Utah Dating Violence Protective Orders
If you're in immediate danger, call 911. For confidential 24/7 support, the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition's statewide hotline is 1-800-897-5465.
Short answer: Utah actually has a third protective order type most people don't know exists — the dating violence protective order — specifically for people who were in a romantic or intimate relationship with someone they never lived with. It sits between the cohabitant protective order (for people who lived together, are married, or share a child) and the civil stalking injunction (for relationships without a romantic component).
Who this guide is for
Anyone in Utah who experienced abuse or threats from someone they dated, but never lived with — a relationship that doesn't neatly fit either of the other two protective order categories covered elsewhere on this site.
Why this third category exists
Utah's Protective Order is generally built around cohabitant relationships — living together, marriage, shared children, or a consensual sexual relationship. Utah's Civil Stalking Injunction is generally for situations without any romantic relationship at all. The dating violence order fills the gap: a real romantic or intimate relationship, but one where the two people never actually lived together.
What counts as a "dating relationship" under Utah law
Utah defines a dating relationship as a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature, or one where romance or intimacy is a goal of one or both people — but this specifically excludes casual fraternization in a business, educational, or social context. In other words, a coworker, classmate, or general acquaintance relationship doesn't qualify just because there was social contact — there needs to be an actual romantic or intimate dimension.
The age requirement
Both people generally need to be emancipated or at least 16 years old for dating violence protective order eligibility — a specific age threshold worth knowing if the situation involves younger teenagers.
How the process works
The overall process mirrors the other protective order types — filing a petition, a same-day temporary order if appropriate, service on the other person, and a hearing within a set window. See How to File for a Protective Order in Utah for that shared process structure; the main difference here is which specific petition applies, not how the court process unfolds.
Why picking the right order type matters
As with the cohabitant-vs-stalking distinction, filing the wrong type of petition can mean the court determines it lacks the basis to grant what you're asking for. If you dated someone but never lived together, the dating violence order — not the cohabitant protective order — is generally the correct starting point.
Frequently asked questions
What if we dated and also briefly lived together at some point? This can shift your situation toward the cohabitant protective order category instead — the "did you ever live together" question is the key dividing line, worth clarifying with MyPaperwork's guided questions or a legal/shelter resource if your history is complicated.
Does it matter how long the dating relationship lasted? The statute focuses on the nature of the relationship (romantic/intimate, not casual) rather than a minimum duration — but the specific facts of your relationship are still relevant to how the court evaluates the petition.
Is a dating violence protective order weaker than a cohabitant protective order? No — both are real court orders with real legal force and the same violation consequences (see What Happens When a Utah Protective Order Is Violated); the difference is about which relationship category applies, not the strength of the protection.