Getting a Domestic Violence Restraining Order in Riverside County: Where to File, the Same-Day Order, Service and the Hearing

A DVRO is available when someone has abused you and you have a close relationship with that person: married or registered domestic partners, divorced, separated, dating or used to date, a child together, living together or used to live together (more than roommates), or closely related as a parent, child, sibling, grandparent or in-law². The self-help guide adds that abuse can be emotional, psychological, verbal or physical, including online conduct and controlling money, and that anyone 12 or older can ask without a parent’s permission⁹. The court’s page lists what a DVRO can order, including no contact, staying away from home, work and schools, moving out, no guns, custody and visitation, and child and spousal support¹.

Someone you never had a relationship with beyond friendship, or a relative such as an aunt, uncle or cousin, falls under a civil harassment order instead²¹¹. Filing the wrong type “can stall your case”¹¹.

The court states that “Domestic Violence Restraining Orders, Elder Abuse Restraining Orders, and Appeals can be filed at any court location”³. Family law filings for the divorce or custody case depend on zip code, but a DVRO does not³.

Clerk phone hours are 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at each^12131415. As of September 2026 the court lists DV departments at Riverside (F301 and F502), Menifee (M204) and the Larson Justice Center (Department 2J, Fridays)¹⁶.

There is no court fee to file a DVRO request, and a lawyer is not required⁹. The court’s eSubmit page says “There are no fees associated with filing a domestic violence or gun violence restraining order”, while a $2.00 transaction fee applies to non-exempt submissions; eSubmit takes PDFs of up to 50 MB each, up to 15 documents per submission⁴. A document received through eSubmit on a court day is deemed filed that day⁴. The court posts fillable packets in English and Spanish¹. The steps for eSubmit are in eSubmit and remote hearings in Riverside family law.

Required: DV-100 (Request for Domestic Violence Restraining Order), CLETS-001 (Confidential CLETS Information), DV-109 (Notice of Court Hearing, items 1 and 2), DV-110 (Temporary Restraining Order, items 1 to 3) and MC-025 for extra space⁵. Optional: DV-105 (child custody and visitation requests), DV-140 (custody order), DV-108 and DV-145 (child abduction prevention), and FL-150 for child or spousal support, with two months of income proof⁵. The self-help guide says some counties require their own forms and to check locally⁵.

Local Rule 5141(A) says requests for restraining orders “shall be issued or denied on the same day they are received if submitted to the court by 2:00 p.m.”⁴. The rule was amended October 24, 2025, effective January 1, 2026⁴. If a temporary order is denied, rule 5141(B) lets the petitioner waive the noticed hearing on a permanent order using form DV-112⁴.

Good to know Rule 5141 states the same-day rule for requests submitted by 2:00 p.m. and does not say what happens to one submitted later. The self-help guide describes a judge’s decision on a temporary order as usually coming “the same day or the next business day”, on the papers alone⁸.

A temporary restraining order (TRO) can issue “with or without notice” on the person’s affidavit or testimony showing reasonable proof of a past act of abuse, under Family Code section 6300⁸. It lasts a few weeks until the hearing⁷.

An emergency protective order (EPO) is different: a law enforcement officer asks for it, available 24 hours a day, and a judicial officer issues it on reasonable grounds of immediate and present danger¹⁰. A bench guide revised March 16, 2020 gives the expiry of an EPO on form EPO-001 as the earlier of the close of court business on the fifth court day or seven calendar days after the day after issuance; confirm against the current statute¹⁰.

The person asking cannot serve the papers. A sheriff or marshal serves them free, or a professional process server or an adult not involved in the case can⁷. The deadline is the number of days before the hearing stated in DV-109, item 6⁷. Papers for the sheriff include form SER-001, the filed DV-109 and DV-100, the DV-110 if granted, and blank DV-120, DV-120-INFO and DV-250⁷. A long-term order requires service; without it only the temporary order is possible⁷. If service fails, the person can ask to reschedule (DV-115-INFO) or, after at least three in-person attempts, request alternative service (DV-205-INFO)⁷.

Sources disagree Family Code section 242 sets the hearing “within 21 days, or, if good cause appears to the court, 25 days” of the decision on the temporary order, and a TRO not heard on time is no longer enforceable unless extended under section 245⁶. The self-help guide’s pages on filing and the process state no number of days⁵⁸. The date printed on form DV-109 is the date set for the case.

The self-help guide advises bringing photos, texts and emails with three copies of each; the person requesting usually speaks first; the judge usually decides the same day but may continue the hearing; and if the request is denied, the DVRO case ends, although custody issues can still go before a judge¹⁷.

If the order is granted, the signed order is form DV-130; the court can give up to three free copies, and enforcement is by calling 911¹⁸. A restraining order after hearing “may have a duration of not more than five years” under section 6345, and a renewal can be requested within three months before expiry, at no fee, on forms DV-700, DV-710 and DV-720¹⁹²⁴. The person subject to the order must give up firearms and ammunition within 24 hours of being served (form DV-800 as proof within 48 hours)²⁰.

Custody, visitation and support can be requested in the DVRO case itself; Riverside charges statutory filing fees on a request to change those orders only after the protective order is no longer in effect⁹⁴.

Free help in Riverside County:

• SAFE Family Justice Centers: Riverside, 3900 Orange St., (951) 955-6100; Temecula, 28910 Pujol St., (951) 587-3900; Indio, 82-995 Highway 111, Ste. 103, (760) 863-8363. Services include help applying for restraining and protective orders; all services are free²¹.
• Alternatives to Domestic Violence: 24-hour crisis lines 951-683-0829 (Riverside city area and out of county) and 800-339-7233 (remainder of Riverside County)²².
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, TTY 1-800-787-3224¹.