Filing for an order of protection in Missouri is free. There is no filing fee and no court cost charged to the person asking for protection.
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Domestic Violence Law in Missouri, the Basics
If you are here, you are probably either experiencing domestic violence or you have been accused of it. Either way, it helps to know how Missouri handles these cases.
There are two separate tracks, criminal and civil. A criminal case is brought by the prosecuting attorney for the county where the parties live. Whether charges get filed is largely outside your control, though reporting the incident to police is what starts the process.
The civil track is the one you control. That is a petition for an order of protection, a court order that limits what the other person can do. An order will commonly bar the respondent from contacting you, coming near your home, work or school, and from any further abuse.
You file the petition at the circuit court, and the court can issue a temporary ex parte order the same day, before the other person is heard. You then get a hearing date, usually within about 15 days, where you explain to the judge why you need a full order. Showing up at that hearing matters, because if you do not appear, the case is usually dismissed.
Under Missouri law you can file in the county where you live, where the abuse happened, or where the other person can be served. An order issued anywhere in Missouri is enforceable everywhere in Missouri.
If you have been served with an order of protection, comply with it while your case is pending, even if you believe it is unfair. Violating an order is a separate crime. Go to your court date, bring any evidence or witnesses that support your side, and strongly consider bringing a lawyer. A full order of protection becomes part of the public record and can affect employment, housing and any custody case you are involved in, so it is not something to handle casually.
If You Are Being Abused, What to Do First
Not every step fits every situation, and you know your circumstances better than anyone. In general, the order below is the one that keeps people safest.
Call 911. Domestic violence is a crime. Police can separate you from the situation immediately and connect you to services. A police report is also frequently the strongest evidence you will have later, in both the criminal case and the protection order hearing.
Get medical attention. Injuries are often worse than they feel in the moment, and adrenaline hides a great deal. Medical records also document what happened, which matters if the other person later disputes it.
Find somewhere safe to stay. Family, friends, or a domestic violence shelter. The shelters listed below keep their locations confidential specifically so an abuser cannot find you there.
File for an order of protection. You can do this yourself, with a free court advocate, or with a lawyer. Filing is free. The county-by-county details are further down this page.
Consider Safe at Home. Missouri runs a free address confidentiality program that gives you a substitute legal address so your real one stays out of public records. It is listed under statewide programs below.
Nothing on this page matches that search. If you are not sure who to call, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 can point you to the right local program, 24 hours a day.
Crisis Lines and Helplines
Call these first. Most run 24 hours a day. Hours are noted where they do not.
ALIVE (Alternatives to Living in Violent Environments)
St. Louis City and County, Jefferson County, Franklin County
Crisis line, emergency safe lodging, counseling for adults and children, and help getting through court. ALIVE states it serves LGBTQ survivors and male victims, and runs a play and art therapy program for children.
State hotline for reporting abuse, neglect or financial exploitation of an older adult or an adult with a disability. Callers can stay anonymous. Outside these hours, call 911.
24 hours, every day. You can also text START to 88788, or chat on their website
Free and confidential. Trained advocates talk through safety planning and connect you to help near you. Use this when local lines are busy or you are outside the St. Louis area.
Helpline answered 24 hours. The helpline accepts calls and texts
Crisis helpline plus free counseling, support groups and prevention education for adults and teens affected by abuse or sexual violence. Interpreters in more than 140 languages, and relay service at 711 for Deaf and hard of hearing callers.
Friday through Monday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Not a 24-hour line
Peer support staffed by LGBTQIA+ volunteers trained on relationship and sexual violence, with referrals to local services. For 24-hour help, pair this with ALIVE or the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
1155 Olivette Executive Parkway St. Louis, Missouri 63132
Crisis line answered 24 hours. Drop-in center open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Crisis line for sexual assault and domestic violence. Advocates meet survivors at the hospital and help with therapy, court and safe housing. You do not have to involve police to get an advocate.
These programs exist specifically for people fleeing abuse. Most keep their address confidential on purpose, so you call first and they tell you where to go.
ALIVE (Alternatives to Living in Violent Environments)
Location kept confidential. Call first and they will tell you where to go.
Mail only, P.O. Box 28733 St. Louis, Missouri 63146
Crisis line answered 24 hours
Emergency safe lodging at a confidential location, plus therapy, support groups and court advocacy. Call the crisis line, not the office, if you need shelter.
Location kept confidential. Call first and they will tell you where to go.
Crisis line answered 24 hours. Press 1 for Lincoln County, 2 for St. Charles County
Runs the only emergency domestic violence shelters in St. Charles and Lincoln counties, plus safety planning, court advocacy, counseling and support groups. Now operated by Preferred Family Healthcare, which is why the old Bridgeway website no longer works.
Location kept confidential. Call first and they will tell you where to go.
Call for current intake hours
Emergency domestic violence shelter at a confidential location, run by the St. Louis County Department of Human Services. Stays of up to 90 days, with crisis intervention, safety planning, order of protection advocacy and children’s programming. If no one answers, call ALIVE at 314-993-2777 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
Location kept confidential. Call first and they will tell you where to go.
Mail only, P.O. Box 2722 St. Louis, Missouri 63116
Business hours. This is not an emergency shelter and there is no 24-hour line
Up to two years of free furnished apartments at confidential locations for women and children who have left an abusive partner, plus advocacy, therapy and job training. This is the step between emergency shelter and living on your own, so if you are in danger tonight, call a crisis line above first.
Location kept confidential. Call first and they will tell you where to go.
Hotline answered 24 hours
Residential shelter for domestic violence survivors and their children, with counseling, life skills help and advocacy. Formerly run by COMTREA, now part of Compass Health Network.
Location kept confidential. Call first and they will tell you where to go.
Mail only, P.O. Box 953745 St. Louis, Missouri 63195
Crisis line answered 24 hours, every day. Drop-in center open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Confidential emergency shelter running a twelve week program for women and children experiencing domestic violence, plus a separate drop-in center for people who are not entering shelter. Formerly called St. Martha’s Hall.
Location kept confidential. Call first and they will tell you where to go.
Mail only, P.O. Box 63010 St. Louis, Missouri 63163
Crisis line answered 24 hours
Confidential emergency shelter for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and their children. Typical stay is six to eight weeks, with case management, legal advocacy, a children’s program and up to a year of aftercare.
Free legal aid for very low income residents, including a family law project that prioritizes women and children. Income limit is roughly 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
Advocate, St. Louis County Family Court314-615-3210
539 North Grand Boulevard, Suite 400 St. Louis, Missouri 63103
Business hours
The strongest order of protection program in the region. Free lawyers for protection order hearings, plus advocates stationed inside the family courts who help you fill out and file the petition. Includes specialized support for immigrants and refugees. Legal Advocates for Abused Women merged into this organization, so the old LAAW website is gone.
701 Market Street, Suite 1100 St. Louis, Missouri 63101
Phone applications taken Monday, Wednesday and Thursday only, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Online application available any time
Free civil legal help for low income survivors with divorce, custody, paternity and protection order cases through its Lasting Solutions program. Offices in St. Louis, Clayton, Hannibal and Union.
The city police unit that investigates domestic abuse, stalking and protection order violations, paired with advocates who follow up after a police report. This unit also handles elder abuse cases in the city.
Mail only, P.O. Box 8329 St. Louis, Missouri 63132
Business hours. The number also accepts texts
Volunteer attorneys who represent survivors at order of protection hearings at no cost, including when an abuser violates an order. Only about one in ten people seeking an order of protection in this region has a lawyer.
217 Oscar Drive, Suite A Jefferson City, Missouri 65101
Business hours. This is an office line, not a crisis line
The statewide coalition of domestic violence and sexual assault programs. Call to find the nearest local shelter or advocacy agency anywhere in Missouri.
State program that reimburses victims of violent crime for medical bills, counseling, lost wages and funeral costs, up to $25,000. It pays after insurance and other sources, so apply even if you have coverage.
Free service that automatically notifies you when an offender’s custody status or court date changes. You can register by phone, online or through the VINELink app.
600 West Main Street Jefferson City, Missouri 65101
Business hours
Free program run by the Secretary of State that gives survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or trafficking a substitute legal address, so your real address stays out of public records. You apply through a trained application assistant, and the website has a locator to find one.
These are general shelters, not domestic violence programs. They are listed because people often need them, but if you are fleeing an abuser, start with a domestic violence shelter above, which can keep your location confidential.
2727 N. Kingshighway Boulevard St. Louis, Missouri 63113
Call for current intake hours
Crisis shelter, transitional living and support for young people ages 16 to 24 who are homeless, have run away, or have been trafficked. This is a youth program, not a domestic violence shelter.
Maternity shelter and transitional housing for pregnant women experiencing homelessness and their children, with therapy, education and long term support. Not a domestic violence shelter.
Shelter, 2750 McKelvey Road, Maryland Heights, Missouri 63043 Resource Center, 2055 Concourse Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63146
Call for current intake hours
Emergency family shelter, food pantry, rent and utility assistance and case management. Rent and utility help is handled at the Resource Center, not the shelter. Not a domestic violence shelter.
Call in the morning to ask about openings for that night
Shelter for women experiencing homelessness, including pregnant women, and their children age five and under. Not a domestic violence shelter, and the order does not run a website for this house.
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Not a 24-hour intake
Christian ministry providing emergency shelter, meals and a residential recovery program, including safe houses for women and children. Its large downtown St. Louis shelter closed in 2017, so capacity is limited and intake runs through the Overland office. Not a domestic violence program.
St. Louis, 4223 S. Compton Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63111 St. Charles, 3607 Highway D, Defiance, Missouri 63341
Business hours
Maternity shelter providing housing, case management and aftercare for pregnant women experiencing homelessness and their children. Not a domestic violence shelter.
Business hours. The urgent care at 3635 Vista Avenue is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Community behavioral health agency providing therapy, psychiatry, substance use treatment, supportive housing and case management for adults and families with serious mental illness. Not a domestic violence program.
Not a walk-in or crisis shelter. Callers are assessed through 211 and need a St. Louis County Continuum of Care referral
Emergency and transitional shelter for women 16 and older and families with children under 13. Because intake runs through a referral process, this is not the right call if you are in immediate danger.
Transitional housing and family services, roughly a 120 day program, with casework, counseling, child care and housing placement. The Salvation Army also runs Family Haven at 3744 Lindell Boulevard, 314-534-1250. Neither is a domestic violence shelter.
Intake is in person only, Monday through Friday, arriving at 8 a.m. or 1 p.m. No appointment needed, and no intake by phone or email
Homeless services agency providing housing placement, employment help, behavioral health and veteran services. It is not an overnight emergency shelter and not a domestic violence program.
There is no filing fee and no court cost charged to you. You can file where you live, where the abuse happened, or where the other person can be served. Confirm hours before you travel, because they do change.
St. Louis County
21st Judicial Circuit
St. Louis County Courthouse, 105 South Central Avenue Clayton, Missouri 63105
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Petitions can also be started online through the court’s portal.
Nights, weekends and holidays. Go to any police department in St. Louis County and ask to file for an emergency ex parte order of protection. The police contact the on-call judge. Call 911 first if you are in immediate danger.
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Petitions can also be submitted through the court’s online portal.
Nights, weekends and holidays. Go to the nearest St. Louis Metropolitan Police district station and ask about filing for an order of protection. The station routes your petition to the on-call judge. Call 911 first if you are in immediate danger.
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for in-person filing. Petitions can also be submitted online through the court’s website.
Nights, weekends and holidays. Call 911 or go to your local police department. A petition submitted online after hours is entered on the next business day.
Nights, weekends and holidays. Go to the Jefferson County Jail at 510 First Street in Hillsboro, which processes emergency ex parte orders 24 hours a day. The after-hours route generally requires a current or former intimate partner relationship and violence within the past 24 hours. Otherwise you file at the Circuit Clerk’s office the next business day. Call 911 first if you are in immediate danger.
Talk to a family law attorney about your order of protection
Bardol Law Firm handles family law and nothing else, in St. Louis County, St. Louis City, St. Charles County and Jefferson County. We represent people seeking orders of protection and people defending against them. We generally return calls within one business day.
This page is provided for convenience and is not legal advice. Every phone number here was checked against the organization or a government source when this page was last updated, but programs move, merge and change numbers, so call ahead where you can. If a number on this page is out of date, please let us know. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
