In Illinois, individuals can petition the Court for one of five different protective orders. If you are unsure which order is appropriate for your circumstance, the Protective Orders Comparison Chart from the Illinois Attorney General explains the different legal remedies available. You can learn more about the different types of protective orders on the Court's Protective Orders page.
Get Help
Domestic Violence advocacy organizations may be of assistance to those seeking or responding to Orders of Protection. Call or text the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline for 24/7 assistance at (877) 863-6338 (877-TO END DV). Assistance is available in over 240 languages.
How to Obtain an Order of Protection
Petitions for a CIVIL Order of Protection can only be filed against a family or household member. Information regarding other protective orders, including Stalking No Contact Orders, Civil No Contact Orders, Workplace Violence Prevention Act Orders and Firearms Restraining Orders can be found on the Protective Orders page.
If you are filing for an Order of Protection against a "family or household member," please follow the instructions below.
You must have a family or household member relationship to file for a civil order of protection. If you are filing an order of protection on behalf of another individual, based on age or disability, that individual must have a qualifying family or household member relationship with the respondent.
Family or household members (Illinois Domestic Violence Act):
- are related by blood, or by current or former marriage to the petitioner;
- share or shared a common home with the petitioner;
- have or allegedly have a child in common with the petitioner;
- share or allegedly share a blood relationship to the petitioner through a child;
- have or had a dating relationship or engagement with the petitioner;
- are high risk adults with disabilities abused by a family member or caregiver;
- or if the person is abused by a family or household member of a child, are:
- (A) a foster parent of that child if the child has been placed in the foster parent's home by the Department of Children and Family Services or by another state's public child welfare agency;
- (B) a legally appointed guardian or legally appointed custodian of that child;
- (C) an adoptive parent of that child;
- (D) a prospective adoptive parent of that child if the child has been placed in the prospective adoptive parent's home pursuant to the Adoption Act or pursuant to another state's law.
Visit the Protective Orders page of the Court’s website for additional information regarding the types of protective orders that are available in Illinois.
File for an Order of Protection
If you are seeking an order of protection, you may obtain assistance online or at a Cook County courthouse.
Need Help Filling Out Your Paperwork?
You can access the required documents to file an Order of Protection at Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO), including an online tool to assist with preparing an Order of Protection before you come to court.
During Normal Business Hours
Litigants and their attorneys may e-file a Petition for Order of Protection through Odyssey eFileIL before 3 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding court holidays) OR submit Order of Protection paperwork in-person with the Clerk's Office at 555 W. Harrison St., Chicago or in any municipal courthouse in the petitioner's suburban residential district before 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding court holidays).
After Hours (Nights and Weekends)
Individuals can petition for an emergency order of protection outside of the Court's regular business hours.
- Outside of regular court hours, remote hearings are available at the following times (excluding all National and Legal Court Holidays):
- Monday - Friday 9 p.m. - 3 a.m.
- Saturday - Sunday 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Only during the hours above, request a Civil EOP hearing by visiting Illinois Legal Aid Online
- For Domestic Violence Advocacy or Assistance with After-Hours Petitions and Hearings - Please call the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at (877) 863-6338 [877-TO END DV]
Instructions for Electronic Filing and Remote Hearings During Normal Business Hours
To ensure successful e-filing during normal business hours, please adhere to the following:
Required Documents
Petition for Independent Order of Protection Packet
- Combine Lead Document as PDF: Coversheet, Petition, Draft Emergency Order
- Filing Code: Complaint
- Supporting Documents:
- Summons – Filing Code: Exhibit
- Sheriff Information Sheet (confidential) – Filing Code: Exhibit
- Remote Domestic Violence Coversheet (confidential) – Filing Code: Exhibit
Help with E-Filing
Self-represented litigants may visit the Illinois Guide & File website to use a free online guided questionnaire that helps create the Order of Protection packet. At the completion of the questionnaire, you will have the option to e-file and/or save your documents.
The Odyssey eFile IL website has training materials, including videos and user guides, to help you understand how to use the Odyssey eFile website. Please call Tyler Technologies at (800) 297-5377 if you have any problems accessing the training materials.
What happens after I've submitted my filing online?
- Once you’ve e-filed, you will receive an e-mail with an envelope number while your filing is pending approval with the Clerk’s Office. If you e-file before 3 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding court holidays) you should receive a response that same day. Filings made after 3 p.m. or on a weekend or court holiday will receive a response on the following business day.
- The Clerk will review e-filed packets and, where appropriate, will accept the e-filed documents and email the filer with further instructions.
- If the e-filed packet is not initially accepted, the Clerk will contact the filer to facilitate submission.
- If you need further assistance with an e-filing submission made to the courthouse at 555 W. Harrison St., please contact the Domestic Violence Courthouse Clerk, at (312) 325-9501, (312) 325-9522, (312) 325-9500 or the Clerk’s Service Center (312) 603-5030 with your envelope number.
- If e-filing in a suburban district, please contact the Clerk’s Office in the municipal courthouse in petitioner's suburban residential district.
NOTE: After filing, you will need to attend a hearing with a judge! Hearings can be conducted online.
When will I have a hearing?
For a same-day hearing on a Petition for Emergency Order of Protection, the Clerk’s Office will contact you to at the number you provide in your petition to schedule a same-day remote hearing, Monday through Friday (excluding court holidays).
You will be provided with a Zoom ID and Password and will need to log into the hearing at the time provided to you by the court.
[Guidance on how to download and use the Zoom app, in English and Spanish]
Information Regarding Criminal Cases
If you are involved in a criminal domestic violence case or want to learn more about pursuing a criminal domestic violence charge and/or protective order, please review the information below.
If you are interested in pursuing criminal domestic violence charges or obtaining a criminal protective order, bring a Chicago Police report to the State's Attorney's Office at the Domestic Violence Courthouse, between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding court holidays).
The State's Attorney's Office Victim Resources page has a number of resources for victims and witnesses of a crime.
Learn more about how to obtain a summons for criminal charges for someone other than a family or household member.
Chicago Police Department - How to Obtain a Summons Info Sheet
Other Types of Protective Orders
Filing a different type of protective order?
Additional information regarding other types of protective orders, including Stalking No Contact Orders, Civil No Contact Orders, Workplace Prevention Act Orders and Firearms Restraining Orders can be found on the Protective Orders page.
You can also access and fill paperwork online from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Visiting a Courthouse
You can file a petition and get assistance in person at a Cook County courthouse. Services provided at each Domestic Violence Division site are as follows:
- First Municipal District – Chicago
Go directly to Room 1400, and check in at the help desk. There is a variety of assistance available to you. The help desk staff will refer you to the appropriate assistance within the building. - Suburban Municipal Districts
Go to the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Office and tell the clerk you want to file a protective order. If you require assistance in filling it out, the clerk will direct you to the appropriate resources within the building. Otherwise, the clerk will give you the required paperwork, and you can fill it out by yourself. After the paperwork is completed, it must be returned to the clerk’s office for filing. The clerk will then direct you to the courtroom where your case will be called.
Responding to a Protective Order
The location, date, time and courtroom number are located at the bottom of the order. Please refer to that information to locate where and when you must appear in court. If you have questions, contact the Clerk of the Court.
Additional Resources for Respondents
- For legal Information and assistance, call CARPLS Cook County Legal Advice and Referrals Hotline, (312) 738-9200, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Illinois Legal Aid Online offers the following guidance in responding to a domestic violence Order of Protection case.
- The Illinois Department of Human Services offers information about Partner Abuse Intervention Services.
- Call the Illinois Domestic Violence Help Line at (877) 863-6338 for other referrals.
Important Forms
Court forms, including forms to Petition for Order of Protection, Petition for Stalking No Contact Order and Petition for Civil No Contact Order, are available from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
How Do I ?
If you would like to request a protective order, but do not know which kind of order is appropriate for your circumstance, click here to download a PDF that explains the different legal remedies available or visit the Protective Orders page to learn more.
There are three ways to obtain assistance when seeking a Protective Order:
- You can find online resources about protective orders at Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO), including an online program to assist with preparing a protective order before you come to court.
- The Odyssey eFile IL website has training materials, including videos and user guides, to help you understand how to use the Odyssey eFile website. Please call Tyler Technologies at (800) 297-5377 if you have any problems accessing the training materials.
- Assistance may be available for you at the courthouse as follows:
- Domestic Violence Courthouse in Chicago (First Municipal District)
- Go directly to the screening room, Room 1400, and check in at the help desk where staff will direct you to the appropriate resources within the courthouse.
- Suburban Municipal Districts 2, 3, 4 ,5 , and 6
- Go to the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court and tell personnel you want to file a protective order. Clerk personnel will give you the required forms which you can fill out by yourself. If you require assistance in filling them out, clerk personnel can direct you to the appropriate resources within the building. After all the paperwork is completed, you must return to the clerk's office to file it. Clerk personnel will then direct you to the courtroom where your case will be heard.
- Domestic Violence Courthouse in Chicago (First Municipal District)
The location, date, time, and courtroom number are located at the bottom of the front page of the court order. Please refer to that information to learn where and when you must appear in court.
If your hearing will be held online, you will be provided with a Zoom ID and Password and will need to log into the hearing at the time provided to you by the court. For your Zoom information (Zoom ID and Passcode), contact the Clerk’s Office online or call (312) 603-5030
[Guidance on how to download and use the Zoom app, in English and Spanish]
There are domestic violence advocacy organizations located in many of the courthouses, which may be able to offer assistance to persons seeking or responding to orders of protection. However, advocates may not always be immediately available if they are busy assisting others.
You can also speak with a domestic violence advocate by calling the Illinois Domestic Violence Help Line at (877) 863-6338. This is a toll-free, confidential, multilingual 24-hour information service staffed by trained personnel. They can answer questions and provide referrals to advocates for additional help.
If criminal, contact the State's Attorney's Office at (312) 325-9200.
If civil, file a motion with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the courthouse where your case is pending or request a termination at a scheduled court date.
- For legal Information and assistance, call CARPLS Cook County Legal Advice and Referrals Hotline, (312) 738-9200, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Illinois Legal Aid Online offers the following guidance in responding to a domestic violence Order of Protection case.
- The Illinois Department of Human Services offers information about Partner Abuse Intervention Services.
- Call the Illinois Domestic Violence Help Line at (877) 863-6338 for other referrals.