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 Jefferson County, Florida
How to ask for an injunction for protection against domestic violence in Jefferson County, FL, from the forms you file at the Second Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Jefferson 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 Jefferson County Clerk's Family Law page already stocks the paperwork for an injunction for protection in its self-help packets. Someone filing in Monticello does not need to search flcourts.gov separately before heading to the courthouse at 1 Courthouse Circle.
All five injunction types are free to file: domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking. Florida law bars the clerk from charging a fee for any of them.
A judge can grant a temporary injunction the same day, without first notifying the respondent, when the petition shows immediate and present danger. That order lasts up to 15 days, and the court must hold a full hearing with both sides present 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, FL
Injunction requests in Jefferson County, FL are filed with the Second Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Jefferson County. Because courthouse locations, hours, and local domestic violence resources change over time, confirm current details using the Florida court clerk directory:
Find the Jefferson County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)
Local notes for Jefferson County, FL
The Jefferson County Clerk hosts divorce, simplified dissolution, injunction, and name-change packets on one page. A petitioner filing an injunction can also see what a related family filing, like a later modification, would require, without a second trip to a different office.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office serves the signed order on the respondent, and that service is free. The clerk pays the agency directly rather than billing the person who filed.
Jefferson County sits within Refuge House's Big Bend service territory, so residents reach the same 24-hour hotline, 850-681-2111, as callers from Leon, Wakulla, Franklin, Gadsden, and Liberty Counties.
Jefferson County's small size means the Clerk's counter, rather than a separate self-help office, handles both filing and basic procedural questions. A petitioner who calls ahead can confirm which of the five 12.980 forms staff currently have printed and ready before the trip to Monticello.
The Second Judicial Circuit, which includes Jefferson alongside Franklin, Gadsden, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla, follows the same statewide injunction rules throughout. A petitioner moving between these counties finds the same free-filing and 15-day hearing structure wherever they land.
A petitioner unsure which of the five 12.980 forms applies can ask at the Family Law self-help packet counter in Monticello. Staff can point to the right form, though they cannot weigh in on the facts of a case.
Official injunction resources in Jefferson County, FL
Jefferson County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 1 Courthouse Circle, Monticello 32344.
The filing fee is $0. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide e-filing portal is available; the Clerk's own self-help packets also include the injunction forms directly, so a petitioner can print and bring one in without searching flcourts.gov separately.
Jefferson County Clerk Family Law (https://www.jeffersonclerk.com/court-services/family-law/) can help with procedure and paperwork. The Clerk's Family Law page includes a Self-Help Packets section with downloadable divorce petitions, a Simplified Dissolution petition, injunction forms, and name-change petitions for pro se litigants.
- Jefferson County Clerk - Family Law Self-Help Packets
- Fla. Stat. 741.30 - Domestic Violence Injunction
- Form 12.980(a) - Petition for Injunction Against Domestic Violence
- Refuge House
Local details reviewed August 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.
Jefferson County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs
Where do I file for an injunction for protection in Jefferson County?
File at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Circle, Monticello. The Clerk's Family Law page also keeps the self-help packets, including the injunction forms, available to review before you go.
How much does it cost to petition for a restraining order in Jefferson County?
Nothing. Fla. Stat. 741.30(2)(a) prohibits a filing fee for domestic violence petitions, and 784.046(3)(b) does the same for repeat, dating, and sexual violence, no matter which of the five injunction types applies.
Can a Jefferson County judge issue a same-day temporary injunction?
Yes, if the petition shows immediate and present danger. A judge may sign a temporary injunction without notifying the respondent first, under Fla. Stat. 741.30(5)(a), and it stays active for up to 15 days.
When is the full hearing scheduled after a temporary injunction in Jefferson County?
Florida law requires the hearing to be set before the 15-day temporary injunction expires, so it falls within that window. The clerk's notice states the specific courtroom, date, and time both sides must appear.
Who serves the respondent in a Jefferson County injunction case?
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office serves the order once a judge signs it, at no cost to the petitioner. The clerk pays the agency directly under Fla. Stat. 741.30(2)(a), capped at $20.
What domestic violence hotline covers Jefferson County?
Refuge House is the certified domestic violence center for the Big Bend region, including Jefferson County. Its 24-hour hotline is 850-681-2111, and Florida's statewide hotline, 1-800-500-1119, is also available.
This page is general information about Florida domestic violence injunction procedure in Jefferson 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 Second Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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