How to File for a Protection From Abuse Order (PFA)
Go to Room 242 of the Family Court at 34 South 11th Street between 8 AM and 4PM, Monday through Friday for a Temporary PFA. It is best to go earlier in the day. There is no fee for filing.
After hours, or on the weekend or holidays, go to the basement of the Criminal Justice Center at 13th and Filbert to get an Emergency Temporary Order and hearing date. The next business day, a judge will review your Order and may make changes, so be sure to pick up your Temporary Order from Room 242 of Family Court that day. If you are not eligible to file at the Emergency filing site, you should go to Room 242 of the Family Court the next business day.
Serving the Protection From Abuse Order
After you get an Order for Hearing, and, if granted a Temporary PFA Order, you must serve the person you filed against with a copy of the Order for Hearing and the Temporary PFA Order. You can have anyone 18 or older serve the papers to the abuser. A police officer can also assist you in serving the papers. Contact the police department in the district where the abuser lives or works.
Length of a Protection From Abuse Order
Temporary PFA Orders are immediately effective upon approval of the judge, and can stay in effect until a Final Order is entered (at a hearing), or for a period of time determined by a judge.
PFA Orders are valid for a fixed period of time that does not exceed 3 years. An unlimited number of extensions may be granted by the court if the Order is violated or if you are still in danger.