How to Get a Protective Order in Marion County Without a Lawyer
A step-by-by guide to filing at the City-County Building — from the forms you need before you leave home to the free advocates who will walk through the door with you.
A step-by-by guide to filing at the City-County Building — from the forms you need before you leave home to the free advocates who will walk through the door with you.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and if you’re searching for this right now, you may not have time to read background. Short answer: Marion County residents can file a civil Order for Protection at the City-County Building at 200 E. Washington St., appear before a duty judge the same day, and walk out with a temporary order. No lawyer required. No filing fee in most cases. Free advocates from Beacon of Hope Crisis Center can accompany you through every step. The Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence can match you with the right local advocate if you don’t know where to start.
The longer answer covers every form, every counter, every question you’ll face.
One thing to be clear about upfront: this guide covers only the civil Order for Protection under Indiana Code 34-26-5. You file it yourself. It is not a criminal no-contact order — that’s issued by a criminal court as a condition of the respondent’s case, and you can’t apply for it directly. The civil order here applies to people experiencing domestic or family violence, stalking, or harassment under the statute. You don’t need an attorney to file, though free legal help exists and is described in Section 7.
Get the Forms Before You Leave Home
Download and complete your petition before you go to the courthouse. Do it at a library, at a friend’s house, anywhere that is not the filing line.
The authoritative source is the Indiana Office of Judicial Administration forms page at in.gov/courts/ioja/court-forms/. Search “Order for Protection” and download the current petition. The form number changes periodically, so pull a fresh copy rather than using a photocopy someone handed you six months ago.
Completing the petition in advance shortens your time at the courthouse, and that matters more than it sounds. If you’re traveling with children, on a tight schedule, or need to be in and out before someone notices you’re gone, every minute not spent standing at a counter is a minute working in your favor. A complete petition — one that includes every address you want covered, a clear account of what happened and when, and the names of any children you want included — makes it more likely you’ll receive a same-day ex parte order.
If you need help with the forms before you go, Indiana Legal Services Indianapolis at (800) 869-0212 assists income-qualifying residents. Beacon of Hope Crisis Center runs a 24-hour crisis line and can connect you with an advocate who will walk through form completion with you. Confirm the current crisis line number directly with Beacon of Hope before your visit — see the verification note at the end of this article.
The Self-Help Legal Center inside the City-County Building can assist if you arrive without a completed petition. It cannot give legal advice — firm rule, statewide — but staff can explain what each field is asking. Confirm current hours at (317) 327-4740 before making the trip, since hours shift without much notice.
Getting to 200 E. Washington St. and Through the Door
The Marion Superior Court civil filing window is in the City-County Building at 200 E. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204.
By bus: Multiple IndyGo routes run the Washington Street corridor, which is among the most-served in the city. The City Market stop puts you within a short walk of the building. Check IndyGo’s trip planner for the route from your starting point.
By car: Paid parking is available in the Circle Centre garage and in surface lots on Market Street. Metered street parking nearby is typically one or two hours — not enough. Budget half a day for this visit. Seriously, half a day. People consistently underestimate the wait.
All visitors go through security screening. Bags are searched and scanned; no weapons permitted. Arrive as early as possible. Morning arrivals give you the most time before the duty judge’s docket fills and before the filing window gets crowded.
Don’t bring the respondent. Come with a support person — a trusted friend, a family member, or ideally a trained advocate. If you have kids with you, bring snacks and something to keep them occupied. The wait after filing can run several hours, and a courthouse hallway with tired, anxious children is a genuinely miserable situation that’s easy to plan around.
Marion Superior Court offers interpreter services. This matters for Indianapolis’s substantial Spanish-speaking and Burmese-speaking communities specifically — notify the clerk at the filing window that you need an interpreter. Don’t assume one will appear without asking.
The civil filing window is in Room W122, first floor, west side of the building. Current hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call (317) 327-4740 to confirm before you go. Room locations and hours do change.
What You Hand Over at the Filing Window
Hand the clerk your completed Petition for Order for Protection. The clerk reviews it for completeness and assigns a case number. The petition then goes to the duty judge — the judge handling emergency civil matters that day. You wait. The clerk will tell you where to wait and how you’ll be notified when the judge has reviewed your petition.
Indiana Code 34-26-5-3 exempts petitioners in domestic and family violence cases from filing fees. If your case involves a category where a fee might apply — certain harassment cases, for instance — a Verified Motion to Waive Filing Fees is a routine request that judges grant regularly. Ask the clerk. Don’t let worry about cost stop you from filing.
Marion County has expanded e-filing in many case types. Confirm with the clerk’s office at (317) 327-4740 whether any electronic option exists for protective order petitions, or whether in-person filing at Room W122 remains required. In-person is currently the standard.
The Same-Day Ex Parte Order and What It Takes to Get One
“Ex parte” means the judge can act on your request alone — without notifying the respondent first. Under Indiana Code 34-26-5-9, a judge may issue a temporary Order for Protection the same day you file if your petition demonstrates immediate and present danger of domestic or family violence, stalking, or harassment.
You don’t argue your case in a courtroom at this stage. The duty judge reads your written petition. This is why specificity matters: dates, locations, what was said or done, any weapons involved, prior incidents. A general statement that you feel afraid is much less useful than a chronological account of specific events. The judge is reading many filings that day; give them something concrete to act on.
After the petition reaches the duty judge, review typically takes one to four hours depending on the day’s docket. Bring your phone charged, something to read, and water. If you have an advocate with you, they can stay through the wait — and having another person there makes a real difference, practically and otherwise.
If the ex parte order is granted, the clerk issues you certified copies of the temporary Order for Protection that same day. Keep one at home, one in your car, one at your workplace, one at your children’s school. The Marion County Sheriff’s Department is notified to serve the order on the respondent. The order doesn’t take effect against the respondent until they’ve been served — which is exactly why every address where they might be found needs to be on your petition.
The temporary order can prohibit the respondent from coming to your home, workplace, your children’s school or daycare. It can bar contact by phone, text, email, or through third parties. List every address and every form of contact you need restricted. If you forget an address, it won’t be covered. Adding it later means going back to court. Get it right the first time.
Violating a served Order for Protection is a Class A misdemeanor. Repeat violations, or violations involving additional criminal conduct, can be charged as felonies.
The Return Hearing — When It Is and What to Bring
The same-day ex parte order is temporary. Indiana law requires a full hearing at which the respondent has the right to appear and contest it. In Marion County, that hearing is typically scheduled within 30 days of service on the respondent — confirm the current timeline with the clerk’s office, since docket conditions affect scheduling.
You’ll receive the hearing date when you file. Write it down immediately, and then call Indiana Legal Services. Don’t wait until the week before.
For the hearing, bring printed or screenshot copies of texts, voicemails, and emails showing threats or harassment. Photographs of injuries or property damage, dated if possible. Medical records documenting treatment for injuries. Police reports from any incidents involving the respondent. Names and contact information for witnesses who can corroborate your account.
If your children are included in the petition, bring documentation of the respondent’s conduct toward them — school records, medical records, whatever is relevant. A written timeline of incidents organized by date helps the judge follow the pattern. It doesn’t need to look like a legal document. Clear and honest in plain language is fine.
The return hearing is a real court proceeding. The respondent may appear with an attorney. You’re entitled to representation too — Indiana Legal Services at (800) 869-0212 provides free civil legal representation to income-qualifying petitioners at protective order hearings. Call as soon as you have your hearing date. An attorney at the return hearing changes the dynamics considerably, and you’re not obligated to face it alone just because you filed without one. For a broader look at no-cost options available to Marion County residents, our legal & finance coverage tracks free and reduced-cost legal resources across the county.
Free Advocates Who Will Go With You to the Courthouse
Most guides either skip this section or dump a generic referral list. In Indianapolis, there are specific organizations with trained staff whose job includes accompanying petitioners to the courthouse. Here’s what each actually does — verify hours, availability, and current scope of services directly before the day you file.
Beacon of Hope Crisis Center is Indianapolis’s primary domestic violence crisis organization and the place to call first if you don’t know where to start. It runs a 24-hour crisis line and provides courthouse accompaniment through its advocacy program. An advocate can meet you at the courthouse, stay with you during the wait, and explain what’s happening at each step. They can also work through your petition with you before filing day and help you safety-plan for the return hearing. Verify the current crisis line number directly with Beacon of Hope before your visit.
Coburn Place Safe Haven focuses on transitional housing and longer-term advocacy. Staff can provide court accompaniment and, if you need to leave your current residence, connect you with housing support. Their usefulness extends well past the courthouse — if the question of where you’re going to live after the order takes effect is already on your mind, Coburn Place is the right call. Verify the current intake line and scope of services before your visit.
Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) runs a statewide hotline at (800) 332-7385. If you’re unsure which local organization fits your situation, start here. ICADV will refer you to the right Marion County advocate.
Indiana Legal Services Indianapolis at (800) 869-0212 is different from the organizations above — this is free legal representation, not advocacy support, though both can work alongside each other. An attorney or paralegal here can review your petition, advise on what evidence to include, and represent you at the return hearing. Call before the day you file so there’s time to connect. Don’t confuse “I filed without a lawyer” with “I have to go through the return hearing without one.”
Call before you go. These organizations do more than courthouse accompaniment — housing, financial assistance, counseling, safety planning. That support starts before filing day and continues long after the return hearing. For residents who need additional legal help beyond what advocates provide, free and low-cost legal help in Indianapolis organized by what you need covers the full range of civil assistance available in the county.
Questions Readers Often Have That Other Guides Don’t Answer
Will this appear on my own record?
No. The Petition for Order for Protection is a civil action filed against the respondent, not you. Your name appears as petitioner, but there’s no finding of fault against you, and nothing in this proceeding appears on your criminal record.
Can I include my children in the same petition?
Yes, and you should if they need protection. Indiana law allows you to include minor children. List them by name and include the addresses and locations — schools, daycare — where they need coverage. This avoids filing a separate petition later.
What if the respondent lives in another county or state?
Your Marion County Order for Protection is valid and enforceable throughout Indiana. It’s also enforceable in other states under the federal Violence Against Women Act, which requires all states to honor valid protective orders from other jurisdictions. Carry certified copies when you cross county or state lines.
What is the difference between this civil protective order and a criminal no-contact order?
The civil order is yours. You file the petition, you appear before the judge, and you can return to court to modify or dissolve it. A criminal no-contact order is the court’s — issued as a condition of the respondent’s bond or probation in a criminal case. You don’t apply for it and can’t withdraw it. Both can be in effect simultaneously if the respondent has a pending criminal case.
What if the respondent violates the order?
Call 911 immediately. Tell the dispatcher you have an active Order for Protection and describe the violation. Bring your certified copy when law enforcement arrives — don’t assume the responding officer has instant access to the court record. Document the violation in real time: screenshots, photos, whatever you have. Report it to the prosecutor’s office as well. A violation is a criminal offense. Repeat violations carry felony exposure.
If You Are in Danger Right Now
Call 911. The courthouse process in this guide is for situations where there is serious danger — not an active emergency in progress. A protective order takes time to obtain and more time to serve. It’s a critical part of a safety plan, not a guarantee of physical safety in the moment.
Beacon of Hope Crisis Center and ICADV at (800) 332-7385 can help you build a fuller plan: where you’ll go, who knows your situation, how you’ll document incidents, what happens after the order is served. The protective order is one tool. The plan around it is what keeps you safer.
Last verified: [DATE — all room numbers, filing window hours, advocate intake lines, form versions, and Self-Help Legal Center status must be confirmed by phone before publication]. Hours, room locations, and form versions change. Call the Marion Superior Court Clerk’s office at (317) 327-4740 before making the trip. CityDesk Indianapolis will update this guide as information changes.
