Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Hendry 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. Hendry County's Family Law page lists domestic violence and repeat violence injunctions among the case types it handles. You file the petition in person at the Hendry County Courthouse, 25 E. Hickpochee Ave., in LaBelle.

Hendry doesn't run a separate self-help center like larger counties do. Instead, the Clerk's Family Law page serves as the main reference point, listing dissolution, name change, adoption, paternity, and support alongside injunction cases. Call (863) 675-5217 to confirm hours or ask what to bring before you make the trip to LaBelle.

Filing from LaBelle or Clewiston costs the same: nothing. Florida law bars a filing fee for any of the five injunction types, domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking. The sheriff serves the respondent free of charge too.

ACT, Abuse Counseling & Treatment, is Hendry County's certified domestic violence provider. It also serves Lee and Glades Counties. Its Hendry/Glades domestic violence line is 1-800-500-1119, and its main crisis hotline is (239) 939-3112.

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 Hendry 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 Hendry County, FL

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

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

Local notes for Hendry County, FL

If you're coming from Clewiston rather than LaBelle, call ahead so you bring everything you need in one trip. Hendry's court services are centralized at the LaBelle courthouse. Staff there can point you to the correct form among the five injunction types, but they cannot give legal advice or predict how a judge will rule.

After a judge grants a temporary injunction and it's served, Florida law requires the return hearing to be scheduled within 15 days. That deadline comes from state statute, and it applies the same way in Hendry County as anywhere else in Florida.

Florida Rural Legal Services generally serves Hendry County for income-qualified family law matters. That can help if your injunction case overlaps with a custody dispute. ACT's hotline runs independently of court hours, so call anytime for safety planning support.

Hendry County's Family Law page separates domestic violence and repeat violence injunctions from three others: dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking. Florida law treats each relationship and situation differently. Domestic violence requires a spouse, former spouse, relative, or someone you live or lived with as family. Repeat violence covers two incidents against someone outside that circle. Whichever form fits, filing and service are free statewide, and the return hearing comes within 15 days. Violating an active injunction is a separate criminal offense, so call 911 instead of heading back to the courthouse.

Official injunction resources in Hendry County, FL

Hendry County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 25 E. Hickpochee Ave., LaBelle 33935. Phone: 863-675-5217.

The filing fee is Free. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Linked from hendryclerk.org as myflcourtaccess.com/authority/; injunctions are filed in person at the Courthouse in LaBelle.

Hendry County Clerk Family Law (https://www.hendryclerk.org) can help with procedure and paperwork. The Family Law page lists case types handled, including dissolution, name change, DV and repeat violence injunctions, adoption, paternity, and support, but does not name a separate self-help center. Phone (863) 675-5217.

• Hendry County Clerk of Courts
• ACT - Abuse Counseling & Treatment
• Florida Rural Legal Services
• 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.

Hendry County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs