In Illinois, individuals can petition the Court for one of three different Orders of Protection or No Contact Orders. If you are unsure which order is appropriate for your circumstance, the Protective Orders Comparison Chart from the Illinois Attorney General explains the different legal remedies available.
Get Help
Domestic Violence advocacy organizations may be of assistance to those seeking or responding to Orders of Protection. Advocates may be immediately available at the court house; however, they may also be busy assisting others. If you would like to speak to a Domestic Violence advocate, you can call the Illinois Domestic Violence Help Line at (877) 863-6338. This is a toll-free, confidential, multilingual 24-hr information service staffed by trained personnel. They can answer any question that you may have as well as refer you to advocates who may be able to provide you with additional help.
How to Obtain a Protective Order
If you are a seeking a protective order, you may obtain assistance in two ways:
Obtain Paperwork Online
There are no programs to assist with Stalking No Contact Orders or Civil No Contact Orders, but you can still access the needed paperwork online and fill it out before bringing it to the courthouse. Paperwork is available from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Visit a Courthouse
There may be assistance available for you at the courthouse. Services provided at each Domestic Violence Division site are as follows:
- First Municipal District – Chicago
Go directly to Room 1400, and check in at the help desk. There is a variety of assistance available to you. The help desk staff will refer you to the appropriate assistance within the building. - Suburban Municipal Districts
Go to the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Office and tell the clerk you want to file a protective order. If you require assistance in filling it out, the clerk will direct you to the appropriate resources within the building. Otherwise, the clerk will give you the required paperwork, and you can fill it out by yourself. After the paperwork is completed, it must be returned to the clerk’s office for filing. The clerk will then direct you to the courtroom where your case will be called.
Responding to a Protective Order
- The location, date, time, and court room number are located at the bottom of the order. Please refer to that information to locate where and when you must appear in court.
- A brochure of services you may need as a respondent of a protective order is available for download. Click here.
After-Hours Assistance
Individuals can petition for an emergency order of protection outside of the Court's regular business hours.
- Outside of regular court hours, remote hearings are available at the following times (excluding all National and Legal Court Holidays):
- Monday - Friday 9:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.
- Saturday - Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Only during the hours above, request a Civil EOP hearing by visiting Illinois Legal Aid Online.
- For Domestic Violence Advocacy or Assistance with After-Hours Petitions and Hearings - Please call the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at (877) 863-6338 [(877)-TO END DV]
Important Forms
Court forms, including forms to Petition for Order of Protection, Petition for Stalking No Contact Order and Petition for Civil No Contact Order, are available from the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
How Do I ?
If you would like to request a protective order, but do not know which kind of order is appropriate for your circumstance, click here to download a PDF that explains the different legal remedies available.
There are three ways to obtain assistance with seeking a protective order.
1. An online program is available to assist you before coming to court. The program will guide you through filling out all the necessary paperwork for an order of protection. After completing the paperwork, you can print and bring it to the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the appropriate courthouse where you will be filing. Click here to access this helpful online program.
2. While there are no online programs to assist you with filling out stalking no contact orders or civil no contact orders, you can access the necessary forms online and print and fill them out before coming to the appropriate courthouse. To access the forms, click here.
3. Assistance may be available for you at the courthouse as follows:
Domestic Violence Courthouse in Chicago (First Municipal District)
Go directly to the screening room, Room 1400, and check in at the help desk where staff will direct you to the appropriate resources within the courthouse.
Suburban Municipal Districts 2, 3, 4 ,5 , and 6
Go to the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court and tell personnel you want to file a protective order. Clerk personnel will give you the required forms which you can fill out by yourself. If you require assistance in filling them out, clerk personnel can direct you to the appropriate resources within the building. After all the paperwork is completed, you must return to the clerk's office to file it. Clerk personnel will then direct you to the courtroom where your case will be heard.
The location, date, time, and courtroom number are located at the bottom of the front page of the protective order. Please refer to that information to learn where and when you must appear in court.
There are domestic violence advocacy organizations located in many of the courthouses which may be able to offer assistance to persons seeking or responding to orders of protection. However, advocates may not always be immediately available if they are busy assisting others.
You can also speak with a domestic violence advocate by calling the Illinois Domestic Violence Help Line at (877) 863-6338. This is a toll-free, confidential, multilingual 24-hour information service staffed by trained personnel. They can answer questions and provide referrals to advocates for additional help.
If criminal, contact the State's Attorney's Office at (312)325-9200.
If civil, file a motion with the Clerk of the Circuit Court's Office.
Click here to download a brochure of services you may need as a respondent of a protective order. Additionally, you may call the Illinois Domestic Violence Help Line at (877) 863-6338 for other referrals.