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 Hernando County, Florida
How to ask for an injunction for protection against domestic violence in Hernando County, FL, from the forms you file at the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Hernando 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.
The Self-Help Program in Hernando County sees people only by appointment, Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 9:00am to 4:30pm. An urgent injunction for protection should go straight to the filing counter at the Hernando County Courthouse, 20 North Main Street in Brooksville, instead of waiting for a self-help slot.
Filing costs nothing for all five injunction types: domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking. Compare that to Hernando 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. The 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 Hernando 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 Hernando County, FL
Injunction requests in Hernando County, FL are filed with the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Hernando County. Because courthouse locations, hours, and local domestic violence resources change over time, confirm current details using the Florida court clerk directory:
Find the Hernando County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)
Local notes for Hernando County, FL
The Hernando Self-Help Program mainly reviews dissolution and paternity/time-sharing filings before a hearing. It can help after an injunction is filed, but the initial petition should go straight to the courthouse counter because these cases move fast.
Once a judge signs the order, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office serves the respondent. The petitioner pays nothing; the clerk covers that cost directly.
The Fifth Judicial Circuit's domestic violence injunctions page covers Hernando along with Citrus, Lake, Marion, and Sumter Counties, but it does not name a specific certified local shelter. Call the statewide hotline for the most direct route to current services.
Hernando County's population center around Spring Hill sits several miles from the Brooksville courthouse. Petitioners coming from the Spring Hill side should budget drive time on top of any wait at the filing counter.
The same statewide injunction rules apply across Hernando and its Fifth Circuit neighbors, Citrus, Lake, Marion, and Sumter, even though each county runs its self-help program on its own schedule.
Use the Hernando Self-Help Program's email, HernandoFamilySelfHelp@circuit5.org, to schedule an appointment ahead of time instead of relying only on a phone call during its limited Monday, Tuesday, and Friday hours.
Official injunction resources in Hernando County, FL
Hernando County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 20 North Main Street, Brooksville 34601.
The filing fee is $0. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide e-filing portal; mandatory for attorneys, optional for self-represented parties who may file on paper. Injunctions are typically filed in person given the urgency.
Fifth Judicial Circuit Hernando County Self-Help Program (https://www.circuit5.org/self-help-center/hernando-county-self-help-center/) can help with procedure and paperwork. Held at the Hernando County Courthouse; appointment-only Mon/Tue/Fri 9:00am-4:30pm (HernandoFamilySelfHelp@circuit5.org); reviews initial filings for dissolution and paternity/time-sharing cases before hearings, procedural information only.
- Fifth Judicial Circuit - Hernando County Self-Help Center
- Fla. Stat. 741.30 - Domestic Violence Injunction
- Form 12.980(f) - Petition for Injunction Against Repeat 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.
Hernando County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs
Where do I file for an injunction for protection in Hernando County?
File at the Hernando County Courthouse, 20 North Main Street, Brooksville. Go straight to the filing counter; the Self-Help Program is appointment-only and not the right stop for an urgent petition.
Is there a fee to petition for a restraining order in Hernando County?
No. Fla. Stat. 741.30(2)(a) bars a filing fee for domestic violence petitions, and 784.046(3)(b) does the same for repeat, dating, and sexual violence. Compare that to Hernando County's $408 dissolution filing fee.
How quickly can a Hernando County judge grant a temporary injunction?
The same day, if the petition shows immediate and present danger. Under Fla. Stat. 741.30(5)(a), a judge can sign it without notifying the respondent first, and it stays active for up to 15 days.
When is the full hearing after a temporary injunction in Hernando County?
Florida law requires it be scheduled before the 15-day temporary injunction expires. The clerk's notice states the exact courtroom, date, and time to appear.
Who serves the respondent in a Hernando County injunction case?
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office serves the signed order at no cost to the petitioner. The clerk pays the agency directly under Fla. Stat. 741.30(2)(a), a fee capped at $20.
What domestic violence resources are available in Hernando County?
The Fifth Judicial Circuit's self-help pages describe the injunction process but don't name a specific certified center online. Call the statewide hotline, 1-800-500-1119, for a current local referral in Hernando County.
This page is general information about Florida domestic violence injunction procedure in Hernando 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 Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Hernando 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 Hernando 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