Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Hillsborough 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. In Hillsborough County, you file an injunction for protection petition in person, at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse, 800 E. Twiggs Street in downtown Tampa.

Bay Area Legal Services runs a walk-in Family Forms Clinic inside the Edgecomb Courthouse, Room 210, on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am to 2pm. Volunteer attorneys and law students there help you complete court-approved forms, including injunction petitions. They cannot give legal advice or appear in court on your behalf. A smaller version of the clinic meets Tuesdays at the Plant City Courthouse, for residents on the east side of the county.

Most Hillsborough family law paperwork moves through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. Some filings, like foreign judgment registrations or eviction summonses, must go to the clerk on paper instead. An injunction petition works differently still: you file it in person at the courthouse so a judge can review it without delay. Filing is free, whether the injunction is for domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking.

The Spring of Tampa Bay is Hillsborough County's certified domestic violence center. Its 24-hour hotline takes calls or texts at (813) 247-SAFE (7233). A TTY line, (813) 248-1050, serves deaf and hard-of-hearing callers.

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 Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County, FL

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

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

Local notes for Hillsborough County, FL

Arrive during clinic hours and the Family Forms Clinic can walk you through the paperwork before you take it to the clerk's window. That help can matter if this is your first time filing anything in court. Outside clinic hours, clerk staff at Edgecomb still hand you the correct packet, just without the same hands-on guidance.

Once a judge grants a temporary injunction and the sheriff serves the respondent, Florida law requires the return hearing be scheduled within 15 days. Watch for the court's notice, which lists the specific date and courtroom.

The Spring of Tampa Bay's hotline runs independently of the court process. Call it first if you're unsure whether filing is the right step, or if you need shelter or a safety plan regardless of what happens with the injunction. Bay Area Legal Services, the organization behind the courthouse clinic, also handles broader family law cases for income-qualified Hillsborough residents.

Official injunction resources in Hillsborough County, FL

George E. Edgecomb Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 800 E. Twiggs Street, Tampa 33602. Plant City Courthouse at 301 N. Michigan Ave. handles A weekly Family Forms Clinic; injunction filings themselves are typically handled downtown at Edgecomb.

The filing fee is Free. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Most family law documents go through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, but injunction petitions are filed in person so a judge can review them the same day.

Family Forms Clinic (run by Bay Area Legal Services) (https://www.fljud13.org/Resources/Self-Help/Family-Law-Self-Help-Programs) can help with procedure and paperwork. Edgecomb Courthouse, Room 210, Tampa: Wednesday and Friday 10am-2pm, walk-in only, (813) 864-2280 option 2. Plant City Courthouse clinic Tuesdays 10am-2pm. Volunteers help complete court-approved forms but cannot give legal advice or represent anyone in court.

• Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Family Law Self-Help
• The Spring of Tampa Bay
• Bay Area 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.

Hillsborough County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs