Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Charlotte County, Florida

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. Florida's statewide hotline is 1-800-500-1119. Charlotte County's family courthouse is called the Justice Center, at 350 E. Marion Avenue in Punta Gorda. File your injunction for protection there in person.

Charlotte's clerk runs an online Self-Help Service, but the public version only covers dissolution of marriage forms, not injunctions. For an injunction, go through the Justice Center directly instead of the web tool. A judge needs to see your petition right away, not days later after an online form gets submitted.

Filing costs nothing. That holds across all five injunction types: domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking. Charlotte County's fee schedule confirms this by listing the standard dissolution fee separately, since injunctions aren't fee-bearing filings under Florida law. The sheriff also serves the respondent at no charge.

CARE, the Center for Abuse and Rape Emergencies, is Charlotte County's certified domestic violence provider. It's based in Punta Gorda and runs a 24-hour hotline at (941) 627-6000. CARE's services are separate from the court filing itself, so contact them whether or not you pursue an injunction.

How an injunction for protection works in Florida

An injunction for protection against domestic violence (Fla. Stat. 741.30) is for someone you have a close relationship with, such as a spouse or former spouse, someone you live with or used to live with as a family, a co-parent, or a close relative. Florida has related injunctions for repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking that may apply instead if the relationship does not fit the domestic violence category.Florida uses the same statewide forms in every county, including Charlotte County, FL. The basic steps are:

1. File a Petition for Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence (Florida Supreme Court approved family law form 12.980(a)) at the courthouse. There is no filing fee.
2. A judge reviews your petition, often the same day, and can grant a temporary injunction that lasts until your hearing.
3. The other person is served with the paperwork and can respond.
4. You attend a full hearing, generally within about 15 days of a temporary injunction.
5. If the judge grants a final injunction, it can last a fixed term or until further order of the court, and can be extended.

An injunction for protection can do more than order someone to stay away. It can set temporary time-sharing with children, require the other person to leave a shared home, and require them to surrender firearms. Local domestic violence advocates and the clerk's office can help you fill out the forms, often at no cost.

Where to file in Charlotte County, FL

Injunction requests in Charlotte County, FL are filed with the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Charlotte County. Because courthouse locations, hours, and local domestic violence resources change over time, confirm current details using the Florida court clerk directory:

Find the Charlotte County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

Local notes for Charlotte County, FL

Bring photo ID to the Justice Center. If you know where the respondent can be found, bring that information too. It helps the sheriff complete service. Courthouse staff can hand you the correct form among the five injunction types, but they can't tell you what to write or predict a judge's decision.

Once a judge grants a temporary injunction and it's served, the return hearing must be scheduled within 15 days under Florida law. That deadline applies statewide, including in Charlotte County.

Florida Rural Legal Services generally covers Charlotte County for income-qualified family law matters that may run alongside an injunction, such as custody. CARE's hotline offers a direct line to shelter and advocacy support that doesn't depend on courthouse hours.

The five injunction forms exist because Florida law separates different relationships and situations. Domestic violence covers spouses, former spouses, relatives, or people who live together as a family. Repeat violence covers two incidents against someone you don't live with. Dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking each cover their own distinct circumstances. Whichever form fits, filing is free, service is free, and the return hearing is set within 15 days by statute. A violation of an active injunction is a crime on its own. Call 911 if it happens instead of going back to the courthouse first.

Official injunction resources in Charlotte County, FL

Charlotte County Justice Center handles restraining-orders filings, located at 350 E. Marion Avenue, Punta Gorda 33950.

The filing fee is Free. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Florida Courts E-Filing Portal; injunction petitions are filed in person at the Justice Center in Punta Gorda so a judge can review the request without delay.

Clerk of Court Self-Help Service (https://selfhelp.charlotteclerk.com/form/formdissolution/) can help with procedure and paperwork. The clerk's online self-help tool covers dissolution forms; injunction petitions are handled in person at the Justice Center rather than through the online form builder.

• Charlotte County Clerk - Self-Help Service
• CARE - Center for Abuse and Rape Emergencies
• Florida Rural Legal Services
• Twentieth Judicial Circuit of Florida
• Fla. Stat. 741.30 (injunction statute)

Local details reviewed August 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.

Charlotte County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs