# 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.

**Direct answer.** DV-109 is the Notice of Court Hearing. The person asking for protection completes only the party names and the court address; the court enters the hearing date, time, and department and returns it stamped. Item 4 states the deadline for serving the other person, which is generally at least 5 days before the hearing unless the court ordered otherwise.

## The two items you fill in, and everything the court fills in

DV-109 (Rev. January 1, 2025) tells both people when and where the court will hear the restraining-order request, and whether a temporary order was granted in the meantime. Almost all of it is completed by the court, not by the person asking for protection.

California Courts assigns the person asking for protection only the limited identifying items — the name of the person asking for protection, the name of the person to be restrained, and the court address in the caption, matching what appears on DV-100. The hearing date, time, and department are entered by the court when the packet is filed. A judicial officer signs it, and the clerk returns it stamped.

- You complete: the two party names, and the court address in the caption.
- The court completes: hearing date, time, department, and the temporary-order status.
- A judicial officer signs it; the clerk returns the stamped copy to you.

## The hearing is set within 21 days, or 25 on a showing of good cause

Family Code § 6320.5(b) sets the hearing within 21 days of the request, or within 25 days if the court finds good cause. The date on the returned DV-109 is the operative one: everything else in the packet — service, proof of service, preparing what you want to say — works backwards from it.

The form also records whether a temporary restraining order on DV-110 was granted or denied until that hearing date. A denial of the temporary order does not end the case; the hearing still happens on the date printed on this form.

## Item 4 is the service deadline, and it is the one most easily missed

Item 4 states when the other person has to be served: personal service at least 5 days before the hearing, unless the court ordered a different time on the form itself. Read the item as returned rather than assuming the default, because the court can and does change it.

Service must be done by someone 18 or older who is not the person asking for protection. The Sheriff serves domestic-violence papers free of charge. Proof of service is filed on DV-200 before the hearing. JusticeOS does not serve papers and does not decide which method of service applies to a situation.

- Served by a person 18 or older who is not you.
- The Sheriff serves DV papers at no charge.
- Proof of service goes on DV-200, filed before the hearing.

## Where DV-109 sits in the packet

DV-109 is filed together with DV-100, DV-110, and CLETS-001. After the judicial officer rules, the stamped DV-109 showing the hearing date is served on the other person along with DV-100 and DV-110, plus blank response forms so they can file a DV-120 if they choose.

JusticeOS is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. It places information you confirm onto the forms you select and checks the assembled packet for common completeness problems. Which forms fit your situation is a question for a court Self-Help Center or a lawyer.

## The official form is published in other languages

DV-109 is published by California Courts in Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Korean and Tagalog, alongside the English version. Those are the Judicial Council’s own translations of the form itself — the document you file — rather than summaries of it. Each translation is on that form’s own page at California Courts, linked under Official sources at the foot of this guide.

These guides are written in English. California Courts also publishes a page on asking for a court interpreter, and makes a point worth repeating here: even for someone who speaks English in everyday life, the situations and language in court can be very difficult.

## Questions people ask next

### Do I fill in the hearing date on DV-109?

No. California Courts assigns the hearing date, time, and department to the court. You complete the party names and the court address; the court enters the rest and returns the form stamped.

### How long do I have to serve the other person?

Item 4 on the returned DV-109 states the deadline — generally personal service at least 5 days before the hearing, unless the court wrote a different time on the form. Read the item as returned rather than assuming the default.

### What if the temporary order was denied?

The hearing still takes place on the date printed on DV-109. A denial of the temporary order is not a decision on the request that will be heard at the hearing.

## Official sources

- [California Courts — DV-109 Notice of Court Hearing](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/jcc-form/DV-109)
- [California Courts — Fill out domestic violence restraining-order forms](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/DV-restraining-order/fill-forms)
- [California Family Code § 6320.5](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=FAM&sectionNum=6320.5)
- [California Courts — Ask for an interpreter](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/request-interpreter)

## Related guides

- [California domestic violence restraining-order forms: the starting packet](https://justiceos.ai/guides/california-dvro-forms)
- [Serving California DVRO papers: who can serve and what to file](https://justiceos.ai/guides/dvro-service)
- [DV-100: what the California request form asks for](https://justiceos.ai/guides/dv-100)

Published 2026-08-21. Reviewed against official California Courts guidance on 2026-08-21.

---

JusticeOS is not a law firm, is not your lawyer, and does not give legal advice. It explains California court forms and procedure in plain language and cites official sources. In immediate danger call 911. National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233.

Canonical HTML: https://justiceos.ai/guides/dv-109