California DVRO guides
The court's process, translated without pretending to be the court.
Each guide starts with a direct answer, links to the current California Courts source, and marks the line between document preparation and legal judgment.
When you need protection tonight
Emergency protective orders in California: what the police can get you, and the 5-to-7 day clock it starts
What an emergency protective order (EPO-001) is, who can ask for one, what a judge can order, how long it lasts, and what has to happen before it runs out.
Read the guideStart with the right packet
California domestic violence restraining-order forms: the starting packet
A source-linked map of the California DVRO forms that usually start a request: DV-100, DV-109, DV-110, CLETS-001, local forms, and where to get free help.
Read the guideForm guide
DV-100: what the California request form asks for
A plain-language, official-source guide to the California DV-100 form: name, safe address, relationship, description of abuse, requested orders, attachments, and signature review.
Read the guideIf there are children
DV-105 and the children forms: which one rides with the request, and which one rides with the order
Asking for custody, visitation, and support inside a domestic violence restraining order: DV-105, DV-140, DV-108, DV-145 and FL-150, which form each is filed with, and the items the judge fills in rather than you.
Read the guideForm guide
CLETS-001: the confidential form the other person never sees
What CLETS-001 is for, why it is not in the public file and not served on the other person, what it asks for, and what to do about details you do not know.
Read the guidePrivacy before you file
Does a restraining order show your address? What the other person sees, and the form field that protects you
What the restrained person receives when served with California DVRO papers, the DV-100 instruction that lets you list a mailing address instead of your home, the confidential CLETS-001 form, and DV-160 for a child’s information.
Read the guideForm guide
DV-109: the hearing notice, and the deadline for serving it
What DV-109 is, the two items the person asking for protection fills in, what the court fills in, and the service deadline printed on it.
Read the guideForm guide
DV-110: the temporary order a judge fills in, not you
What DV-110 is, why the orders granted can differ from the orders requested, the firearms rule, and how long a temporary order lasts.
Read the guideBefore the clerk sees the packet
How to check California DVRO forms for common completeness problems
A concrete pre-filing checklist for outdated forms, missing fields, signatures, continuation pages, local forms, packet consistency, and what only the clerk or court can decide.
Read the guideBefore you print
Can you fill out California court forms on a computer and print them?
California Rules of Court, rule 1.44 allows filing a computer-produced duplicate of a Judicial Council form at 300 dpi or better; rules 1.31, 1.35 and 1.42 require courts to accept it, and rules 1.43 and 2.132 require it to be a true copy — plus how rule 1.10 counts deadlines.
Read the guideAfter the forms are complete
How California DVRO filing works after you finish the forms
Official-source filing steps for a California domestic violence restraining-order request: no filing fee, county-specific e-filing, clerk review, copies, and what comes back.
Read the guideAfter the court returns your papers
Serving California DVRO papers: who can serve and what to file
Official-source California DVRO service steps: you cannot serve the papers yourself, who can serve, free sheriff service, DV-200 proof of service, and the item 6 deadline.
Read the guideWhen the court date does not work
DV-115: a new hearing date when the papers were not served in time — without losing the TRO
How the Request to Continue Court Hearing (DV-115) works in a California DVRO case: who can ask, the reasons the form itself lists, what happens to the temporary restraining order, and the re-serve step that follows.
Read the guidePrepare what the court can review
Organizing pictures, text messages, and emails for a DVRO hearing
A cautious, official-source workflow for organizing pictures, text messages, emails, screenshots, recordings, and three copies for a California DVRO hearing.
Read the guideThe day in court
What happens at a California restraining order hearing: who speaks, what to bring, and what the judge decides
California Courts’ own account of the DVRO court date: the order both sides speak in, the three-copies rule for evidence, witnesses, support persons, interpreters, appearing by phone or video under DV-109, and what follows a grant or a denial.
Read the guideAfter the judge says yes
DV-130: the judge granting your order is not the last step, and this form is the order
What happens after a judge grants a long-term restraining order: writing DV-130 from the minute order, getting it signed, picking it up, the free copies, and the item that tells you whether you still have to serve.
Read the guideBefore your order runs out
Renewing a California restraining order: DV-700, and the deadline that ends the option
How to ask the court to renew a domestic violence restraining order before it expires: DV-700, DV-710 and CLETS-001, the three-month window, the no-fee filing, and what happens to custody and support orders.
Read the guideIf you brought an order with you
An out-of-state restraining order in California: you are already protected, and DV-600 is optional
What California does with a restraining order from another state, tribal court, or Canada: why registration is not required for enforcement, what DV-600 actually buys you, and why it is free and sealed.
Read the guideOne packet. Three separate jobs.
Know what the form, the clerk, and the judge each do.
A form records your information and requests. A clerk receives filings and applies current filing requirements. A judicial officer decides whether to issue an order. JusticeOS helps you prepare and check your own documents; it does not take over any of those roles.
How these guides are maintained
The source of truth is the California Courts Self-Help Guide and the current Judicial Council form page. Each guide names its source and shows a review date. A county court can add local forms, filing locations, e-filing steps, and exhibit procedures, so every filing guide sends the reader back to the correct court website before action.
The answer blocks are intentionally procedural. They explain what a document asks for, what the statewide instructions say, and what a completeness check can detect. They do not decide whether conduct is legally abuse, recommend an order, evaluate evidence, interpret a person's rights, or predict what a court will do.
JusticeOS is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. If you need help choosing a legal path, contact a court Self-Help Center, a domestic-violence advocate, or a licensed lawyer. In an emergency, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.
Every guide states the date it was last reviewed against official California Courts guidance. Start with the California Courts DVRO guide and use JusticeOS as a document tool — not as a substitute for that authority.