Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Gilchrist 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.

Gilchrist County overlaps two separate systems. Its Self-Help Center runs through the Eighth Judicial Circuit in Gainesville. Its certified domestic violence center, Another Way, Inc., instead covers Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, and Suwannee Counties too, under the Third Circuit's territory. That hotline is 1-866-875-7983.

File the injunction itself at the Gilchrist County Courthouse, 112 S. Main Street, in Trenton. None of the five injunction types, domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking, comes with a 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 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 Gilchrist 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 Gilchrist County, FL

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

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

Local notes for Gilchrist County, FL

Gilchrist County's clerk does not publish a fee schedule online, so don't expect to find a dollar figure for other family case types on gilchristclerk.com. The injunction filing fee, though, is free everywhere in Florida no matter what a given clerk publishes.

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

The Eighth Circuit's Self-Help Center sits in Room 413 of the Family and Civil Justice Center in Gainesville. It serves Gilchrist alongside Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Levy, and Union Counties, so procedural help means a drive to Gainesville rather than a local office in Trenton.

This split, an Eighth Circuit self-help program based in Gainesville alongside a Third Circuit-adjacent domestic violence center in Another Way, Inc., is typical for rural North Central Florida counties. They tend to rely on regional resources rather than standalone local ones.

At the Trenton courthouse, counter staff are the main source of procedural information locally, since gilchristclerk.com does not host detailed self-help materials online.

Anyone unsure which of the five 12.980 forms applies to their situation, domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking, can ask the Trenton courthouse counter directly. Staff can point to the correct form without weighing in on the underlying facts.

Official injunction resources in Gilchrist County, FL

Gilchrist County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 112 S. Main Street (P.O. Box 37), Trenton 32693.

The filing fee is $0. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide e-filing portal applies, though most petitioners in Gilchrist County file in person at the Trenton courthouse for same-day judicial review.

Eighth Judicial Circuit Self-Help Center (https://circuit8.org/self-help/) can help with procedure and paperwork. Family and Civil Justice Center, Room 413, Gainesville, (352) 548-3781, explicitly serves Gilchrist County along with Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Levy, and Union.

• Eighth Judicial Circuit - Self-Help Center
• Fla. Stat. 741.30 - Domestic Violence Injunction
• Form 12.980(t) - Petition for Injunction Against Stalking
• Another Way, Inc.

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

Gilchrist County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs