Restraining Order (TRO) Cost Guide

What a restraining order costs depends on the type of order. For a protection order against domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, federal law (34 U.S.C. § 10450) ties grant funding to a certification that the victim does not bear the costs of filing or service. Other civil harassment orders usually carry a court filing fee that each state and county sets, with a fee waiver for people who cannot pay. Choose the type below to see what applies.

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Domestic Violence Restraining Orders Are Free by Federal Law

If you are seeking a protection order for domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, cost should not be what stops you. Federal law under the Violence Against Women Act — 34 U.S.C. § 10450 — requires every state, tribal and local government receiving Office on Violence Against Women grant funding to certify that its laws, policies and practices do not make a victim bear the cost of a protection order. That certification is broader than the filing fee alone. It covers filing, issuance, registration, modification, enforcement, dismissal, withdrawal and service of process, and it applies to the petition as well as the order.

In practice this means you should not be charged to file, and you should not be charged to have the respondent served — service is the cost that most often surprises petitioners, because in other civil matters the petitioner pays for it. If a clerk's office asks you for money for any of these steps, say that you are filing a domestic violence protection order and ask for the fee to be waived under the state's VAWA certification. Ask for a supervisor or the court's self-help centre if that does not resolve it. A court that charges you anyway is not a reason to abandon the petition.

None of this depends on being married to, living with, or having children with the respondent — eligibility rules vary by state, but the fee protection follows the type of case, not the relationship.

Get Help Right Now

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For free, confidential help 24 hours a day anywhere in the United States, including help finding a local advocate who can walk you through filing:

If the person you are seeking protection from may see this device, consider using a public or borrowed computer — court and hotline sites appear in browser history.

Civil Harassment

Filing fees for civil harassment orders are set by each state and often by each county, so this page does not list amounts. The clerk of the court where you file can tell you the current fee.

Civil harassment orders — the type used against a neighbour, coworker, landlord or stranger where no domestic relationship exists — are the ones that genuinely carry a fee, because the VAWA cost protection above does not reach them. That is why the label on your petition matters: the same underlying conduct can qualify as domestic violence if the parties have a covered relationship, and then the fee disappears. If you cannot afford the civil filing fee, ask the clerk for the fee waiver application, usually granted automatically if you receive means-tested benefits such as SNAP or Medicaid, or if your household income falls below the state's threshold. Filing the waiver does not delay an emergency order.

Self-Representation

You do not need a lawyer to ask for a restraining order. Courts generally provide standard forms, and many have a self-help centre. Consider legal help if the other side has a lawyer or the case is contested; legal aid may be free.

Source and Disclaimer

The federal cost rule is quoted from 34 U.S.C. § 10450. Court fees for other orders vary and must be confirmed with your county court. General information, not legal advice.

Source: 34 U.S.C. § 10450 — Costs for criminal charges and protection orders (Cornell LII). Last updated: October 2026.