Protective Orders in Kentucky: How to File, What They Do

A protective order is a court order signed by a judge that legally requires someone who has hurt or threatened you to stay away and stop the abuse. In Kentucky, filing is free, you don't need a lawyer, and you can start the process 24 hours a day. This guide walks through the types of orders, who qualifies, how to file in our region, and what happens at the hearing — and how a BRASS, Inc. advocate can be beside you for every step of it.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. To talk through your options confidentially — including whether a protective order fits your situation — call our 24-hour crisis line: 1-800-928-1183.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Court advocates can help you understand the process, and legal aid may be able to represent you at no cost (more on that below).

The types of protective orders in Kentucky

Kentucky has two long-term protective orders, each with a temporary emergency version:

Domestic Violence Order (DVO) — for abuse by a family member or partner: a spouse or ex-spouse, someone you live with or used to live with as a couple, someone you share a child with, or certain other family members. The emergency version, granted quickly while you wait for your hearing, is the Emergency Protective Order (EPO) — the term most people know.

Interpersonal Protective Order (IPO) — for dating violence, stalking, or sexual assault, including when the person is someone you dated but never lived with, or someone you have no relationship with at all who has stalked or assaulted you. Its emergency version is the Temporary Interpersonal Protective Order (TIPO).

You don't have to figure out which one fits — the petition form is the same, and the court clerk and judge sort out the right order. What matters is describing honestly what has happened.

What a protective order can do

Depending on your situation, a judge can order the abusive person to:

• Have no contact or communication with you at all — including contact through other people on their behalf

• Stay a set distance away from you, your home, your work, or your children's school

• Move out of a home you share

• Stop committing further acts of abuse or damaging your property

• Temporarily give up custody or follow a temporary custody arrangement (DVO)

A note on child support and custody: protective order hearings rarely resolve child support. In practice, the court will usually refer you to file separately for child support and custody — an advocate can help you understand where to start with that, too.

Violating an order is serious: it can mean immediate arrest, contempt of court, and criminal charges.

How to file, step by step

1. Go to your county's Office of Circuit Court Clerk. Every one of the ten counties BRASS, Inc. serves has one — you can file in the county where you live or a county you've fled to for safety. In Warren County, that's the Justice Center at 1001 Center Street in Bowling Green. Filing is free.

   
   

2. After hours, go through law enforcement. Protective orders don't keep business hours. Nights, weekends, and holidays, contact your local police department, sheriff's office, or Kentucky State Police post and tell them you want to file an EPO or TIPO.

   
   

   Where to file:

Remember: you can file in the county where you live or a county you've gone to for safety — and if the clerk's office is closed, local law enforcement can help you start an emergency petition any hour of the day.

3. Fill out the petition. You'll describe what happened — specific incidents, dates if you know them, and any threats or injuries. You do not need identification to file — don't let a missing ID stop you. It helps to bring whatever information you have about the other person: date of birth or Social Security number, and an address where they can be served. A photo, phone number, or vehicle description helps too. Don't worry if you don't have everything.

   
   

4. A judge reviews it — often the same day. There are three possible outcomes. If the judge finds immediate danger, they grant the emergency order (EPO/TIPO) right away, before any hearing; it takes effect once law enforcement serves it on the other person.

   
   

   If the emergency order isn't granted, the judge may instead issue a summons — that means you don't have emergency protection yet, but you do have a court date where you can present to the court why the person is a threat to you.

   
   

   Or the petition may be denied. Emergency orders are temporary by design: an EPO/TIPO expires six months after the initial filing, which is one reason the full hearing matters.

   
   

5. A full hearing is scheduled, usually within 14 days. This is where the judge hears both sides and decides whether to issue the long-term order — a DVO or IPO, which can last up to three years and can be renewed.

   
   

What to expect at the hearing

Both you and the other person can speak, bring witnesses, and present evidence — photos, messages, and medical records. One important detail about police reports: a report on its own generally can't be used as evidence — it's considered hearsay unless the officer who wrote it is subpoenaed to testify about what's in it. If a police report is part of your story, mention that when you talk with an advocate or attorney so the officer can be subpoenaed in time.

It can feel intimidating to be in the same room; you don't have to do it alone. A BRASS, Inc. court advocate can attend with you, explain what to expect from the process, sit with you while you wait, and sit with you while you testify. (What you say is always yours — advocates support you; your testimony is your own.)

You can also request a lawyer at no cost through Kentucky Legal Aid (270-825-3801, klaid.org) — you can even ask about a legal aid application when you file your petition. Having a lawyer is especially worth considering if the other person has one.

If the judge grants your DVO or IPO, keep copies everywhere: with you, at work, in your car, with your children's school or daycare, with a trusted neighbor.

If the order is violated

Call 911 right away and tell the responding officers you have a protective order. Write down the officers' names and badge numbers. Every violation should be reported, even ones that feel small — the record matters.

A protective order is one tool, not the whole plan

An order on paper can't physically stop someone, which is why it works best as part of a broader safety plan — where you'll go, who you'll tell, what you'll keep ready. Our step-by-step safety planning guide covers this, and an advocate can build one with you by phone.

How BRASS, Inc. can help

Our advocates help survivors across all ten counties of the Barren River region understand the protective order process, prepare petitions, and attend hearings — at no cost, whether or not you ever stay in our shelter. The Mobile Advocacy Unit brings this help to your county if getting to us is hard. It starts with a phone call: 1-800-928-1183, free and confidential, 24 hours a day.