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EspañolAm I eligible to file for a domestic violence protection order?
You are eligible to file for a domestic violence protection order if you or your minor child have been the victim of domestic violence at the hands of an intimate partner or a family or household member.
The law defines “intimate partner” as:
- your spouse or former spouse;
- your domestic partner or former domestic partner;
- someone you have a child in common with, unless the child is conceived through sexual assault; or
- someone you are dating or dated if both you and the abuser are at least 13 years old.1
The law defines a “family or household member” as:
- someone related to you by blood, marriage, domestic partnership, or adoption;
- someone who you live with now or lived with in the past;
- someone who has a biological or legal parent-child relationship with you, including step-parents and step-children, grandparents and grandchildren, or a parent’s intimate partner and children; and
- a person who is acting or has acted as your legal guardian.2
You can also file a petition for a domestic violence protection order on behalf of your minor child or a vulnerable adult who is a family or household member.3 If you are under the age of 18, see Can I file for a domestic violence protection order if I am a minor?
If you do not meet any of these requirements, there may be another order that applies to your situation. Go to our Civil Anti-Harassment Orders page, Sexual Assault Protection Orders page, and Stalking Protection Orders page for more information. If someone other than one of these people is hurting you, there are other petitions that you may be eligible to file for protection against violence. See What other types of orders may help me?
1 R.C.W. § 7.105.010(20)
2 R.C.W. § 7.105.010(13)
3 R.C.W. § 7.105.100(1)(a)
