Protective Order Advocacy Program provides advocacy for survivors of domestic violence who are residents of Washington County, Oregon. The program offers assistance with restraining orders, elder / disabled abuse protective orders, and civil stalking protective orders.
Services:
- Filing assistance (new petitions, renewals, dismissals, modifications)
- Advocacy
- Court accompaniment for restraining order and stalking order-related hearings, including contested and violation hearings
- Contested hearings assistance
- Safety planning
- Referrals
- Community education
- Trainings
- Address Confidentiality Program
Restraining order eligibility criteria
Notes: A restraining order may be obtained after only one initial abusive contact. For more information about restraining orders in Oregon, click here.
You are eligible to obtain a restraining order against the following people:
- Someone you are married to or used to be married to
- Your adult relatives, either by blood, marriage or adoption
- Someone you are currently living with or used to live with in a sexually intimate relationship within the last two years
- Someone with whom you have had a sexually, intimate relationship with in the last two years, but never lived with
The requirements to qualify for a restraining order against another person are as follows:
- The incident must have occurred within the last six months; and
- Caused you bodily injury; and/or
- Attempted to cause you bodily injury; and/or
- Placed you in fear of imminent bodily injury; and/or
- Caused you to engage in a sexually, intimate relationship by force or by threat of force.
If you are under the age of 18, you can obtain a restraining order against someone over the age of 18, if that person is someone you are or were married to, or if you have ever had a sexual relationship with that person within the last six months.
Those over the age of 65 or disabled persons are excepted from these criteria. The application process in these cases is much more simplified. No qualifying relationship required, but petitioner must be elderly or disabled, and one incident of abuse is required. Such incidents may include, but are not limited to:
- Neglect
- Abandonment
- Sexual abuse
- Financial exploitation
- Inappropriate language causing emotional and/or physical harm
The requirements to qualify for a restraining order against another person are as follows:
- The incident must have occurred within the last six months; and/or
- Caused you bodily injury; and/or
- Attempted to cause you bodily injury; and/or
- Placed you in fear of imminent bodily injury; and/or
- Caused you to engage in a sexually, intimate relationship by force or by threat of force.
Restraining order procedures
In order to be seen by a judge on the same day, paper work must be completed and received by staff at our office before 10:30 a.m. Appointments are not necessary; you will be assisted on a first come-first served basis. If you arrive after 10:30 a.m., you may fill out the applicable paperwork and be seen by a judge the following business day.
After collecting the packets, advocates submit the packets to the judge for review. At 1:00 p.m. our advocates accompany all petitioners to the courtroom. You must be present at the hearing of your petition; the person you are filing against does not need to be there. After your name is called, the judge may ask questions to clarify the petition. You will be under oath and must answer all questions truthfully. Remember that an advocate will always be in the courtroom for support, and will be available for you outside the courtroom after the judge’s decision. However, advocates cannot speak for you or on your behalf, and are not there to represent you in any way.
Note: Child care is not available at our office or the courthouse. A play area in the restraining order room helps kids keep busy while you fill out the form, but children remain under your supervision. We join judges in recommending that children be left out of the courtroom, as you may be sharing traumatic experiences. We recommend bringing a support person along to care for your children.
There are no fees to file a restraining order.
Stalking Order Eligibility Criteria
Note: A stalking order may be obtained after two incidents of unwanted contact in which the other party knew contact was unwanted.
There are no relationship qualifications.
The requirements to qualify for a stalking order against another person are as follows:
- The person you are filing against intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly engaged in repeated and unwanted contact with your or a member of your immediate family/household
- Contact causes you to feel coerced or alarmed
- It is objectively reasonable for a person in your situation to have been alarmed or coerced by the contact
- The repeated and unwanted contact causes you reasonable apprehension regarding your personal safety, or the safety of members of your immediate family/household
Stalking Order Procedures
Similar to Restraining Order procedures, Stalking Order paperwork needs to be completed and received by our office by 10:30 am. Advocates will help clients with the paperwork on a first come-first served basis.
Stalking Order Hearings are only held at 1:00pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays of each work week. If you submit a completed packet after 10:30am or on a Tuesday or Thursday, we will hold the petitions for you, until the next scheduled hearing. At 1:00pm, our advocates will accompany petitioners to the courtroom. You must be present. At this initial hearing, the judge may ask you questions concerning your petition. Advocates will be present, but an advocate cannot speak for you or on your behalf and are not there to represent you in any way.
Note: If granted, the judge will only sign a temporary stalking order. It is a protective order, but it also includes a court date in which the petitioner and the respondent appear in front of the judge in a Permanent Stalking Order Hearing. A permanent stalking order lasts forever.
Contact
We are housed with our Hillsboro Family Advocacy Center in downtown Hillsboro, right across from the Courthouse. Our address is 180 E. Main St. Hillsboro, OR 97123, Suite 200. Our office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. We are closed for lunch from 12:00-12:30. Our fax number is 503.906.1223. For more information call 503.640.5352.
If you wish to find out the status of any civil documents, including restraining orders, in Washington County, you need a court case number, the petitioner’s name, or the defendant’s name. Please call the main line of the Washington County Courthouse at 503-846-8888, and ask for the Records Department.
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