Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in St. Lucie County, Florida

Call 911 if you are in immediate danger. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. Florida's statewide hotline is 1-800-500-1119. In St. Lucie County, injunction for protection petitions are filed at the courthouse on the 2nd floor, 201 South Indian River Drive, in downtown Fort Pierce, through the Family department.

The Family department's FAQ states plainly that clerk staff cannot give legal advice or fill out your forms. They can hand you the correct packet and point you toward the right steps. St. Lucie also lists a mailing address for family filings, a P.O. Box in Fort Pierce, but that address is for correspondence on an already-open case. A new injunction petition must be filed in person, so a judge can act on it promptly.

Filing costs nothing, matching Florida law statewide. This applies to domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking injunctions alike. The clerk cannot charge a filing fee, and the sheriff serves the respondent at no cost to you.

This page does not name St. Lucie County's certified domestic violence provider, because no official source lists one current provider. Call 211 or the statewide hotline, 1-800-500-1119, for an immediate referral to shelter or advocacy resources.

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 St. Lucie 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 St. Lucie County, FL

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

Find the St. Lucie County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

Local notes for St. Lucie County, FL

Bring photo ID and any current information about the respondent's whereabouts to the courthouse. This helps law enforcement complete service after a temporary injunction is granted. The Family department can confirm which of the five injunction forms fits your relationship to the respondent.

Once a temporary injunction is granted and served, Florida law requires the return hearing to be scheduled within 15 days. This is the same statewide deadline used in every Florida county, including St. Lucie.

Florida Rural Legal Services generally serves St. Lucie County for income-qualified family law matters that can run alongside an injunction, such as custody or support. A specific local domestic violence center was not confirmed here, so 211 remains the most reliable starting point for current contact information.

St. Lucie County's Family department handles all five injunction types recognized under Florida law: domestic violence for spouses, former spouses, relatives, or people living together as family; repeat violence for two incidents against someone outside that circle; and dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking, each covering its own fact pattern. Filing and service cost nothing across all five. The return hearing is set within 15 days by statute, regardless of which form applies. Violating an active injunction is a separate crime, so call 911 instead of making a second trip to the Family department.

Official injunction resources in St. Lucie County, FL

St. Lucie County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 201 South Indian River Drive, 2nd Floor, Fort Pierce 34950.

The filing fee is Free. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Forms can be downloaded and filed; injunctions are filed in person at the courthouse in Fort Pierce, not mailed, so a judge can review the petition promptly.

St. Lucie County Clerk Family Department (https://stlucieclerk.gov/departments-top-menu/family/divorce) can help with procedure and paperwork. The Family department page provides divorce forms and an FAQ; the Clerk's office cannot give legal advice or help complete forms. Mailing address for family filings: Attn: Family Relations Department, P.O. Box 700, Fort Pierce, FL 34954.

• St. Lucie County Clerk - Family Department
• Florida Rural Legal Services
• Nineteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida
• 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.

St. Lucie County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs