Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Highlands County, Florida

Call 911 if you are in immediate danger. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. Florida's statewide hotline is 1-800-500-1119. Highlands County keeps its self-help resources inside the courthouse itself. The Pro Se Law Library, in Room 102 of the Highlands County Courthouse at 430 S. Commerce Avenue in Sebring, is where you pick up an injunction for protection packet before filing.

The Law Library stocks more than a dozen self-help checklists. They cover not just injunctions but dissolution, custody, name changes, and support modifications, making it a one-stop reference for people representing themselves. Call (863) 402-6565 to check hours or ask what to bring before you drive to Sebring.

Filing an injunction costs nothing in Highlands County, just as it does everywhere in Florida, for domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking cases alike. The courthouse cannot charge a filing fee, and law enforcement serves the respondent for free too.

Peace River Center is Highlands County's certified domestic violence provider, sharing coverage with neighboring Hardee and Polk Counties. The Hardee/Highlands crisis line, 863-386-1167, connects you to shelter and advocacy resources that operate independently of the court schedule.

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 Highlands 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 Highlands County, FL

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

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

Local notes for Highlands County, FL

Room 102 is a good first stop even if you are not sure which of the five injunction forms fits your situation. Staff there can match your circumstances, a current or former partner, a family member, a stalking situation, or a dating relationship, to the correct approved form. They cannot tell you what facts to include or how a judge will rule, but they can keep you from filling out the wrong packet.

After a temporary injunction is granted and the respondent is served, Florida law sets the return hearing within 15 days. That deadline comes from state statute, so it applies in Highlands County exactly the way it does in larger counties nearby.

Because Highlands is a smaller, more rural county, Florida Rural Legal Services generally serves as the legal aid resource for related family law matters. Peace River Center's hotline is worth saving in your phone regardless of whether you end up filing.

Official injunction resources in Highlands County, FL

Highlands County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 430 S. Commerce Avenue, Sebring 33870. Phone: 863-402-6565.

The filing fee is Free. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. The clerk also links TurboCourt for self-prepared dissolution forms; injunction petitions themselves are filed in person at the courthouse for same-day judicial review.

Pro Se Law Library (https://www.highlandsclerkfl.gov/clerk_to_the_court/pro_se____law_library/self_help_checklists_and_forms.php) can help with procedure and paperwork. Located in Room 102 of the Highlands County Courthouse. Offers 16-plus self-help checklists covering dissolution, custody, name change, paternity, and support/alimony modification, plus a packet fee schedule. Phone (863) 402-6565.

• Highlands County Clerk - Pro Se Law Library
• Peace River Center
• 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.

Highlands County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs