Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Miami-Dade County, Florida

If you're in immediate danger, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. Florida's statewide hotline is 1-800-500-1119. Miami-Dade County handles injunction for protection intake through a dedicated domestic violence unit at the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center, 20 NW 1st Avenue in downtown Miami.

That dedicated unit sets Miami-Dade apart from smaller Florida counties, where general family law clerk staff typically handle injunction petitions. Here, the courthouse has a specific intake point for domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking petitions. Staff at this unit see these filings every day instead of occasionally.

The Eleventh Judicial Circuit's broader Family Court Self-Help Program charges $40 to $85, depending on case type, for its intake consultation and form-completion help. Fees are reduced or waived for people who qualify as indigent. This program fee is separate from the injunction filing itself, which is free under Florida law for all five injunction types, with no charge from the clerk and no charge for the sheriff to serve the respondent.

No official source names Miami-Dade's specific certified domestic violence center, so this page doesn't list one. For an immediate referral to shelter or advocacy services, call 211 or the statewide hotline at 1-800-500-1119, or ask directly at the courthouse's domestic violence intake unit.

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 Miami-Dade 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 Miami-Dade County, FL

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

Find the Miami-Dade County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

Local notes for Miami-Dade County, FL

Miami-Dade is Florida's most populous county, so its self-help program is more structured and more explicitly fee-based for general services than what you'll find in smaller counties. That fee structure applies to the broader self-help program, not to filing an injunction petition itself. If cost is a concern, ask about the indigent fee waiver when you arrive.

Once a judge grants a temporary injunction and it's served, Florida law requires the return hearing to be scheduled within 15 days. This statewide deadline applies in Miami-Dade exactly as it does in every other Florida county.

Legal Services of Greater Miami offers income-qualified legal help across the county. It can also assist with related family law matters, such as custody, that sometimes accompany an injunction case.

Official injunction resources in Miami-Dade County, FL

Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center handles restraining-orders filings, located at 20 NW 1st Avenue, Miami 33128.

The filing fee is Free. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Self-represented parties may file in person or by mail at the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center; injunctions are handled in person for same-day judicial review, including a dedicated domestic violence intake unit at this courthouse.

Eleventh Judicial Circuit Family Court Self-Help Program (https://www.jud11.flcourts.org/Family-Court-Self-Help-Program) can help with procedure and paperwork. Established 1994: intake consultation, form packet completion assistance, document review. Service charges $40-$85 depending on case type, plus optional completion assistance $75-$150, for general self-help program services; reduced or waived fees are available for indigent filers. This self-help program fee is separate from injunction filing itself, which is free under Fla. Stat. 741.30.

• Eleventh Judicial Circuit Family Court Self-Help Program
• Legal Services of Greater Miami
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
• 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.

Miami-Dade County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs