Which Utah protective order applies to your situation
In Utah, the protective order you can ask for depends on your relationship to the other person. Spouses, partners, housemates, relatives, and co-parents use a cohabitant abuse order. People who dated but never lived together use a dating violence order. Sexual violence by anyone else gets a sexual violence order. A child is protected by a child protective order. If none of those fits, a civil stalking injunction requires no relationship at all.
The first question the court's forms ask is not what happened. It is who the other person is to you. Utah has several protective orders, and each one is open to a different set of relationships. This page walks you to the right one.
If you are in danger right now, call 911. The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition's LINKLine is free, confidential, and open 24 hours: call or text 1-800-897-5465.
Last checked: October 19, 2026, against Utah Code Title 78B, Chapter 7, and the Utah Courts' self-help pages. This is general information, not legal advice. The court's own chooser is linked at the bottom and is the one to follow if it differs.
Start here: who is the other person to you?
Work down the list and stop at the first match.
A current or former spouse, someone you live or lived with, someone you were sexually intimate with, a parent, grandparent, close relative, or someone you have a child with. You are cohabitants. Ask for a cohabitant abuse protective order.
Someone you dated, 18 or older, but never lived with or were intimate with. Ask for a dating violence protective order.
Someone who committed sexual violence against you and is none of the above. Ask for a sexual violence protective order.
A child is the one being harmed. An interested adult asks for a child protective order in juvenile court, after reporting to the Division of Child and Family Services.
None of those, and the person is following, watching, or contacting you repeatedly. Ask for a civil stalking injunction.
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Open the savings toolCohabitant abuse protective order
This is the most common order, and the word "cohabitant" misleads people. Under Utah law it includes anyone 16 or older who is or was a spouse of the other person, is or was living as if a spouse, is related as a parent or grandparent, is related by blood or marriage to the second degree, has a child in common, is the parent of the other person's unborn child, lives or lived in the same residence, or is or was in a consensual sexual relationship. Adult siblings, including step and foster siblings, count.
The appeals court reads the definition as written. It held that a father-in-law is a cohabitant because the law covers people related by marriage, and that a court may not add a requirement that the two of you spent much time together. It has also held that sisters who grew up in the same household qualify.
Who is excluded: a minor cannot ask for this order against a parent, stepparent, or foster parent, or against a minor sibling. Those situations go through a child protective order.
What you must show: that you have been abused or subjected to domestic violence, or that there is a substantial likelihood you will be. "Abuse" means causing or attempting physical harm, or placing you in reasonable fear of imminent physical harm. Past abuse alone is enough. You do not have to separately prove you are afraid today. You can file whether or not you have left the home, whether or not a divorce is pending, and the court may not deny the order only because time has passed since the abuse.
Dating violence protective order
For a person 18 or older, or emancipated, in a dating relationship with the other person. Utah defines a dating relationship as a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature, or one where romance or intimacy was the goal of either person. Casual contact at work, school, or socially does not count.
One line matters here. If you were ever in a consensual sexual relationship, the law treats you as cohabitants, and you use the cohabitant order instead. The dating violence order is for relationships that did not reach that point.
What you must show: abuse or dating violence by the dating partner, or a substantial likelihood of it. It applies whether or not you have tried to end the relationship.
Sexual violence protective order
For a person subjected to sexual violence by someone who is neither a cohabitant nor a dating partner. No relationship of any kind is required. It cannot be sought on behalf of a child.
"Sexual violence" means committing or attempting a listed sexual offense or sexual exploitation, or human trafficking for sexual exploitation. The exact list is in the statute linked below and changes in January 2027.
One difference from the other orders: if you share a school, workplace, or place of worship with the respondent, the court may exclude them from it. The cohabitant and dating orders do not allow that.
Child protective order
For a child who is being abused or is in imminent danger of it, by anyone, or who has been abused by someone other than a parent, stepparent, guardian, or custodian. Any interested adult may file. Before filing, the abuse must be reported to the Division of Child and Family Services, and the court will not consider the petition until it has been. The case is heard in juvenile court.
A minor who is 16 or older can ask for an adult protective order for themselves, except against a parent or a minor sibling.
Civil stalking injunction
The one with no relationship requirement. It is for conduct, on two or more occasions, that would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety or suffer emotional distress. A stranger, a neighbor, a coworker, or an ex who fits none of the categories above can all be respondents.
The petition must include corroborating evidence, such as a police report, a sworn witness statement, messages, recordings, photos, or letters. There is no fee.
It works differently from the others. The temporary injunction is served on the respondent, who has 10 days to request a hearing. If they do not, it becomes a three-year injunction automatically. Violating it is the crime of stalking.
If more than one fits
Use the relationship-based order first. The courts' own page says that if you are not eligible for a protective order, you may be able to ask for a civil stalking injunction, which makes it the fallback rather than the first choice.
Utah does not allow mutual orders unless each person files their own petition and proves abuse that was not self-defense. If both of you feel unsafe, each of you files separately.
What this page does not decide
Whether the order will issue. That is the judge's call, at a hearing within 21 days where both of you can be heard. Our overview of protective orders in Utah explains the process and how long each order lasts. If you are the one who was served, our guide for the person on the receiving end covers what to do. And if there is a divorce or custody case alongside any of this, our guide on mediation when there is a protective order explains how the two interact.
Where to get help
- Emergency: 911.
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition LINKLine, 24 hours, call or text: 1-800-897-5465.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.
- Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake for Salt Lake County, Utah Legal Services, and the Timpanogos Legal Center hotline at 801-649-8895.
Common questions
Can I get a protective order against someone I never lived with in Utah?
Often, yes. If you dated, a dating violence protective order may apply. If you were ever in a consensual sexual relationship, Utah treats you as cohabitants and you use the cohabitant abuse order even if you never shared a home. If there was sexual violence by someone you neither dated nor lived with, a sexual violence order applies. If none of those fits, a civil stalking injunction requires no relationship.
What is the difference between a cohabitant abuse order and a dating violence order?
The relationship. A cohabitant includes a current or former spouse, someone you live or lived with, someone you were sexually intimate with, close relatives, and a co-parent. A dating partner is someone you were in a romantic relationship with that never reached that level. The dating violence order is for people 18 or older, or emancipated, and both orders last three years.
Can a 16-year-old get a protective order in Utah?
A person 16 or older can ask for a cohabitant abuse protective order in district court, but not against their own parent, stepparent, or a minor sibling. For a child under 16, or for abuse by a parent, an interested adult files a child protective order in juvenile court after reporting the abuse to the Division of Child and Family Services.
Sources
- Utah Code §78B-7-102, definitions of cohabitant, dating partner, dating relationship, and abuse
- Utah Code §78B-7-602, who may seek a cohabitant abuse order, §78B-7-403, dating violence, §78B-7-503, sexual violence, §78B-7-202, child protective orders, §78B-7-701, civil stalking injunctions, §78B-7-108, no mutual orders
- Utah Courts, Protection from Abuse, with the "What kind of protective order?" chooser
- Patole v. Marksberry, 2014 UT App 132 (father-in-law is a cohabitant) and 2014 UT App 131 (past abuse alone is enough)
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition and National Domestic Violence Hotline
David Ring III
Mediator and founder of Salt City Mediation LLC. Founder of EmpathEase, an app for practicing empathy and Nonviolent Communication. Completed Utah Dispute Resolution's 40-hour mediation training in 2026.