If you are asking how long does a restraining order last in Florida, the answer depends on whether the court issued a temporary injunction or a final injunction. A temporary domestic violence injunction generally lasts up to 15 days, while a final injunction may remain in effect until a date stated by the court, or until a judge modifies or dissolves it. The order itself controls the restrictions and the important dates in your case.
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Florida uses the term injunction for protection in its statutes. People often call these orders restraining orders, protective orders, or no-contact orders. The timeline can affect where someone may live, who they may contact, parenting arrangements, and what conduct can lead to an alleged violation. Because a missed hearing or misunderstanding an order can have serious consequences, read every page of the signed order and confirm dates with the clerk or your lawyer. This article is general information, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
How long does a restraining order last in Florida?
A temporary injunction usually lasts no more than 15 days, while a final injunction lasts according to the court’s order and may continue until it is modified or dissolved.
That short answer applies most directly to the common two-stage process for a domestic violence injunction. A petitioner may request immediate temporary protection, sometimes without the respondent being present. The court then schedules a noticed hearing to decide whether a final injunction should be entered. The temporary and final orders are separate stages, so the date printed on a temporary order does not necessarily tell you how long the case will remain subject to court restrictions.
Florida’s current domestic violence injunction statute sets the temporary period and hearing requirements. Local court procedures affect how filing, service, and hearing notices are handled. For example, the Miami-Dade Clerk’s restraining order information explains that a temporary injunction is valid for up to 15 days and that a permanent injunction may remain active indefinitely or until dissolved by the court.
How long does a temporary injunction last?
An ex parte temporary domestic violence injunction is effective for a fixed period not to exceed 15 days, unless the court extends it as needed during a permitted continuance.
Under Florida Statutes section 741.30(5)(c), the court must set the full hearing for a date no later than the date the temporary injunction ceases to be effective. A continuance may be granted for good cause, including a problem with service of process. If a continuance is granted, the injunction must be extended as necessary to remain in force during that continuance. This means a temporary order may last longer than the initial period printed on the order, but it does not happen automatically just because a hearing is delayed. The court’s updated order and docket control the result.
A temporary injunction is designed to provide short-term protection while the court can schedule a full hearing. It is not a prediction that a final injunction will be entered. The court may grant, deny, or modify requested relief after reviewing the petition, evidence, service, and hearing testimony. If the only ground for denying the ex parte temporary injunction is that no immediate and present danger appears, Florida law requires the court to set a noticed full hearing at the earliest possible time. The June 2026 Florida Courts domestic violence benchcard summarizes these timing rules and the requirements for modification or dissolution.
How long does a final injunction last?
A final injunction does not have one universal expiration date in Florida; its terms and duration are determined by the court and the signed order.
Some final domestic violence injunctions are entered without a short fixed expiration date. The statute provides that the terms of an injunction remain in full force and effect until modified or dissolved, and either party may ask the court to modify or dissolve it. The Florida Courts’ approved final-judgment form provides for an injunction to remain effective until further court order or until a specified date, depending on the order entered. The Miami-Dade Clerk describes a permanent injunction as indefinitely active or active until the court dissolves it. Never assume that a final injunction expires after 15 days. Read the final order for its exact terms, and review the Florida Courts final-judgment form resource for the official form context.
The word “permanent” can be confusing. It does not mean that no court can ever change the order. A judge may later modify, extend, or dissolve an injunction through the proper court process. Until that happens, the respondent must follow the existing order. The Florida Courts comparison of injunctions explains that injunctions can be temporary or permanent and may be dissolved, modified, or extended depending on the circumstances.
A final injunction can include more than a general instruction to avoid violence. Depending on the case, the court may address contact, distance from a home or workplace, exclusive use of a residence, temporary parenting provisions, communication through a third party, or other protective relief. The scope of the relief comes from the signed order, not from a general description of restraining orders found online.
| Order stage | Typical timing rule | What controls the date |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary injunction | Fixed period not to exceed 15 days for a domestic violence ex parte order | The signed temporary order and any court-approved continuance |
| Full hearing | Set no later than the temporary injunction’s expiration date, subject to a good-cause continuance | The hearing notice, docket, and any updated court order |
| Final injunction | May continue until a specified date or further court order | The signed final judgment and later modification, extension, or dissolution orders |
What key dates should you track in a Florida injunction case?
Track the filing date, temporary-order expiration date, service date, full-hearing date, final-order date, and any later modification, extension, or dissolution date.
Writing the dates on a calendar is useful, but the official court docket and signed orders remain the controlling sources. A practical timeline usually includes these steps:
- Petition filed: The petitioner files a verified petition in the proper circuit. For a domestic violence injunction, section 741.30 allows filing in the circuit where the petitioner currently or temporarily resides, where the respondent resides, or where the violence occurred.
- Temporary decision: If the judge finds the statutory standard for immediate temporary relief, the temporary injunction states when it begins and when it ends. Review every page, including attachments and additional conditions.
- Service and notice: The respondent must receive the petition, order, and hearing information in the manner required by law. Service can affect the hearing schedule and whether the court can proceed.
- Full hearing: The court sets a hearing to decide whether to issue final relief. For a domestic violence temporary injunction, the hearing generally must be set no later than the date the temporary injunction ends, subject to a court-approved continuance.
- Final order: If the court grants final relief, the final order states the restrictions and any duration or expiration language. The final order replaces the temporary order as the controlling document for the ongoing injunction.
- Later court action: A party may seek to modify, extend, or dissolve an injunction. The prior order remains important until the court enters a new order changing it.
Keep copies of every order and hearing notice. If a date changes, save the updated notice or signed order rather than relying only on a text message, voicemail, or an old calendar entry. When in doubt, contact the clerk’s office for docket information and ask a Florida attorney to explain how the order applies to your situation.
Can a Florida restraining order be extended, modified, or dissolved?
Yes. A court may extend, modify, or dissolve an injunction through the proper legal process, and the existing order remains in effect until the court changes it.
For domestic violence injunctions, Florida law permits either party to ask the court to modify or dissolve the injunction. A petitioner may also ask to extend an injunction before it expires. The judge decides whether the requested change is legally appropriate based on the circumstances and the applicable court rules. Filing a motion does not by itself give anyone permission to ignore the existing restrictions.
The same general caution applies when a hearing is continued. A respondent should not assume that a temporary injunction has expired simply because the original 15-day period has passed. Confirm whether the court entered an extension. A petitioner should not assume that a request for extension is automatically granted. Check the docket and obtain the court’s signed ruling.
Different injunction types have different statutory requirements. Florida’s repeat, dating, and sexual violence injunction statute also addresses temporary injunctions, hearings, continuances, and later modification or dissolution. It includes a special rule for certain sexual-violence temporary injunctions tied to the respondent’s release from incarceration, so do not apply the domestic-violence timeline to every injunction without checking the applicable statute and signed order. Stalking injunctions are governed by a separate statute. If the order concerns stalking, dating violence, repeat violence, or sexual violence rather than domestic violence between family or household members, identify the type of injunction before relying on a timeline from another case.
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What should you do before the next injunction hearing?
Read the signed order, follow every restriction, preserve relevant evidence, and prepare for the hearing without contacting a protected person in violation of the order.
If you are the respondent
Read the order line by line. Note any no-contact, stay-away, residence, parenting, firearm, communication, or third-party-contact restrictions. Do not treat an unclear term as permission. Ask a lawyer to explain the order and contact the clerk or court-appointed resources about scheduling questions. If you need to retrieve belongings, arrange parenting exchanges, or communicate about an emergency, use only a method expressly allowed by the order or approved by the court.
Prepare for the hearing by preserving messages, call records, photographs, location information, witness details, and other material that may be relevant. Do not delete evidence or send messages intended to influence a petitioner or witness. A violation of a protective order can create separate legal exposure even while the civil injunction case is pending. Galanter Law’s guide on fighting a domestic violence injunction in Florida covers hearing preparation and defense issues in more detail.
If you are the petitioner
Keep the temporary or final order accessible and report safety concerns promptly through the appropriate local channel. Bring the petition, notices, evidence, and witness information to the hearing as directed. If circumstances change or the order is nearing its stated end date, ask the clerk or your lawyer about the procedure and timing for a motion to extend or modify it. Do not rely on an informal agreement with the respondent to change what the written order says.
If you want a general overview of filing and responding to a Florida restraining order, you can also review Galanter Law’s Florida restraining order guide. For a different type of proceeding, the firm’s stalking injunction guide explains why the legal requirements may differ.
Does a criminal case change how long an injunction lasts?
Not necessarily. A Florida injunction is a civil court order and may continue on its own timeline even when a criminal investigation or prosecution is also involved.
Florida Statutes section 741.30 states that a domestic violence injunction may be sought whether or not another cause of action is pending. A criminal arrest, charge reduction, dismissal, or a prosecutor’s decision not to file charges does not automatically tell you that the civil injunction has ended. Likewise, the existence of an injunction does not by itself establish that a person will be convicted of a crime. The cases can involve different proceedings, standards, evidence, and court dates.
For that reason, check the injunction docket and the criminal case docket separately. Follow the injunction until a judge changes or dissolves it, and follow any criminal-case release conditions or no-contact conditions as well. If the two orders appear inconsistent, do not choose one on your own. Ask counsel or the issuing court for clarification.
Galanter Law’s domestic violence defense page explains how an injunction can intersect with criminal defense, custody concerns, housing, and other rights. A lawyer can review the specific documents and identify which date and restriction matters most immediately.
The duration and restrictions of an injunction can affect your immediate decisions. Galanter Law, P.A. helps people evaluate domestic violence injunctions and related criminal defense concerns in South Florida. This article is general information, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The controlling answer is in the signed injunction and the court docket, with temporary orders generally limited to 15 days unless the court extends them during a continuance. The questions below address common timing issues, but a case-specific order may include different dates or terms.
Does a temporary restraining order automatically last 15 days?
No. It may last for a fixed period of up to 15 days, but the signed order and any court-approved continuance control the actual dates. A hearing generally must be set no later than the temporary order’s expiration date, and the court may extend the order when a continuance is granted for good cause.
Can a final injunction last longer than 15 days?
Yes. A final injunction can remain in effect beyond 15 days and may continue until a stated expiration date or until the court modifies or dissolves it. Read the final injunction rather than applying the temporary-order timeline to it.
What happens if the hearing is continued?
Ask whether the court extended the temporary injunction to cover the continuance. In a domestic violence injunction case, Florida law requires the injunction to remain in force as necessary during an approved continuance. Do not rely on the original end date without checking the court’s updated order.
Can I ignore an injunction after the criminal case is dismissed?
No. A criminal case and a civil injunction can have separate timelines. Continue following the injunction unless the issuing court has entered an order modifying or dissolving it. A lawyer can review both case records and explain the next lawful step.
Where can I confirm the expiration date?
Check the signed order and the official court docket, then confirm any uncertainty with the clerk or a Florida attorney. Online summaries cannot replace the terms of the order in your case.
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Galanter Law, P.A. helps people evaluate domestic violence injunctions and related criminal defense concerns in South Florida. This article is general information, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
