Protective Orders
A.R.S. 13-3602 — no filing fee, effective on service, and two years after service
An order of protection restrains a person from committing domestic violence: one of the listed offenses, such as assault, threatening, harassment, stalking or criminal trespass, between people who are or were married or living together, who share a child, where one is pregnant by the other, who are related as the section lists, or who are or were in a romantic or sexual relationship.
No fee. A verified petition may be filed with a magistrate, justice of the peace or superior court judge, and no fee is charged for filing it or for service. Courts provide the forms without charge. The order issues where there is reasonable cause to believe the defendant may commit domestic violence or has committed it within the past year.
The order may bar the defendant from committing any of the offenses included in domestic violence, and may give one party exclusive use of the shared residence on a showing that physical harm may otherwise result, with the other party allowed to return once, with a law enforcement officer, to collect belongings.
| The rule | |
|---|---|
| Takes effect | The ruleOn service of the order and petition on the defendant |
| Not served within one year | The ruleExpires |
| Lasts | The ruleTwo years after service |
| The defendant's hearing, on written request | The ruleHeld within ten days, or within five days if exclusive use of the home was awarded |
When the courts are closed, a judicial officer may issue an emergency order of protection, written or oral, if a peace officer states reasonable grounds to believe a person is in immediate and present danger of domestic violence based on a recent incident.
Sources for this section (3)
- A.R.S. 13-3602 — Order of protection; procedure; contents; arrest for violation
- A.R.S. 13-3601 — Domestic violence; definition; classification
- A.R.S. 13-3624 — Emergency orders of protection
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Arizona attorney.