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  • NOTICE:

    The Douglas County District Court is not currently able to accept protection order petitions online. If you need to request a protection order petition in Douglas County, please visit or contact the court directly:

    Douglas County Courthouse
    111 E 11th St.
    Lawrence, KS 66044-2966
    Phone: 785-832-5256
    Website: https://www.dgcoks.gov/services/courts-and-law/courts

  • NOTICE:

     This website is only for filing a NEW protection order petition. You cannot apply to extend a current protection order through this website. If you want to extend an existing protection order, please visit the resources page to find your local district court or a domestic violence advocate.

  • Check Eligibility

    Answer a few questions to see if you are eligible to file for a protection order.
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  • Are you 18 years old or older?*

  • Helpful Information:

    You have to be 18 years of age or older to file for a Protection Order.

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  • Do you know the name of the person you are seeking protection from?*

  • Helpful Information:

    Under Kansas law, you must provide the name of the person you are asking for protection from.

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  • Do you have an address or other information that could help find the person you are seeking protection from?*

  • Helpful Information:

    The court needs an address or other information to find the person you are seeking protection from. A protection order is not valid until the defendant is served and notified about the case. If you don’t know an exact address for the defendant, you can provide information about where they work or hang out. Please provide as much information as you can. If the court issues a protection order for you, the order won’t take effect until the defendant is found and served.

  • ATTENTION: If you don’t know the exact address, you can still continue with the guided interview, but providing this information is important for serving the Protection Order.

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  • Are there any child(ren) under the age of 18 living with you either full-time or on a temporary basis?*

  • Helpful Information:

    The court wants to know if there are children involved.

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  • Who are you seeking protection for?*
  • Helpful Information:

    Certain protection orders are only available if you have a specific relationship.

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  • Who are you seeking protection from?*

  • Helpful Information:

    Certain protection orders are only available if you have a specific relationship.

    “Dating” means any kind of romantic relationship.

  • ATTENTION: we detected conflicting answers. Your default answer now is "other".

  • You do not meet the criteria to seek protection for both yourself and the minor child(ren). Please select one*

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  • Relationship of minor child(ren) and the person you are seeking protection from?*
  • Relationship of minor child(ren) and the person you are seeking protection from?*

  • Helpful Information:

    Certain protection orders are only available if the child(ren) have a specific relationship.

    “Dating” means any kind of romantic relationship.

  • ATTENTION: we detected conflicting answers. Your default answer now is "other".

  • You do not meet the criteria to seek protection for both yourself and the minor child(ren). Please select one*

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  • What is your relationship to the minor child(ren)?*

  • Helpful Information:

    “Legal custodian” means you have the right to make decisions about the minor child(ren)’s upbringing.
    “Guardian” means you have the legal authority and duty to care for the minor child(ren).

  • You do not meet the criteria to seek protection for both yourself and the minor child(ren). Please select one*

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  • Has the person you are seeking protection from done or tried to do any of the following to the minor child(ren)? (mark all that apply)*

  • Helpful Information:

    Only 16 to 18-year-olds may give consent. And only if their partner is less than 10 years older than they are.

    “Sexual contact” means intentional touching, including through the clothing of the genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner thigh, or buttocks of any person

    “Consent” means a person gave permission for a specific sexual act at the time of its occurrence. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

    “Incapable of consent” includes situations where a person is unconscious, asleep, intoxicated, physically helpless, under the age of 16, or unable to communicate.

  • Based on your answers, you will be filing a PETITION FOR PROTECTION FROM ABUSE. If you want to file for a PETITION FOR PROTECTION FROM STALKING, SEXUAL ASSAULT, OR HUMAN TRAFFICKING instead, please check the box labeled “None” above and you will be asked some additional questions.

  • ATTENTION: Choosing “none” will not result in you being denied the ability to file for a protection order. You will be asked to answer additional questions that will help us determine what type of protection order you need. If you want to file a petition for protection from stalking, sexual assault, or human trafficking, choose ‘none’ above.

  • ATTENTION: we detected conflicting answers. Your default answer now is "none".

  • You do not meet the criteria to seek protection for both yourself and the minor child(ren). Please select one*

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  • Has the person you are seeking protection from done or tried to do any of the following to you? (mark all that apply)*

  • Helpful Information:

    “Sexual contact” means intentional touching, including through the clothing of the genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner thigh, or buttocks of any person

    “Consent” means a person gave permission for the specific sexual act at the time of its occurrence. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

    Consent does not exist when the person you are seeking protection from  made you have sex with him/her or perform sexual acts on him/her when you didn't want to.

    “Incapable of consent” includes situations where a person is unconscious, asleep, intoxicated, physically helpless, under the age of 16, or unable to communicate.

  • Based on your answers, you will be filing a PETITION FOR PROTECTION FROM ABUSE. If you want to file for a PETITION FOR PROTECTION FROM STALKING, SEXUAL ASSAULT, OR HUMAN TRAFFICKING instead, please check the box labeled “None” above and you will be asked some additional questions.

  • ATTENTION: Choosing “none” will not result in you being denied the ability to file for a protection order. You will be asked to answer additional questions that will help us determine what type of protection order you need. If you want to file a petition for protection from stalking, sexual assault, or human trafficking, choose ‘none’ above.

  • ATTENTION: we detected conflicting answers. Your default answer now is "none".

  • You do not meet the criteria to seek protection for both yourself and the minor child(ren). Please select one*

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  • Have you experienced at least two incidents of stalking?*
  • Has the minor child experienced at least two incidents of stalking?*

  • Helpful Information:
    “Stalking” is intentional harassment that places someone in fear for their safety. Harassment includes behavior that seriously alarms, annoys, torments or terrorizes a person.

    Stalking may occur through harassing emails, texts, phone calls, letters, acts of vandalism, threats communicated through third parties, or other behaviors. The use of a drone near your house, occupied car, or other private area, to torment or terrorize you also qualifies as stalking.

    At least two incidents are necessary to qualify for a protection order.

  • ATTENTION: Choosing “No” will not result in you being denied the ability to file for a protection order. You will be asked to answer additional questions that will help us determine what type of protection order you need.

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  • Have you experienced sexual assault?*
  • Has the minor child experienced sexual assault?*

  • Helpful Information:
    “Sexual assault” is an unwanted sexual act or an attempted sexual act against another by force, threat of force, duress, or when the person is incapable of giving consent.

    “Consent” means a person gave permission for the specific sexual act at the time of its occurrence. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

    “Incapable of consent” includes situations where a person is unconscious, asleep, intoxicated, physically helpless, under the age of 16, or unable to communicate.

  • ATTENTION: Choosing “No” will not result in you being denied the ability to file for a protection order. You will be asked to answer additional questions that will help us determine what type of protection order you need.

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  • Have you experienced human trafficking?*
  • Has the minor child experienced human trafficking?*

  • Helpful Information:
    “Human trafficking” means the person you are seeking protection from used force, fraud, or coercion to obtain labor or commercial sex. Commercial sex takes place when anything of value is given or received in exchange for sex.

    Coercion include:

    • causing or threatening physical injury to any person,
    • restraining or threatening to restrain any person,
    • abusing or threatening to abuse the law or legal system,
    • threatening to withhold food, lodging, clothing, or
    • taking or hiding government identification documents

  • Helpful Information:
    For minors, human trafficking occurs if the person you are seeking a protection order from knew the recruited minor would be “used” in involuntary labor or commercial sex. This is true even if there is no force, fraud, threat or coercion.
     

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