Civil Protection Orders

Washington State law allows a person to file a civil case in court asking a judge or a commissioner to grant an order to protect them from another person whose behavior is abusive, threatening, exploitative, or seriously alarming.  

If you are seeking a civil protection order some processes have changed due to Washington State recently passing House Bill 1320 which updates laws concerning civil protection orders. There is now one petition for all types of protection orders, which is domestic violence, anti-harassment, sexual assault, stalking, and vulnerable adult protection order.  A separate form is used for extreme risk protection orders.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, please call 911 now!

Forms & Instructions

Forms and instructions are provided in Courtroom 202 between the hours of 9:00 am - 12:00 pm and 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; or 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm on Tuesday and Thursday. 

You may also obtain a packet online at Washington State Courts - Court Forms.

Privacy Warning! The restrained person will see the Petition and any other evidence you file with the Court.  This information is also available to the public for anyone to see.  Do not include any confidential addresses or confidential information in your documents, unless it is filed with a confidential coversheet.

When to File in the County Clerk's Office for Superior Court

Petitions may be filed in Superior Court or District Court, except that a request for a vulnerable adult protection order must be filed in Superior Court.  If you seek a protection order in District Court and any of the following conditions apply to you, your case will be transferred to Superior Court.

  • You and the respondent have children in common.
  • You reside with the respondent and are asking that the respondent is removed from the home.
  • Either the petitioner or respondent is under 18, or
  • You have a case with the respondent in Superior Court.
If you have a court order, it is important to remember:
  • Keep a certified copy of your order with you at all times.
  • The order is enforceable throughout the State of Washington.
  • If there is a violation of your court order, call 911 or your local police. Tell them you have a court order and it is being violated.

Cost


  • Domestic Violence: No cost to the petitioner
  • Anti-Harassment: $53 in Superior Court (Fees may be waived), additional costs can include copy and service fees

Children's Waiting Room

The Children's Waiting Room is a free drop-in child care program available to any resident of Spokane County attending to business on the Spokane County Courthouse campus. Children between the ages of one and twelve are accepted into the program on a first-come, first-served basis. Parents or guardians attending to court business involving domestic (intimate partner) violence, however, are encouraged to call ahead to reserve space in the program. They may reach the program staff at 509-477-6815 between 8 a.m. - Noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Children's Waiting Room is located in the basement of the Broadway Centre Building, 721 North Jefferson, Room 101.

Helpful Resources

All links to external websites below will open in a new window and redirect you to an external organization.  Spokane County Clerk's Office is not responsible for the content on these external websites.

YWCA

Legal Advocates, Intimate Partners Violence Assistance

930 N Monroe, Spokane, WA 99201

(509)477-3656, option #1 BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Hours:  Mon, Tues, Thurs: 8-5; Wed: 10-5; Fri: 8-3

24/7 Helpline: 509-326-2255 (Text Line: 509-220-3725)


LCS Northwest Advocates

*By Appointment Only

(509)747-8224

M-Th 8-5 & Fri 8:30-3pm


MiA- Mujeres in Action

Apoyo para sobrevivientes de violencia doméstica y/o agresión sexual/ Domestic Violence and/or Sexual Assault Advocates

L-V 9am-4pm

318 E Rowan Ave Suite 208, Spokane, WA 99207

509-869-0876

24/7 Linea Primera Conexion: 

509-795-2028


Kalispel Tribe Victim Assistance Services

Hours: Monday-Thursday 8:30 pm - 5:00 pm

509-789-7671

24 Hour HELPLINE

1-877-700-7175


Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition

2202 E Sprague Ave, Ste 7

Spokane, WA 99202

www.endtheviolencespokane.org


National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-SAFE (7233) 

Center for Justice: 509-835-5211

35 W Main Ave #300
 Spokane, WA 99201


Northwest Justice Project : 509-324-9128

1702 W Broadway Ave
 Spokane, WA 99201


University Legal Services : 509-313-5791

1220 N Dakota Street
 Spokane, WA 99202


Adult Protective Services:  (800) 459-0421

1330 N Washington St #3000
 Spokane, WA 99201


Suicide & Crisis Line: 988

Crisis Text Line 741741


National Sexual Assault Hotline; 1 (800) 656-4673

Washington State Department of Children, Youth, & Families: 1 (866) 363-4276

Washington Law Help - Helpful information about the law in Washington


VINELink is the online version of VINE (Victim information and Notification Everyday), the National Victim Notification Network.  This service allows crime victims to obtain timely and reliable information about criminal cases and the custody status of offenders 24 hours a day.  Some states have the ability to display this website in Spanish.  Please click on the state where you wish to search.  If this option is available, you will see an "English / Espanol" toggle in the upper right corner of the webpage.  Victims and other concerned citizens can also register to be notified by phone, email, text message (SMS), or TTY device when an offender's custody status changes.  Users can also register through their participating state or county toll-free number. Go to the Washington State VINELink website for online services.


Common Definitions

  • Domestic Violence means: (a) physical harm, bodily injury, assault, or the infliction of fear of physical harm, bodily injury, or assault; nonconsensual sexual conduct or nonconsensual sexual penetration; unlawful harassment; or stalking of one intimate partner by another intimate partner; or (b) physical harm, bodily injury, assault, or the infliction of fear of physical harm, bodily injury, or assault; nonconsensual sexual conduct or nonconsensual sexual penetration; unlawful harassment; or stalking of one family or household member by another family or household member.
  • Family or Household Members means: (a) persons related by blood, marriage, domestic partnership, or adoption; (b) persons who currently or formerly resided together; (c) persons who have a biological or legal parent-child relationship, including stepparents and stepchildren and grandparents and grandchildren, or a parent's intimate partner and children; and (d) a person who is acting or has acted as a legal guardian.
  • Intimate Partner means: (a) spouses or domestic partners; (b) former spouses or former domestic partners; (c) persons who have a child in common regardless of whether they have been married or have lived together at any time; or (d) persons who have or have had a dating relationship where both persons are at least 13 years of age or older.
  • Stalking means: (a) any act of stalking as defined under RCW 9A.46.110: or (b) any act of cyberstalking as defined under RCW 9A.90.120; or (c) any course of conduct involving repeated or continuing contacts, attempts to contact, monitoring, tracking, surveillance, keeping under observation, disrupting activities in a harassing manner, or following of another person that: (1) would cause a reasonable person to feel intimidated, frightened, under duress, significantly disrupted, or threatened and that actually causes such a feeling; (2) serves no lawful purpose; and (3) the respondent knows, or reasonably should know, threatens, frightens, or intimidates the person, even if the respondent did not intend to intimidate, frighten, or threaten the person.
  • Vulnerable Adult includes a person (a) sixty years of age or older who has the functional, mental, or physical inability to care for themselves; (b) subject to a guardianship under RCW 11.130.265 or adult subject to conservatorship under RCW 11.130.360; (c) who has a developmental disability as defined under RCW 71A.10.020; (d) admitted to any facility; (e) receiving services from home health, hospice, or home care agencies licensed or required to be licensed under chapter 70.127 RCW; (f) receiving services from a person under contract with the department of social and health services to provide  services in the home under chapter 74.09 or 74.39A RCW; or (g) who self-directs their own care and receives services from a personal aide under chapter 74.39 RCW.
  • Financial Exploitation means the illegal or improper use of , control over, or withholding of, the property, income, resources, or trust funds of the vulnerable adult by any person or entity for any person's or entity's profit or advantage other than for the vulnerable adult's profit or advantage. Financial exploitation includes, but is not limited to: (a) the use of deception, intimidation, or undue influence by a person or entity in a position of trust and confidence with a vulnerable adult to obtain or use the property, income, resources, government benefits, health insurance benefits, or trust funds of the vulnerable adult for the benefit of a person or entity other than the vulnerable adult; (b) the breach of a fiduciary duty, including, but not limited to, the misuse of a power of attorney, trust, or guardianship or conservatorship appointment, that results in the funds of the vulnerable adult for the benefit of a person or entity other than the vulnerable adult; or (c) obtaining or using a vulnerable adult's property, income, resources, or trust funds without lawful authority, by a person or entity who knows or clearly should know that the vulnerable adult lacks the capacity to consent to the release or use of the vulnerable adult's property, income, resources, or trust funds.
  • Interested Person means a person who demonstrates to the Court's satisfaction that the person is interested in the welfare of a vulnerable adult, that the person has a good faith belief that the Court's intervention is necessary, and that the vulnerable adult is unable, due to incapacity, undue influence, or duress at the time the petition is filed, to protect his or her own interests.







  




210 W Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA 99201 
509-624-7273

210 W Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA 99201 
509-624-7273