This toolkit tells you about changing or ending a Personal Protection Order (PPO) you already have. Use this toolkit if you are the Petitioner and you want to ask the judge to change part of the order or to end the order early. For general information about changing or ending a PPO, read the Articles. Read the Common Questions if you have a specific question. If you want to ask the judge to change or end your PPO, use the Forms link to prepare your forms. The Checklist below has step-by-step instructions for asking the judge to change or end your PPO. Go to Courts & Agencies for information about the court or agency that will handle your case.
You'll find links to legal aid offices and lawyer referral services under Find A Lawyer. If there is a Self-Help Center in your area you can get more help there. If you need something other than legal help, look in Community Services. If you need a fee waiver, an interpreter, a court to accommodate your disability, or more information about going to court, visit Going to Court.
Common Questions
Either the Petitioner or the Respondent in a PPO case can ask the judge to change or end the PPO. To do this, use our Do-It-Yourself Motion to Modify, Extend, or Terminate a Personal Protection Order (PPO) tool to prepare your motion. For instructions on how to file and what to do afterwards, go to the toolkit I Need to Change or End My Personal Protection Order and read the Checklist.
If the PPO has a protection you no longer want, you can ask the judge to remove it. If there is a protection that isn’t in the PPO that you now want, you can ask the judge to add it.
Maybe your situation has changed since you got your PPO. Maybe the Respondent has started doing something to you that they didn’t do before and isn’t covered in your PPO. Maybe your parenting time arrangements are different, and you want to be able to speak to the Respondent about your children or allow the Respondent to pick up and drop off the children at your home.
Or, maybe you have decided you want the PPO to end. Remember, even if you agree to the behavior, the Respondent can still be arrested and charged with contempt of court for a PPO violation. So, it is important to let the judge know if your situation is different and how you want your PPO changed. Only the judge can change or end the PPO.
Think carefully before you ask the judge to change or end your PPO. Otherwise, you may end up needing to file other motions in the future.
Enforcing your PPO is very important to your safety. You should not agree to behavior that violates your PPO, such as allowing your abuser in your home if your PPO prohibits it. Your abuser can be arrested for behavior that violates your PPO even if you have agreed to it. If you want to change or end your PPO before it expires, you must go back to court and request the judge to change or end your PPO.