Types of Protective Orders

  1. Family Abuse
  2. Non-Family Abuse

Family Abuse

(parties seeking protective orders against family or household members, as defined by the Code of Virginia).

Family/Household Member

The Code of Virginia defines family or household member as

  • the person's spouse, whether or not he or she resides in the same home with the person
  • the person's former spouse, whether or not he or she resides in the same home with the person
  • the person's parents, stepparents, children, stepchildren, brothers, sisters, half-brothers, half-sisters, grandparents and grandchildren, regardless of whether such persons reside in the same home with the person
  • the person's mother-in-law, father-in-law, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law who reside in the same home with the person
  • any individual who has a child in common with the person, whether or not the person and that individual have been married or have resided together at any time
  • any individual who cohabits or who, within the previous 12 months, cohabited with the person, and any children of either of them then residing in the same home with the person

Petitioning the Court for Family Abuse

For a family abuse protective order, you must come to court to file.

  1. Report to the Court Service Unit, Intake Division, at the J&DR Courthouse, to complete your petition(s).
  2. The Court Service Unit accepts walk-in appointments at the following dates/times:

    Monday-Friday
    8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

    J&DR Courthouse/Court Service Unit (1st Floor)
    7000 Lucy Corr Boulevard
    Chesterfield, VA 23832
  3. Report to the Clerk’s Office to file your petition(s).
  4. The Court hears all protective orders at 2 p.m. in Duty Courtroom on the 2nd floor of the courthouse.
    • While the court does have an internal cut-off time for processing paperwork, decisions to hear protective order requests made after 2 p.m. (but before 4:30 p.m.) will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
  5. If you need assistance, you may speak to a Victim/Witness or Domestic Violence advocate prior to court. Court staff can help direct you to the appropriate office.