Preparing a PPO Petition in Michigan: A Checklist

If you are in danger right now, call 911. For help thinking through safety before or after you file, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788), and Michigan's VOICES4 Hotline is 855-864-2374 by call or text.^[7][8][9] Local agencies are listed in Where to get help.

A Michigan personal protection order (PPO) petition has to do six things: be in writing, state with particularity the facts it is based on, state the relief sought and the conduct to be restrained, say whether an ex parte order is being sought, say whether a PPO action involving the same parties has been started in another jurisdiction, and be signed.^[1] The judge then decides whether there is reasonable cause to believe the respondent may commit one of the acts the PPO statute lists.^[10]

This checklist is built around those two points. The process from start to finish is in How to get a PPO in Michigan; this page is the working list to have next to you while you write.

Before you start: the right form and the right court

• Which petition. A domestic relationship PPO can be sought against a spouse or former spouse, a person with whom you have had a child in common, a person who lives or has lived in the same household, or a person with whom you have or have had a dating relationship.^[11] The petition for that order is form CC 375.^[12]
• If none of those fits. Form CC 377 is the petition for a nondomestic (stalking) PPO, and form CC 395 is the petition for a nondomestic sexual assault PPO.^[13][14] The differences are explained in Types of PPOs in Michigan.
• Where the forms come from. The forms are approved by the State Court Administrative Office and posted on the Michigan Courts PPO forms page, and the court must provide them without charge.^[15][4]
• Which court. PPO forms are filed in the family division of the circuit court. District courts do not issue PPOs.^[15][16]
• Which county. If the respondent is an adult, you may file in any county in Michigan regardless of where either of you lives.^[17]
• Cost. There are no fees for filing a personal protection action.^[3]
• If you are under 18. A minor petitioner proceeds through an adult "next friend," and the court must appoint one if the minor is less than 14 years of age.^[18] See PPOs involving minors.

Checklist: what to gather before you write

1. Who the respondent is. Full legal name, date of birth or approximate age, a physical description, and every address where the respondent can be found, such as home and work. These details help the court complete the order and help whoever delivers it.
2. How you are connected. State which relationship applies: spouse or former spouse, child in common, same household now or in the past, or a current or past dating relationship.^[11]
3. A dated list of incidents. The petition must state the facts with particularity.^[1] For each incident, write the date, the place, what the respondent did or said, any injury or damage, who saw it, and whether police were called. Start with the most recent and the most serious.
4. Earlier acts and threats. In deciding whether reasonable cause exists, the court must consider whether the respondent has previously committed or threatened to commit one of the listed acts.^[19] Include older incidents even if nothing was reported at the time.
5. The respondent's job, if it involves a weapon. If you know that the respondent is a licensed or certified police officer, a sheriff or deputy sheriff, a member of the Michigan State Police, a local corrections officer, a Department of Corrections employee, a federal law enforcement officer who carries a firearm in the normal course of employment, or a concealed-weapon license holder required to carry a weapon as a condition of employment, you must tell the court the respondent's occupation before the PPO is issued.^[20] The petition form has a line for this, with a box to check if you do not know.^[21]
6. Other court cases. List any divorce, custody, criminal or protection order case involving the two of you, in Michigan or elsewhere. The petition must disclose other pending actions, orders or judgments affecting the parties and say whether a PPO action involving the same parties has been started in another jurisdiction.^[1]
7. What you want the order to stop. The petition must state the conduct to be restrained.^[1] A domestic relationship PPO can prohibit, among other things, entering onto premises; assaulting, attacking, beating, molesting or wounding a named person; threatening to kill or physically injure a named person; removing minor children from the person with legal custody; purchasing or possessing a firearm; interfering with you at work or school; and stalking.^[22] The full list is in What a PPO can prohibit. If you ask for an order keeping the respondent off the property where you live, form CC 375 has you state that you have a property interest in the premises, that you are married to the respondent, or that the respondent has no property interest in the premises.^[21]
8. A mailing address. You may leave your residence address off the documents filed with the court, but you must give the court a mailing address.^[23]
9. Identification. Kent County asks petitioners to show valid photo ID, such as a driver's license, passport or school ID.^[24] Bring ID in any county.

What to attach

You do not need official paperwork to file. A court may not refuse to issue a domestic relationship PPO solely because of the absence of a police report, a medical report, a report or finding of an administrative agency, or physical signs of abuse or violence.^[2] The court does, however, consider testimony, documents and other evidence offered in support of the request.^[19]

Useful attachments, if you have them:

• Screenshots of texts, emails, voicemails and social media messages that show the sender, the date and the time.
• Photographs of injuries or damaged property, with a note of when each was taken.
• Police report or incident numbers, and the name of the agency.
• Medical discharge papers.
• Copies of any existing court orders between you and the respondent.
• Names of people who witnessed an incident.

Attach copies and keep the originals. How this kind of material is treated as evidence is covered in Text messages and social media evidence and How to get a domestic violence police report.

If you are asking for an order without notice to the respondent

An ex parte PPO is one issued without written or oral notice to the respondent. The court issues it if it clearly appears from specific facts shown by a verified complaint, written motion or affidavit that immediate and irreparable injury, loss or damage will result from the delay required to give notice, or that the notice itself will precipitate adverse action before a PPO can be issued.^[25]

So the petition needs a short, specific explanation of why waiting for a hearing is dangerous: what happened most recently, what the respondent has said he or she will do, and what you expect to happen when the respondent learns of the petition. The respondent does not have to have already committed one of the listed acts; the question is whether there is reasonable cause to believe the respondent may commit one.^[26] An ex parte PPO is valid for not less than 182 days.^[27] More detail is in Ex parte PPOs.

Write only what is true

The petitioner carries the burden of showing reasonable cause.^[28] A person who knowingly and intentionally makes a false statement to the court in support of a PPO petition is subject to the contempt powers of the court.^[6] Describe what you saw and heard yourself, say so when you are unsure of a date, and do not guess at facts you do not know.

Where to file in West Michigan

Each county routes PPO paperwork a little differently. The entries below come from each county's own pages as read on 4 October 2026.

County	Where and how
Kent	All PPO requests are submitted online through TurboCourt; the Personal Protection Office is at 180 Ottawa NW, Suite 3500, Grand Rapids, 616-632-5071.[24]
Ottawa	Circuit Court Records Division of the Clerk's Office, at the Family Justice Center in West Olive (12240 Fillmore St., Room 50) or the Grand Haven Courthouse (414 Washington Ave., Room 320).[29]
Allegan	Circuit Court Records Division of the County Clerk's Office, main level of the Allegan County Courthouse.[30]
Muskegon	Circuit Court Records, 990 Terrace, 6th Floor, Suite 600, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm; (231) 724-6251.[31]
Kalamazoo	The circuit court's PPO Coordinator at the Judge Charles A. Pratt Justice Center, 330 Eleanor Street, 4th Floor, Room 401, by appointment; 269-385-6081.[32][33]
Barry	The county describes a PPO as an order issued by the Circuit Court; its page does not name a filing office, so call the circuit court before you go.[34]
Ionia	County Clerk's office, where a petition can be requested and filed; 616-527-5322.[35]
Montcalm	County Clerk, 639 N. State Street, Stanton; 989-831-3520.[36]
Newaygo	Circuit Court, in person or by first-class mail; petitions are processed Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; questions to the Circuit Court Clerk's Office at (231) 689-7269.[37]
Van Buren	The family division of the circuit court, as in every county; Domestic Violence Coalition advocates in Paw Paw help fill out and file petitions.[15][38]
Berrien	County Clerk's Office, by mail or in person, at 811 Port Street, 1st Floor, St. Joseph, or 1205 N Front Street, Niles.[39]

Electronic filing depends on the court. MiFILE is Michigan's statewide e-filing system, but not all courts use it, and a court that has it may not offer it for every case type.^[40] Where e-filing is in use, a partially completed PPO on the state form has to be submitted at the same time as the petition.^[41]

What happens the day you file

1. The petition goes to a judge. If you asked for an ex parte order, the court must rule within one business day of the filing date.^[5] Muskegon County says processing generally takes 24 to 48 hours, and Newaygo County says a petition must be submitted before 4:00 PM to reach the judge that day.^[31][37]
2. If the judge signs it. A PPO is effective and immediately enforceable anywhere in Michigan once a judge signs it, even before the respondent is served.^[42] The clerk files a copy with the designated law enforcement agency right away so that it can be entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN).^[43] Ask for copies and keep one with you.
3. Service is your job, but not in person. The petitioner is responsible for having the order served, either personally or by registered or certified mail with delivery restricted to the respondent, and service is made by a legally competent adult who is not a party to the case.^[44] A police officer or court clerk who knows the PPO exists may also serve it or tell the respondent about it at any time.^[45]
4. If the judge does not sign it. The court must state its reasons in writing and tell you of the right to request a hearing; if you do not ask within 21 days, the denial becomes final.^[46] If you ask, the court schedules a hearing as soon as possible, and you must attend it.^[47][48] See What to expect at a PPO hearing.
5. Expect that the respondent may respond. A respondent may file a motion to modify or terminate an ex parte PPO within 14 days after being served or receiving actual notice.^[49] Keep your records together in case there is a hearing.

Why the detail matters

A PPO is not automatic. In 2023, Michigan circuit courts disposed of domestic relationship PPO petitions with 12,298 orders issued ex parte and 10,353 petitions dismissed or denied ex parte.^[50] A petition that gives dates, specific acts and the reason for urgency gives the judge what the standard asks for.

What people get wrong

• "I can't file without a police report." The absence of a police report cannot be the sole reason to refuse a domestic relationship PPO.^[2]
• "I file at the district court where the criminal case is." PPOs are heard only in the family division of the circuit court.^[16] A criminal no-contact order is a different thing; see PPO vs. no-contact order.
• "The order does not count until it is served." Failure to serve the order does not affect its validity or effectiveness.^[42]
• "The court's advocate is my lawyer." A domestic violence victim advocate provided by the court may help with the forms but may not represent or advocate for the victim in court.^[51]