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Legal Information: Maryland

Restraining Orders

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Laws current as of November 27, 2023

How do I get an extreme risk protective order?

The steps to get an extreme risk protective order are similar to the steps to get a domestic violence restraining order, but you will fill out different forms. In your petition, you should:

  • write any information you know about how the respondent presents an immediate danger of hurting himself/herself, you, or others if s/he has a firearm;
  • describe the respondent’s behaviors and any statements s/he made about hurting himself/herself or others;
  • provide a description of the number, types, and the location of the respondent’s firearms; and
  • include any supporting documents and evidence that you may have regarding:
    • the respondent’s unlawful, reckless, or negligent use, display, storage, possession, or waving (brandishing) of a firearm;
    • the respondent’s act of violence or threat of violence against another person even if the threat does not involve a firearm;
    • any violation of a protective order or a peace order; and
    • any abuse of drugs (controlled substances) or alcohol, including any information about the respondent’s convictions for crimes involving a drugs or alcohol.1

1 MD Code, Public Safety § 5-602(a)(1)