abuser from any contact or communication with you, and protect you and your family from the abuser.¹

¹ VT ST 15 § 1101

What is the legal definition of domestic abuse in Vermont?

This section defines domestic abuse for the purposes of getting a relief from abuse order. Domestic abuse means that one or more of the following are done between family or household members:

attempting to cause or causing physical harm;
placing someone in fear of immediate (“imminent”) serious physical harm;
child abuse;
stalking (see subsection (6));
sexual assault (see subsection (5)); or
coercive controlling behavior.¹

Coercive controlling behavior means a pattern of behavior that unreasonably interferes with someone’s free will and personal liberty, including:

isolation from friends, relatives, or other sources of support;
preventing access to basic necessities;
controlling or monitoring movements, communications, daily behavior, finances, economic resources, or access to services;
using force, threat, or intimidation, including threats based on immigration status, to make the victim:
- act in a way the victim has the right not to act; or
- not act in a way the victim has the right to act;
animal cruelty meant to intimidate the victim; or
forced sex acts or threats of a sexual nature, including:
- threatened acts of sexual conduct;
- threats based on the victim’s sexuality; or
- threats to release sexual images.²

¹ VT ST 15 § 1101(1)
² VT ST 15 § 1101(2)

What types of relief from abuse orders are available? How long do they last?

There are temporary relief from abuse orders and permanent relief from abuse orders.

In general, an ex parte temporary relief from abuse order offers you protection from the time you file your complaint until the court hearing for the permanent relief from abuse order, which usually takes place within 14 days. An ex parte order means it is given without the knowledge of the abuser or his/her presence in the courtroom. The law also allows for a petitioner to apply for an ex parte order over the telephone, including when the courts are closed on nights or weekends. When the courts are closed, you can ask for the help of law enforcement or you can call the after-hours temporary relief from abuse order telephone number: 800-540-9990. If the judge approves an ex parte order when the courts are closed, it will be delivered to the appropriate law enforcement agency.²

Temporary relief from abuse orders can be granted if the judge believes that defendant has abused you and/or your children and that there is a danger of further abuse. If the abuser fails to appear at the final hearing, the temporary order will remain in effect until the final order is served on the abuser.¹ Note: If the judge denies your request for an ex parte temporary order, you are supposed to be notified of the judge’s reasons for the denial in writing. You will then have seven days to request that the court still hold a hearing within 14 days for you to request a permanent order. The abuser will be notified and have a chance to appear in court to object to the order.³

A permanent relief from abuse order is designed to offer you longer-lasting and more comprehensive protection than a temporary relief from abuse order. It can last for a “fixed period” of time. A permanent relief from abuse order can be issued only after the abuser receives notice of the hearing, and you and the abuser both have a chance to tell your sides of the story at the final hearing. You can present evidence and witnesses to prove you were abused and it may be best to be represented by a lawyer, especially if the abuser has one. If you don’t appear at the final hearing, your petition will usually be dismissed – the only exception is if the judge believes there is “good cause” to postpone the final hearing and continue the temporary order until that date.⁴

Go to our VT Finding a Lawyer page for free and paid legal referrals. Most relief from abuse orders expire after one year, but you may be able to have it extended.⁵ Please see our Can a relief from abuse order be modified (changed) or extended? page for more information.

If you don’t qualify for a relief from abuse order, you can get more information about stalking and sexual assault prevention orders on our page called I was not granted a relief from abuse order. Is there another order I can get?

¹ VT ST 15 § 1104(a), (b)
² VT ST 15 § 1106(b)
³ V.R.F.P. Rule 9(e)
⁴ VT ST 15 § 1105(b)(2)
⁵ VT ST 15 § 1103(e)

What protections can I get in a relief from abuse order?

An ex parte temporary relief from abuse order can:

order the abuser to stop contacting you and/or your children directly, indirectly, or through a third party, including in writing or by telephone, e-mail, or other electronic communication;
order the abuser to stop abusing and interfering with the personal liberty of you and/or your children;
order the abuser to stay a certain distance away from you, your children, your home, and your work;
order the abuser to not mistreat or kill any animal (pet) owned or possessed by you, the defendant, or a minor child living in the household;
If the abuser forced you and/or your children out of the home and you have no where to go, the judge can order the defendant to immediately leave the home and order that you have sole possession of the home;
grant you temporary custody of your children if the judge believes that there is an immediate danger of physical or emotional harm to the children; and
order the abuser to immediately give up his/her firearms and to not get any new firearms while the order is in effect.¹

A permanent relief from abuse order can:

order the abuser to stop contacting you and/or your children directly, indirectly, or through a third party, including in writing or by telephone, e-mail, or other electronic communication;
order the abuser to stay away from you and/or your children, your work, children’s school or other locations you specify;
order the abuser to stop abusing and interfering with the personal liberty of you and/or your children;
order the abuser to immediately leave the home you share with him/her and give you sole possession of the home;
award temporary rights and responsibilities (temporary custody) of minor children to you and give the defendant parent-child contact under such conditions as are necessary to protect the you and/or the children from abuse;
order the abuser to pay you spousal support for up to three months;
order the abuser to pay you child support for up to three months;
decide the possession, care and control of any animal owned or kept by you, the abuser, or a child in the home;
order that the defendant return to you any personal documentation in his/her possession, including immigration documentation, birth certificates, and identification cards for you and/or your children;² and
anything else you need to keep you and/or your children safe.

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

¹ VT ST 15 § 1104(a)
² VT ST 15 § 1103(c)(2)

In which county can I file for a relief from abuse order?

You can file a petition in the county where you live. If you’ve left home to avoid further abuse, you can file the petition in the county where you lived previously, or in the county where you currently live.¹ However, if you are trying to keep your address confidential, filing in the county where you have fled to would likely not be a good idea since it would alert the abuser to the fact that you are living in that county.

¹ VT ST 15 § 1102(c)

If the abuser lives in a different state, can I still get an order against him/her?

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:

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.
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.
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.

Legal Information: Vermont