To get a Protective or Peace Order, a petitioner can go to a District Court or the Circuit Court (for Protective Orders only) and provide a few minutes of testimony to a judge or a commissioner. This judge or commissioner will decide whether or not an order should be issued. Before applying for one of these orders, you may want to review the relevant statutes (laws) (Section 3-1501 Courts and Judicial Proceedings, or Section 4-501 Family Law Article) to determine whether you are entitled to receive these types of orders. In addition, make sure that you provide the judge with specific facts about what happened to you. Finally, be sure that the acts that caused you to seek the order occurred within the time period required for filing: 30 days or less before seeking a peace order; there is no stated time limit for most protective orders.
