Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Levy 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.

Levy County splits its resources across two circuits, much like neighboring Gilchrist. The Self-Help Center belongs to the Eighth Circuit in Gainesville. The certified domestic violence center, Another Way, Inc., instead covers Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, and Suwannee Counties along with Levy. Its hotline number is 1-866-875-7983.

File the injunction itself at the Levy County Courthouse, 355 South Court Street, in Bronson. None of the five injunction types, domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking, carries a filing fee. That differs from Levy 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 Levy 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 Levy County, FL

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

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

Local notes for Levy County, FL

Levy County's Self-Help Center sits in Gainesville, inside the Eighth Circuit's Family and Civil Justice Center, so a resident of Bronson or Chiefland needing procedural help should plan the drive ahead of time rather than expect a local office.

Once a judge signs the order, the Levy County Sheriff's Office serves the respondent at no cost to the petitioner. The clerk pays for that service directly.

Levy's coastline around Cedar Key stretches the county across a wide area, all served by one central courthouse in Bronson. Travel time is worth planning for no matter which end of the county a petitioner lives in.

The county's span, from Bronson inland to Cedar Key on the coast, means travel time to that single courthouse varies a lot depending on where a petitioner lives.

A petitioner filing at the Bronson courthouse should expect counter staff to be the main local source of procedural information, since Levy shares its Eighth Circuit Self-Help Center with five other counties instead of hosting its own dedicated office.

A petitioner unsure which of the five 12.980 forms fits their situation can ask the Bronson courthouse counter directly. Staff can point to the correct petition, though state law prevents them from weighing in on the underlying facts.

Official injunction resources in Levy County, FL

Levy County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 355 South Court Street, Bronson 32621.

The filing fee is $0. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide e-filing portal applies, though most petitioners in Levy County file in person at the Bronson courthouse for same-day judicial review.

Eighth Judicial Circuit Self-Help Center (https://circuit8.org/self-help/) can help with procedure and paperwork. Family and Civil Justice Center, Room 413, Gainesville, (352) 548-3781, explicitly serves Levy County along with Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, and Union.

• Eighth Judicial Circuit - Self-Help Center
• Fla. Stat. 741.30 - Domestic Violence Injunction
• Form 12.980(q) - Petition for Injunction Against Sexual Violence
• Another Way, Inc.

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

Levy County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs