If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
For free, confidential support 24 hours a day, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (1-800-799-SAFE), or text START to 88788. Help is available in many languages, and your call does not create any court record.
Updated July 2026
Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Gadsden County, Florida
How to ask for an injunction for protection against domestic violence in Gadsden County, FL, from the forms you file at the Second Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Gadsden County to temporary orders, the hearing, and where to find local help. There is no fee to file, and you do not need a lawyer to start.
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.
Refuge House is the certified domestic violence center for Gadsden County, covered under its Big Bend region. Its 24-hour hotline, 850-681-2111, is worth calling first, whether or not you've filed a petition yet.
To open an injunction for protection case, go to the Gadsden County Courthouse at 10 East Jefferson Street in Quincy, the county's only courthouse for family and civil matters. Filing costs nothing for any of the five injunction types, domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking, because Florida law bars the clerk from charging a fee.
A judge can sign a temporary injunction the same day, without telling the respondent first, if the petition shows immediate and present danger. That order lasts up to 15 days, and state law requires a full hearing 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 Gadsden County, FL. The basic steps are:
- 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.
- A judge reviews your petition, often the same day, and can grant a temporary injunction that lasts until your hearing.
- The other person is served with the paperwork and can respond.
- You attend a full hearing, generally within about 15 days of a temporary injunction.
- 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 Gadsden County, FL
Injunction requests in Gadsden County, FL are filed with the Second Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Gadsden County. Because courthouse locations, hours, and local domestic violence resources change over time, confirm current details using the Florida court clerk directory:
Find the Gadsden County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)
Local notes for Gadsden County, FL
Gadsden County's own clerk website is not a reliable source for filing details right now. Checks turned up only a broken homepage and 404 pages where a self-help or fee-schedule section should be. Anyone filing here should call the Clerk's office directly or ask in person at the Quincy courthouse rather than rely on the website.
Once a judge signs the order, the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office serves the respondent. That service is free to the petitioner; the clerk covers the cost directly instead of billing whoever filed.
Gadsden falls within Refuge House's Big Bend service area, so the same 24-hour hotline that covers Leon, Wakulla, and the surrounding counties also covers Gadsden. There's no separate county-only line to look for.
Since Gadsden County's website doesn't confirm current hours or a dedicated filing desk, calling ahead matters more here than in a county with a working clerk site. The Second Judicial Circuit's other counties, Franklin, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla, share the same statutory framework even where Gadsden's own online presence falls short.
A petitioner in Quincy who wants general information on the injunction process, apart from Gadsden's limited website, can consult Florida Courts Help, a statewide resource with a downloadable app covering procedure across every Florida county.
Official injunction resources in Gadsden County, FL
Gadsden County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 10 East Jefferson Street, Quincy 32351.
The filing fee is $0. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide e-filing portal applies to all Florida counties, Gadsden included, though the clerk's own site could not be used to confirm county-specific filing details.
The self-help center can help with procedure and paperwork. gadsdenclerk.com is largely non-functional for research purposes: the domain loads only a broken placeholder homepage, and every family-law or self-help subpage tried returns a 404. Call the Clerk's office directly, or use the Second Judicial Circuit's general resources, to confirm current filing procedure.
- Fla. Stat. 741.30 - Domestic Violence Injunction
- Form 12.980(f) - Petition for Injunction Against Repeat Violence
- Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
- Refuge House
Local details reviewed August 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.
Gadsden County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs
Where do I file for an injunction for protection in Gadsden County?
File at the Gadsden County Courthouse, 10 East Jefferson Street, Quincy. It's the county's only courthouse, so every Gadsden County resident files there regardless of which town they live in.
Is there a fee to petition for a restraining order in Gadsden County?
No. Fla. Stat. 741.30(2)(a) bars a filing fee for domestic violence petitions statewide, and 784.046(3)(b) does the same for repeat, dating, and sexual violence, regardless of what the clerk's website publishes locally.
How quickly can a Gadsden County judge issue a temporary injunction?
A judge can act the same day if the petition shows immediate and present danger, under Fla. Stat. 741.30(5)(a). No advance notice to the respondent is required, and the order stays active for up to 15 days.
When will my full hearing be scheduled in Gadsden County?
State law requires the full hearing to be set before the 15-day temporary injunction runs out. The clerk's written notice will state the exact courtroom, date, and time to appear.
Who serves the injunction on the respondent in Gadsden County?
The Gadsden County Sheriff's Office serves the order once a judge signs it. The petitioner isn't billed; the clerk pays the Sheriff's Office directly under Fla. Stat. 741.30(2)(a).
What domestic violence center serves Gadsden County?
Refuge House is the certified domestic violence center for the Big Bend region, which includes Gadsden County. Reach its 24-hour hotline at 850-681-2111, or Florida's statewide hotline at 1-800-500-1119.
This page is general information about Florida domestic violence injunction procedure in Gadsden County, FL, not legal advice for your situation, and it is not a substitute for help in an emergency. If you are in danger, call 911, or reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Court locations, forms, and resources change; always confirm current details with the Second Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Gadsden County, a local domestic violence advocate, or the official Florida family court self-help program resources. Virdix is not a law firm and is not a substitute for an attorney.
Restraining order guides for nearby counties
Preparing family court paperwork in Gadsden County, FL
If your situation also involves divorce, custody, or support, Virdix can help you prepare the related Florida Supreme Court approved family law forms so your paperwork is complete and consistent. For the injunctionitself, the court and local advocates provide the forms at no cost.
If the court clerk rejects a document we prepared, we fix it for free until it's accepted. See how the guarantee works