Restraining Orders

Generally, only the state that issued your protection order can change, extend, or cancel the order.

To have your order changed, extended, or canceled, you will have to file a motion or petition in the court where the order was issued. You may be able to request that you attend the court hearing by telephone rather than in person, so that you do not need to return to the state where the abuser is living. To find out more information about how to modify a restraining order, see the Restraining Orders page for the state where your order was issued and select the issuing state from the drop-down menu in the upper left-hand corner.

If your order does expire while you are living in Maine, you may be able to get a new one issued in Maine but this may be difficult to do if no new incidents of abuse have taken place in Maine. To find out more information on how to get a protection from abuse order in Maine, visit our Protection from Abuse Orders (for victims of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault) page.