Restraining Orders

In Indiana, you can be eligible for an order of protection against a family or household member, which is defined below, who commits acts of domestic violence or family violence. You can also get an order against anyone, regardless of the relationship, who committed harassment, stalking or a sex offense against you.

A person is considered a family or household member if:

• s/he is, or used to be, your spouse;
• you and the abuser lived together in an intimate relationship;
• you and the abuser have a child in common;
• you and the abuser are dating, or have dated, each other or have had a sexual relationship;
• you and the abuser are related by blood or adoption;
• you and the abuser are related by marriage;
• the abuser is, or used to be, your guardian, ward, custodian, foster parent or someone in a similar capacity;
• you are the minor child of a person in one of the types of relationships described above; or
• you adopted the child of the abuser.¹

An order can be issued on behalf of a child against additional people, not just family and household members.² See Can a minor get an order for protection? for more information.

Note: If an abuser has been violent towards you, stalked you, or threatened you with violence that might be carried out at your workplace, your employer has the right to file for a restraining order on your behalf.³ See Workplace Violence Restraining Orders for more information. If the abuser was arrested for family violence, you may also receive a “no contact order” from the criminal court, which offers some of the same protections as a civil order for protection.

¹ IC § 34-6-2-44.8; see also the petition for an order of protection on the Indiana Judicial Branch website
² IC § 34-26-5-2(b)
³ IC §§ 34-26-6-6; 34-26-6-7