PREPARE AND SUBMIT YOUR PROTECTION ORDER PETITION ONLINE!!!


Visit legalatoms.com/snohomish or click on their logo below to start. 

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If you are unable to submit a petition electronically you can:
  • Call our office at 425-388-3638 for assistance
  • Print out the appropriate forms packet (see below), complete and bring them into our office  

Civil Protection Orders

Washington State law allows a person (called the Petitioner) to file a civil case in court asking a judge or a commissioner to grant an order to protect them from another person (called the Respondent) whose behavior is abusive, threatening, exploitative, or seriously alarming. Washington State has recently passed House Bill 1320 which updates laws concerning civil protection orders to further enhance and improve their efficacy and accessibility. This law is effective July 1, 2022 and be found here: RCW 7.105.


One petition is now used when filing for a domestic violence protection order, anti-harassment protection order, sexual assault protection order, stalking, and vulnerable adult protection order. A separate form is used for extreme risk protection orders - which are primarily filed by law enforcement but can be filed by an intimate partner, family, or household member. An extreme risk protection order does not protect an individual but rather protects society. 


Petitioners choose which type of protection order is most appropriate for them to file. However, protection orders do not cover everyone's needs; there may be other legal remedies that are appropriate. 

What Type of Protection Order Should I File?

Use this flowchart to help determine what kind of protection order you need.

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  • Domestic Violence: The petitioner may petition for a domestic violence protection order on behalf of themselves or on behalf of family or household members who are minors or vulnerable adults. A petition for a domestic violence protection order must specify whether the petitioner or the respondent are intimate partners, family, or household members. 
  • Anti-Harassment: The petitioner may petition for an anti-harassment protection order on behalf of themselves, a minor child where the petitioner is the parent, legal guardian, or custodian, a vulnerable adult where the petitioner is an interested party, or any other adult for whom the petitioner demonstrates to the Court's satisfaction that the petitioner is interested in the adult's well-being, the Court's intervention is necessary, and the adult cannot file the petition because of age, disability, health, or inaccessibility. 
    • IMPORTANT: Anti-Harassment petitions can be filed in District court or Superior Court based on the situation. Use this flow chart below to determine if you should file in Superior Court or District Court.Where-File-AH Opens in new windowClick to enlarge picture
  • Sexual Assault: The petitioner may petition for a sexual assault protection order on behalf of themselves, a minor child where the petitioner is the parent, legal guardian, or custodian, a vulnerable adult where the petitioner is an interested party, or any other adult for whom the petitioner demonstrates to the Court's satisfaction that the petitioner is interested in the adult's well-being, the Court's intervention is necessary, and the adult cannot file the petition because of age, disability, health, or inaccessibility.  
  • Vulnerable Adult: The vulnerable adult, or an interested person filing on their behalf, may file a petition if the vulnerable adult has been abandoned, abused, financially exploited, or neglected, or has been threatened with abandonment, abuse, financial exploitation, or neglect by the respondent. 
  • Stalking: A petition for a stalking protection order must allege the existence of stalking committed against the petitioner by the respondent. The petitioner may petition for a stalking protection order on behalf of themselves, a minor child where the petitioner is the parent, legal guardian, or custodian, a vulnerable adult where the petitioner is an interested party, or any other adult for whom the petitioner demonstrates to the Court's satisfaction that the petitioner is interested in the adult's well-being, the Court's intervention is necessary, and the adult cannot file the petition because of age, disability, health, or inaccessibility.  

Costs:

  • No fee for forms, filing, or certified copies if Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Vulnerable Adult, Stalking, or Extreme Risk Protection Orders
  • No fee required for service of documents on the respondent if performed by law enforcement
  • $53 filing fee may apply in Anti-Harassment cases unless harassment is:
    • Stalking (as defined in RCW 9A.46.110)
    • A hate crime (under RCW 9A.36.080(1)(c))
    • A single act of violence or threat of violence (under RCW 7.105.010(35)(b)) OR
    • From a person who has engaged in nonconsensual sex that constitutes a sex offense (as defined in RCW 9A.44.128)

Forms: (cannot be filed double sided)

File a Civil Protection Order: 

File an Extreme Risk Protection Order:

Response: (use to file related documents such as police reports, medical records, text messages, witness statements, etc., or to respond to a protection order filed against you.)

Renew a Protection Order:

Modify or Terminate a Protection Order

Service Documents

Request for Remote Appearance

The Court's preference is for civil protection order hearings to proceed in person. However, pursuant to RCW 7.105.205(2), no later than three judicial days before the hearing, the parties may request to appear remotely by telephone, video, or other electronic means. The Court shall grant any request for a remote appearance unless the Court finds good cause to require in-person attendance or attendance through a specific means. To request a remote appearance, please use the following packet:

Petitions for a new civil protection orders can be prepared online and electronically sent to our protection order office for review and submission to the court for consideration.  

At this time, if you want to renew a protection order, you can download the forms available above and send them by email (protection.orders@snoco.org) or by fax (425-388-3127). Scanning apps are available to download on smart phones which allow you to scan your documents and send them to us by email.