Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Lafayette 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.

Another Way, Inc. is the certified domestic violence center for seven counties in North Central Florida, including small, Mayo-centered Lafayette County. Its 24-hour hotline is 1-866-875-7983.

File an injunction for protection at the Lafayette County Courthouse, 120 West Main Street, Mayo, the county's only courthouse. None of the five injunction types, domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking, comes with a 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. That order lasts up to 15 days, and Florida law requires a full hearing 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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette County, FL

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

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

Local notes for Lafayette County, FL

Lafayette County's clerk does not host its own family law self-help packets online. The Family Law page describes the Florida Supreme Court's general information packets for self-represented litigants, but links out to flcourts.gov instead of keeping local copies. Bring a printed 12.980 petition, or ask the counter directly.

Once a judge signs the order, the Lafayette County Sheriff's Office serves the respondent at no cost to the petitioner. The clerk pays for that service instead of billing the person who filed.

Lafayette shares Another Way, Inc. with Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Levy, and Suwannee Counties. A caller from Mayo reaches the same shelter and advocacy network as callers from those larger neighboring counties.

Lafayette is one of Florida's smallest counties by population. Mayo, its only town of any size, reflects that scale: one courthouse handles every case type the county sees, from injunctions to probate. There is no separate annex or branch office to choose between.

If you don't know Lafayette County's court system, expect the courthouse staff to be your main source of procedural information. The clerk's own website does not host detailed self-help materials the way some larger counties do.

For general background on the injunction process before visiting the Mayo courthouse, consult Florida Courts Help, a statewide resource independent of any single small county's limited website.

Official injunction resources in Lafayette County, FL

Lafayette County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 120 West Main Street, Mayo 32066.

The filing fee is $0. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide e-filing portal applies, though given Lafayette's small population, most petitioners file in person at the Mayo courthouse for same-day judicial review.

The self-help center can help with procedure and paperwork. The Family Law page on lafayetteclerk.com states the Florida Supreme Court has created general information packets for self-represented litigants, but links out to flcourts.gov's statewide forms rather than hosting a dedicated county self-help page.

• Fla. Stat. 741.30 - Domestic Violence Injunction
• Form 12.980(t) - Petition for Injunction Against Stalking
• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• Another Way, Inc.

Local details reviewed August 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.

Lafayette County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs