Legal Document Assistant helping a client complete California court paperwork at a desk
Restraining Orders · California
Registered & Bonded LDA #268, Santa Clara County Verify ↗

Help preparing your restraining order paperwork

The court forms for a restraining order can be long and stressful to complete. As a Registered Legal Document Assistant, TruPoint Legal prepares them accurately at your direction — in English, Vietnamese, or Spanish. We prepare documents; we do not give legal advice or represent you in court.

Start My Restraining Order Forms → Schedule a Consultation Call (408) 766-3532
Domestic violence Civil harassment Prepared at your direction

If you are in immediate danger, call 911

If you or someone else is in danger right now, call 911. For free, 24/7 support, you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (or text START to 88788).

California courts also offer free help. The Santa Clara County Restraining Order Help Center and the California Courts Self-Help website assist people with restraining orders at no cost. TruPoint Legal is a paid option for hands-on help completing the paperwork.

The basics

What is a restraining order in California?

A restraining order (also called a protective order) is a court order that tells one person to stop certain conduct toward another — such as contact, harassment, threats, or abuse — and can include staying a set distance away. To request one, a person files a set of Judicial Council forms with the court, a judge reviews the request, and a hearing is usually scheduled. California has several kinds, depending on the relationship between the people involved.

As a Registered Legal Document Assistant, TruPoint Legal can prepare these forms at your direction and help with the filing and service steps. An LDA is not an attorney: we do not give legal advice, decide which order fits your situation, write the legal arguments in your declaration, or represent you at the hearing. For advice about your specific case, the court self-help center above or a licensed attorney can help.

What we can prepare

Restraining order forms we can prepare

Domestic violence

For protection from a current or former spouse, partner, someone you have a child with, or a close family member or household member.

Civil harassment

For protection from someone you are not closely related to and never dated — such as a neighbor, coworker, roommate, or stranger.

Elder or dependent-adult abuse

For protection of an adult 65 or older, or a dependent adult, from abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation.

Workplace violence

Filed by an employer to protect an employee from violence or a credible threat of violence at work.

Responding to a restraining order

If a restraining order has been requested against you, we can also prepare your response forms at your direction so you can file them and be heard at the hearing.

Our role as a Legal Document Assistant

What we do, and what we don’t

What TruPoint does

  • Prepare and type the court forms accurately, at your direction, from the information you provide
  • Help you understand the general filing and service steps the court requires
  • Provide service in English, Vietnamese, or Spanish
  • Charge a published fee, quoted before any work begins

What an LDA cannot do

  • Give legal advice or tell you whether or which order to seek
  • Write the legal arguments or strategy in your declaration
  • Represent you or speak for you at the court hearing
  • Predict the outcome of your case

Free help is available too

Court self-help centers prepare restraining order paperwork for free, and you are always welcome to use them. TruPoint Legal is a paid option for people who want hands-on help, language support, or someone to handle the typing and logistics with them. For legal advice, a licensed attorney is the right resource. See the California Courts Self-Help website, or explore our other legal document preparation services.

Cost

Published fee, quoted up front

Free consultation

Restraining order form preparation is offered at a published fee, quoted during a free consultation before any work begins — no hourly billing and no surprises.

Court filing fees are separate and set by the court. In California there is generally no court fee to file a domestic violence restraining order, and civil harassment filings are typically free when they involve violence or a credible threat. Fee waivers are available, and the court determines eligibility. Confirm current fees with your court or self-help center.

Common questions

Restraining order help, answered

What is the difference between a domestic violence and a civil harassment restraining order?
A domestic violence restraining order is for protection from a current or former spouse or partner, a co-parent, or a close family or household member. A civil harassment restraining order is for protection from someone you are not closely related to and never dated, such as a neighbor, coworker, or stranger. The court decides which applies. You can read the official descriptions on the California Courts Self-Help website.
Can a Legal Document Assistant help me file a restraining order?
Yes. California law allows a registered Legal Document Assistant to prepare court forms at your direction, including restraining order paperwork, and to help with the filing and service steps. An LDA does not give legal advice or represent you in court. TruPoint Legal holds LDA #268 in Santa Clara County.
Do you give legal advice or represent me at the hearing?
No. As a Legal Document Assistant, TruPoint prepares your documents at your direction but does not give legal advice, choose your order for you, write the arguments in your declaration, or appear or speak for you in court. For advice or representation, a licensed attorney is the right resource, and court self-help centers offer free guidance.
How much does it cost?
TruPoint charges a published fee for restraining order form preparation, quoted during a free consultation before any work begins. Court filing fees are separate and set by the court; in California there is generally no fee to file a domestic violence restraining order, and fee waivers are available for those the court finds eligible.
Can you help me respond to a restraining order filed against me?
Yes. If someone has requested a restraining order against you, TruPoint can prepare your response forms at your direction so you can file them and be heard at the hearing. As with all our work, we prepare the documents but do not give legal advice or represent you in court.
Where can I get free help with a restraining order?
California court self-help centers prepare restraining order paperwork for free. In our area, the Santa Clara County Restraining Order Help Center assists at no cost, and the statewide California Courts Self-Help website has step-by-step guides. For free, 24/7 support, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
What information do I need to prepare the forms?
Generally, the name and a description of the person to be restrained, the dates and facts of what happened, the names of any witnesses, and any proof you have (such as texts, emails, or photos). You decide what to include; we type it onto the forms accurately at your direction. The court self-help guides explain what each form asks for.
Can TruPoint tell me whether I should get a restraining order, or which type?
No. That is a legal question, and as a Legal Document Assistant we do not give legal advice or decide it for you. A licensed attorney or a court self-help center can help you understand your options. Once you have decided how to proceed, TruPoint prepares the forms at your direction.
I need protection right now. What is the fastest option?
If you are in immediate danger, call 911 — do not wait for paperwork. Police can request an Emergency Protective Order from an on-call judge at any hour, and it takes effect straight away for a few days until you can get to court. Separately, when you file a request the judge normally reviews it the same day or the next business day and can issue a temporary restraining order that protects you until the hearing. Court self-help centers can help you file the same day and charge nothing. We prepare paperwork; we are not an emergency service, and if today is the emergency, call 911 first.
Is there a court filing fee?
For a domestic violence restraining order there is no court filing fee, and no fee for the sheriff to serve it. For a civil harassment order there is no filing fee either if your request is based on unlawful violence, a credible threat of violence, or stalking; otherwise a filing fee applies and you can ask the court to waive it using form FW-001 if you cannot afford it. Our preparation fee is separate from anything the court charges, and we quote it before you commit.
How long does a restraining order last?
A temporary restraining order lasts until the hearing. Under Code of Civil Procedure §527.6 that is up to 21 days, or up to 25 days if the court moves the hearing date. At the hearing the judge decides whether to make a longer order, which can run up to five years. Orders can be renewed before they expire, and they can be changed or ended by further order of the court. The dates that matter are printed on your paperwork — diarise them, because an order that lapses is simply gone.
How does the other person get served?
Someone aged 18 or over who is not you has to hand the papers to the restrained person personally, and a proof of personal service then goes to the court. You must never serve them yourself. In domestic violence cases, and in civil harassment cases based on violence or threats, the sheriff serves free of charge. Service is the step that most often derails a case: if it is not done properly and on time, the judge may postpone the hearing.
Which forms are involved?
For domestic violence it is generally the DV-100 request, DV-109 notice of hearing, and DV-110 temporary order, plus the confidential CLETS-001 that helps police enforce the order. For civil harassment it is the CH-100, CH-109, and CH-110 with the same CLETS form. Responding uses DV-120 or CH-120. Extra forms come in where children, support, or firearms are involved. Every one of these is a free Judicial Council form — what we charge for is preparing them accurately, not for the forms themselves.
Can I just fill out the forms myself for free?
Yes, and for some people that is the right choice. Every form is free at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov in English and Spanish, court self-help centers help you complete them at no cost, and domestic violence advocates will sit with you and even come to court. We will say that plainly rather than talk you out of it. People come to us when they want the paperwork prepared and organised for them, when the description of events needs to be set out carefully, or when self-help hours do not fit around work. If cost is the barrier, use the free help — getting protection matters more than who typed the forms.
What happens at the hearing, and will I have to face them?
Both sides can attend, present evidence, and bring witnesses, and the judge then decides whether to make a longer order. The restrained person may well be in the room, though courts have security, you can ask court staff about waiting separately, and some courts allow remote appearance — ask the clerk or the self-help centre in advance. Bring your evidence organised and bring your proof of service. If you do not attend, your case is usually dismissed. We cannot appear with you or speak for you; a domestic violence advocate or an attorney can.
Can you help me renew or change an existing order?
Yes. Renewal paperwork has to be filed before the current order expires, and once it has lapsed you are generally starting over, so the date on your order is the thing to watch. We also prepare requests to change or end an order. Whether renewal is appropriate in your circumstances is a legal judgment we cannot make — that is for you, with an attorney or a self-help centre — but once you have decided, we prepare the forms at your direction.

Need help with the paperwork?

If you have decided to file or respond, we will prepare your restraining order forms accurately and at your direction, at a published fee quoted up front. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. To begin, contact us or complete our intake forms.

Schedule a Consultation Call (408) 766-3532
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