Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Union 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.

Union County residents file for an injunction for protection at the Union County Courthouse, 55 West Main Street, Room 103, in Lake Butler. Florida law doesn't charge a filing fee for any of the five injunction types: domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking.

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 state law requires the full hearing before it expires.

Peaceful Paths covers Union, Alachua, and Bradford Counties as the certified domestic violence center. Reach them at 352-377-8255.

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 Union 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 Union County, FL

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

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

Local notes for Union County, FL

Union County shares the Eighth Judicial Circuit's Self-Help Center in Gainesville with Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, and Levy Counties. A Lake Butler resident traveling for procedural help ends up at the same regional office as everyone from the surrounding counties.

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

Union is one of Florida's smallest counties by population, and its clerk's website doesn't publish the same level of detail as larger neighbors do. Still, the injunction filing fee, service, and hearing timeline are set by state law, so they work the same way here as anywhere else in Florida.

Union County, one of Florida's smallest by population, runs its entire court operation out of a single courthouse building in Lake Butler. Room 103 handles the range of case types a larger county might split across several departments.

A petitioner filing here should expect the counter staff to double as the main source of procedural guidance. Union shares its Eighth Circuit Self-Help Center with five other counties instead of keeping a local office of its own.

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

Bring photo identification and any prior police reports related to the incident when filing at the Lake Butler courthouse. These often speed up intake.

Official injunction resources in Union County, FL

Union County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 55 West Main Street, Room 103, Lake Butler 32054.

The filing fee is $0. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide e-filing portal applies, though most petitioners in Union County file in person at the Lake Butler 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 Union County along with Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, and Levy.

• Eighth Judicial Circuit - Self-Help Center
• Fla. Stat. 741.30 - Domestic Violence Injunction
• Form 12.980(n) - Petition for Injunction Against Dating Violence
• Peaceful Paths

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

Union County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs