Restraining Orders

In some states, you will need a certified copy of your protective order. A certified copy says that it is a “true and correct” copy; it is signed and initialed by the clerk of court that gave you the order, and usually has some kind of court stamp on it. In West Virginia, a certified order has a stamped seal on it.

West Virginia is also a part of Project Passport which means that the first page of your order looks the same as orders in other Project Passport states. This means it may be easier to get your protective order enforced in one these states, which include:

• Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians (located in Alabama) Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia

The copy you originally received was most likely a certified copy. If your copy is not a certified copy, call or go to the court that gave you the order and ask the clerk’s office for a certified copy. It costs on average $0.50 per page to get a certified copy of a West Virginia protective order.

Note: It may be a good idea to keep a copy of the order with you at all times. You may also want to bring several copies of the order with you when you move to leave copies of the order at your work place, at your home, at the children’s school or daycare, in your car, with a sympathetic neighbor, and so on. You may also want to give a copy to the security guard or person at the front desk where you live and/or work and to anyone who is named in and protected by the order.