How Long Does a PPO Last in Michigan?

A Michigan personal protection order (PPO) lasts until the expiration date the judge writes on it. There is no standard term. An ex parte PPO, the kind issued without notice to the respondent, is valid for not less than 182 days and must state its expiration date, and neither the statute nor the court rule sets a maximum length.^[1] The petitioner can ask to extend the order before it expires.^[4]

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is free and confidential, and it answers around the clock at 1-800-799-7233 or by texting START to 88788.^[7]

What the law says about duration

Two rules set the framework. MCR 3.705(A)(3) says: "An ex parte order is valid for not less than 182 days, and must state its expiration date."^[1] And MCR 3.706(A) lists, among the things every PPO must contain, an expiration date stated clearly on the face of the order.^[2]

Within that framework the judge chooses the date. Practice differs from court to court and case to case, so the only reliable way to know how long a particular PPO lasts is to read the expiration date on the signed order.

Question	Answer
Minimum length of an ex parte PPO	Not less than 182 days[1]
Maximum length	None is set by the statute or the court rule[1]
Where the end date appears	On the face of the order[2]
When the order starts	When the judge signs it[3]
Deadline to ask for an extension	No later than 3 days before the order is to expire[4]

When does the clock start?

A PPO is effective and immediately enforceable anywhere in Michigan after being signed by a judge. Failure to serve the respondent does not affect the order's validity or effectiveness.^[3] The order is entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) immediately, without waiting for proof of service.^[8]

Service still has consequences. The respondent's 14 days to file a motion to modify or terminate an ex parte PPO run from service or actual notice of the order.^[6] And a respondent who has not received notice must be given an opportunity to comply before a custodial arrest for a violation.^[9]

How does a petitioner extend a PPO?

Extension is governed by MCR 3.707(B)(1).^[4] The steps are:

1. File a motion to extend. The petitioner files an ex parte motion asking for a new expiration date. No hearing is needed for the request.^[4] The court form is CC 379, Motion to Modify, Extend, or Terminate Personal Protection Order.^[10]
2. File it in the right court, on time. The motion must be filed with the court that issued the PPO no later than 3 days before the order is to expire.^[4]
3. Wait for the ruling. The court must act on the motion within 3 days after it is filed.^[4]
4. Pay nothing. There are no motion fees for extending a PPO.^[11]

When the expiration date is extended, an amended order must be entered, the clerk must immediately notify the law enforcement agency specified in the PPO, and the order must be served on the respondent.^[12]

As a practical matter, put the expiration date on a calendar when the order is issued and start the extension paperwork well ahead of the cutoff. If circumstances have changed since the original petition, describe what has happened since the order was entered.

If the deadline is missed

The rule itself answers this: failing to file the motion in time does not bar the petitioner from filing a new PPO petition against the same respondent.^[4] The new petition goes through the ordinary process described in How to get a PPO in Michigan.

Can the judge extend a PPO without being asked?

Generally not. The Court of Appeals has read MCR 3.707(B)(1) as a choice that the petitioner, not the trial court, may initiate an extension by motion.^[13] There is one exception. When a court sentences a respondent for criminal contempt for violating the PPO, it may "impose other conditions to the personal protection order," and the Court of Appeals has held that those conditions include changes to the order's expiration date.^[13] See PPO violation penalties.

What can the respondent do about an extension?

A respondent may file a motion to modify or terminate an ex parte order extending a PPO, and request a hearing, within 14 days after being served with or receiving actual notice of the extension order.^[6] A motion after that requires a showing of good cause.^[14] The process is the same one used to challenge the original order; see How to fight or terminate a PPO.

How can a PPO end before its expiration date?

Only a court can end it early. The paths are:

• The respondent's motion. A respondent may move to modify or terminate an ex parte PPO within 14 days after service or actual notice, and later on a showing of good cause.^[6][14]
• The petitioner's motion. The petitioner may file a motion to modify or terminate the PPO and request a hearing at any time after it is issued.^[5]
• Appeal. Either party has an appeal of right from an order granting or denying a PPO after a hearing, or from the ruling on the respondent's first motion to rescind or modify an ex parte order.^[15]

A PPO does not end because the parties reconcile, because the petitioner says it is over, or because the petitioner starts contact. The order restrains the respondent until a judge terminates it or it expires.^[5][16] See When the protected person wants contact.

One special case: a court shall rescind a nondomestic PPO issued to a petitioner who is a prisoner, once it is notified and the prisoner status is verified.^[17]

What happens when a PPO expires?

Once the expiration date passes without an extension, the order no longer restrains the respondent. Several related points are worth knowing:

• Appeals. The Michigan Supreme Court has held that an appeal from the entry of a PPO is not moot merely because the PPO expired, because whether an improperly issued PPO should be shown in LEIN as rescinded remains a live controversy.^[18]
• Contempt records. An arrest for criminal contempt for violating a PPO is fingerprinted, and the disposition of the contempt charge is reported to the State Police.^[19] See Does a PPO show up on a background check?
• Custody orders. A PPO takes precedence over an existing custody or parenting time order only until the PPO expires or the custody court modifies its own order.^[20] See PPOs, children, and parenting time.
• Firearm licensing. A person who is the subject of a PPO is disqualified from a Michigan concealed pistol license.^[21] What happens to a license after the order ends is covered in PPOs and firearms.

PPOs against minors

When a PPO is issued against a respondent under 18, the court's jurisdiction continues until the order expires, even after the respondent's eighteenth birthday.^[22] See PPOs involving minors.

How PPO duration compares with other orders

Order	How long it lasts
Ex parte PPO	Not less than 182 days, to the expiration date stated on the order[1]
Extreme risk protection order	An expiration date that is 1 year after the date of issuance[23]
Peace bond	A period the court directs, not exceeding 5 years[24]

A no-contact condition on a criminal bond is a different kind of order again; see PPO vs. no-contact order vs. restraining order, Extreme risk protection orders, and Peace bonds.

What people get wrong

"All PPOs last one year." The one-year term belongs to extreme risk protection orders.^[23] A PPO runs to whatever date the judge sets, subject to the 182-day floor for ex parte orders.^[1]

"The 182 days start when the respondent is served." The order is effective when signed, and the rule ties validity to the expiration date stated on the order.^[3][1]

"The court will remind me before it expires." The extension rule puts the step on the petitioner, who files the motion no later than 3 days before the order is to expire.^[4]

"An expired PPO is erased." Expiration ends the restraint. An arrest for criminal contempt and the disposition of that charge are reported to the State Police.^[19]