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

Call 911 if you are in immediate danger. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. Florida's statewide hotline is 1-800-500-1119.

Citrus County's Self-Help Center sits on the 3rd floor of the courthouse in Inverness, but it sees people by appointment only. Anyone filing an urgent injunction for protection should go straight to the filing counter at 110 North Apopka Avenue instead of trying to book a self-help slot first.

None of the five injunction types has a filing fee: domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking. Compare that to Citrus County's $408 dissolution filing fee.

A judge can sign a temporary injunction the same day, without notifying the respondent first, if the petition shows immediate and present danger. That order lasts up to 15 days, and Florida law requires the full hearing to happen before it expires.

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 Citrus 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 Citrus County, FL

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

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

Local notes for Citrus County, FL

The Fifth Judicial Circuit's self-help pages describe the injunction process for Citrus and its neighboring counties, but they don't name Citrus County's certified local shelter directly. Calling the statewide hotline is the most reliable way to reach current services.

Once a judge signs the order, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office serves the respondent at no cost to the petitioner. The clerk pays for that service directly.

The appointment-only Self-Help Center, reachable at 352-341-6723 or CitrusFamilySelfHelp@circuit5.org, works better for reviewing paperwork ahead of a hearing than for the initial, time-sensitive act of filing an injunction petition.

Citrus County's population spreads across Crystal River, Inverness, and Homosassa Springs, but a petitioner from any of those communities still files at the single Inverness courthouse. No branch office handles family filings elsewhere in the county.

A petitioner moving between Citrus and its Fifth Circuit neighbors, Hernando, Lake, Marion, and Sumter, will find the same statewide injunction rules apply throughout. Each county's self-help program still runs on its own schedule: appointment-only here, walk-in in Lake County.

The Citrus County Self-Help Center's appointment system, run through CitrusFamilySelfHelp@circuit5.org, is separate from the courthouse's general phone line. An email inquiry may get a faster response than calling, specifically for scheduling purposes.

Official injunction resources in Citrus County, FL

Citrus County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 110 North Apopka Avenue, Inverness 34450.

The filing fee is $0. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide e-filing portal is mandatory for attorneys; self-represented parties may still file on paper. The Citrus Clerk also sells self-represented dissolution packets for pickup, mail, or phone order, though injunctions are typically filed in person.

Fifth Judicial Circuit Citrus County Self-Help Center (https://www.circuit5.org/self-help-center/citrus-county-self-help-center/) can help with procedure and paperwork. 3rd Floor, Room 1-346 of the Citrus County Courthouse; appointment-only (352-341-6723 / CitrusFamilySelfHelp@circuit5.org); reviews forms for procedural completeness, cannot give legal advice.

• Fifth Judicial Circuit - Citrus County Self-Help Center
• Fla. Stat. 741.30 - Domestic Violence Injunction
• Form 12.980(a) - Petition for Injunction Against Domestic Violence
• Fifth Judicial Circuit - Domestic Violence Injunctions

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

Citrus County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs