Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Duval 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.

Jacksonville sits in Duval County, and injunctions for protection are filed at the Duval County Courthouse, 501 West Adams Street, phone (904) 255-1060. Filing costs nothing for any of the five injunction types: domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking. Compare that to the $409 fee charged for a standard dissolution filing here.

A judge can sign a temporary injunction the same day, before the respondent is notified, if the petition shows immediate and present danger. That order lasts up to 15 days, and state law requires the full hearing to happen before it expires.

Hubbard House is the certified domestic violence center for Duval and Baker Counties. Its 24-hour hotline, 904-354-3114, also offers a 24-hour text option at 904-210-3698 for anyone who cannot safely speak on a call.

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 Duval 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 Duval County, FL

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

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

Local notes for Duval County, FL

Duval shares the Fourth Judicial Circuit's Family Court Services Self-Help program with Clay and Nassau Counties. A Jacksonville filer can use the same checklists and forms guidance at jud4.org that residents of those neighboring counties rely on.

Once a judge signs the order, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office serves the respondent at no cost to the petitioner. The clerk pays for that service directly instead of billing the person who filed.

Duval is Florida's most populous county by land area, and its courthouse handles a high volume of family filings. Bringing a complete petition and arriving early can help the process move faster on a given day.

That same size means the Family Court Services self-help program, shared with Clay and Nassau Counties, fields a large volume of calls. Budget for patience on the phone line as well as at the courthouse.

Anyone living near the Duval-Nassau or Duval-Clay county line should confirm which courthouse actually has jurisdiction before filing. Injunction cases are heard in the county where the parties are located, not wherever is most convenient to drive to.

Beyond its hotline and text line, Hubbard House also runs emergency shelter space for survivors. That service goes well past the initial phone contact and covers both Duval and Baker County residents.

Official injunction resources in Duval County, FL

Duval County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 501 West Adams Street, Jacksonville 32202. Phone: (904) 255-1060.

The filing fee is $0. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide e-filing portal; Duval's own Family Law page also names myflcourtaccess.com as its e-filing portal, though injunction petitioners typically file in person at the courthouse.

Fourth Judicial Circuit Family Court Services Self-Help (https://www.jud4.org/family-court-services/self-help) can help with procedure and paperwork. Serves Clay, Duval, and Nassau Counties together. Duval Clerk's own Family Law page also links to Family Court Services checklists and flcourts.gov for self-help forms; phone (904) 255-1060.

• Fourth Judicial Circuit - Family Court Services Self-Help
• Fla. Stat. 741.30 - Domestic Violence Injunction
• Form 12.980(f) - Petition for Injunction Against Repeat Violence
• Hubbard House

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

Duval County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs