Personal Protection Orders

Overview
A Personal Protection Order, or PPO, is an order issued by the Circuit Court.  It may protect you from being hit, threatened, harassed, or stalked by another person.  The PPO may also stop someone from coming into your home or bothering you at work.  It can stop them from buying a firearm or finding your address through school records.  It can also stop them from taking your minor children unless required by the court.  If you are looking to Modify, Extend, or Terminate a Personal Protection Order, use this form:  http://courts.mi.gov/Administration/SCAO/Forms/courtforms/cc379.pdf

The type of PPO  is determined by how you know the other person and not the behavior.  Please review the following to determine which PPO is appropriate. 

Domestic PPO
You may be granted a Domestic PPO if the person you want restrained is 18 years of age or older and:

  • if you are married to the person you want restrained; or
  • if you are not married to the person you want restrained but you live with or have lived with him or her and he or she is not your unemancipated child; or
  • if you and the person you want restrained have a child in common even if you were never married to each other or never lived together; or
  • if you and the person you want restrained have or had a dating relationship.
Non-Domestic Stalking PPO 
You may be granted a Non-Domestic Stalking PPO if the person you want restrained is 18 years of age or older and you do not have a domestic relationship to this person.

Non-Domestic Sexual Assault PPO 
You may be granted a Non-Domestic Sexual Assault PPO if the person you want restrained (from sexually assaulting you or threating to sexually assault you) is 18 years of age or older, you do not have a  domestic relationship with this person, and this person has:

  • previously been convicted of a sexual assault against you; or
  • subjected you to, threatened you with, or placed you in a reasonable apprehension of sexual assault, or
  • previously been convicted of furnishing you, a minor, with obscene material; or
  • furnished you, a minor, with obscene material.

Non-Domestic Sexual Assault PPO Against a Minor: 
You may be granted a Non-Domestic Sexual Assault PPO Against a Minor if the person you want restrained (from sexually assaulting you or threating to sexually assault you) is under the age of 18, you do not have a domestic  relationship with this person, and this person:

  • is subject to an order of disposition or other adjudication based on a sexual assault against you; or
  • has subjected you to, threatened you with or placed you in a reasonable apprehension of sexual assault; or
  • is subject to an order of disposition or other adjudication based on furnishing you, a minor, with obscene material; or
  • has furnished you, a minor, with obscene material. 
A Domestic PPO Against a Minor and a Non-Domestic Stalking PPO Against a Minor may not be issued if you and the person you want restrained  have a parent/child relationship and you are an unemancipated minor.

A Domestic PPO Against a Minor and Non-Domestic Stalking PPO Against a Minor only apply if you want a Personal Protection Order against someone under 18 years of age. The age of the petitioner does not apply.

If the petitioner is a minor or a legally incapacitated individual, he  or she must proceed through a Next of Friend [JC88] who must be present with  the petitioner for the process.
If there is no such parent/child relationship, however, a person under  age 18 may be a party in a PPO action. A child under the age of 10 may  not be a respondent in a PPO action.