Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Pinellas County, Florida

Call 911 if you're in immediate danger. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. Florida's statewide hotline is 1-800-500-1119. In Pinellas County, you file injunction for protection petitions with the Clerk of the Circuit Court at the Clearwater Courthouse. A duty judge reviews new petitions the same day they're filed, whenever the docket allows.

CASA, Community Action Stops Abuse, is Pinellas County's certified domestic violence center. It describes itself as the county's official provider of domestic violence support and runs a 24-hour hotline separate from the court process. CASA can help with a shelter bed, a safety plan, or just someone to talk through what filing an injunction involves, before or after you visit the clerk's office.

Filing costs nothing, no matter which of the five injunction types fits your situation: domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking. Florida law bars the clerk from charging a fee for any of them. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office also serves the respondent for free.

You don't need an attorney to petition for an injunction. The process is built for people representing themselves. Clerk staff can hand you the correct packet and explain how to fill in the blanks, but they can't tell you what to write or predict how a judge will rule.

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 Pinellas 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 Pinellas County, FL

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

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

Local notes for Pinellas County, FL

The Pinellas Clerk's family-law self-help page returned errors on repeated automated checks. Use the Sixth Judicial Circuit's self-help portal at jud6.org instead, for the current, locally approved injunction forms; it covers both Pinellas and Pasco Counties, since they share the Sixth Circuit. If you're near St. Petersburg or the North County area, call ahead to confirm whether that branch office can process a same-day petition, or whether you need to go to Clearwater for judicial review.

Once a judge grants a temporary injunction, it takes effect after the Sheriff's Office serves the respondent, and stays active until the return hearing. State law requires that hearing be set within 15 days of the temporary order, so watch your mail or the court's online docket for the notice.

CASA's hotline exists for crisis support and safety planning, and runs separately from the clerk's intake window, so calling CASA doesn't file anything with the court. If your situation involves a contested custody or divorce case alongside the injunction, Bay Area Legal Services offers income-qualified family law help across the Tampa Bay area, including Pinellas County.

Official injunction resources in Pinellas County, FL

Pinellas County Courthouse (Clearwater Courthouse) handles restraining-orders filings, located at 315 Court St., Clearwater 33756.

The filing fee is Free. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Injunction petitions are filed in person at a clerk location so a judge can act on them the same day; the online portal is mainly for attorneys and later filings.

Sixth Judicial Circuit Self-Help (https://www.jud6.org/representing-yourself-in-court/) can help with procedure and paperwork. The clerk's own family-law self-help page at mypinellasclerk.gov returned an error on automated checks; use the circuit's self-help page instead for current, locally approved injunction packets.

• CASA Pinellas domestic violence services
• Sixth Judicial Circuit self-help resources
• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• 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.

Pinellas County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs