Last amended January 1, 2019 · Last verified July 6, 2026
In one sentenceRule 65 sets the standards for temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions — the notice, security, and specificity they require — and creates a standing injunction that automatically restrains both parties in most divorce and custody cases.
(1)Notice. No preliminary injunction shall be issued without notice to the adverse party.
(2)Consolidation of Hearing with Trial on Merits. Before or after the commencement of the hearing of an application for a preliminary injunction, the court may order the trial of the action on the merits to be advanced and consolidated with the hearing of the application. Even when this consolidation is not ordered, any evidence received upon an application for a preliminary injunction which would be admissible upon the trial on the merits becomes part of the record on the trial and need not be repeated upon the trial. This subdivision (a) (2) shall be so construed and applied as to save the parties any rights they may have to trial by jury.
(b)Temporary Restraining Order—Notice— Hearing—Duration. A temporary restraining order may be granted without written or oral notice to the adverse party or that party’s attorney only if (1) it clearly appears from specific facts shown by affidavit or by the verified complaint that immediate and irreparable injury, loss, or damage will result to the applicant before the adverse party or that party’s attorney can be heard in opposition, and (2) the applicant’s attorney certifies to the court in writing the efforts, if any, which have been made to give the notice and the reasons supporting the claim that notice should not be required. Every temporary restraining order granted without notice shall be endorsed with the date and hour of issuance; shall be filed forthwith in the clerk’s office and entered of record; shall define the injury and state why it is irreparable and why the order was granted without notice; and shall expire by its terms within such time after entry, not to exceed 10 days, as the court fixes, unless within the time so fixed the order, for good cause shown, is extended for a like period or unless the party against whom the order is directed consents that it may be extended for a longer period. The reasons for the extension shall be entered of record. In case a temporary restraining order is granted without notice, the motion for a preliminary injunction shall be set down for hearing at the earliest possible time and takes precedence of all matters except older matters of the same character; and when the motion comes on for hearing the party who obtained the temporary restraining order shall proceed with the application for a preliminary injunction and, if the party does not do so, the court shall dissolve the temporary restraining order. On two days’ notice to the party who obtained the temporary restraining order without notice or on such shorter notice to that party as the court may prescribe, the adverse party may appear and move its dissolution or modification and in that event the court shall proceed to hear and determine such motion as expeditiously as the ends of justice require.
(c)Security. No restraining order or preliminary injunction shall issue except upon the giving of security by the applicant, in such sum as the court deems proper, for the payment of such costs and damages as may be incurred or suffered by any party who is found to have been wrongfully enjoined or restrained. No such security shall be required of the state or a municipality or of an officer or agency thereof, or unless otherwise ordered by the court, in domestic relations actions or proceedings.
A surety upon a bond or undertaking under this rule submits to the jurisdiction of the court and irrevocably appoints the clerk of the court as the surety’s agent upon whom any papers affecting the surety’s liability on the bond or undertaking may be served. The surety’s liability may be enforced on motion without the necessity of an independent action. The motion and such notice of the motion as the court prescribes may be served on the clerk of the court who shall forthwith mail copies to the persons giving the security if their addresses are known.
(d)Form and Scope of Injunction or Restraining Order. Every order granting an injunction and every restraining order shall set forth the reasons for its issuance; shall be specific in terms; shall describe in reasonable detail, and not by reference to the complaint or other document, the act or acts sought to be restrained; and is binding only upon the parties to the action, their officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys, and upon those persons in active concert or participation with them who receive actual notice of the order by personal service or otherwise.
(e)Standing Preliminary Injunctions in Domestic Relations Actions. The presiding judge of each judicial district may issue a standing injunction which restrains the parties in all domestic relations actions, except dissolutions, domestic violence actions and uniform reciprocal enforcement actions, from:
(1)removing any child who is the subject of the action from the State of Alaska without the written consent of the other party;
(2)disposing of, encumbering or transferring any marital property without the written consent of the other party, except reasonably using funds for the parties or the parties’ children’s personal and necessary expenses; and
(3)threatening, harassing, or harming the other party.
Such a standing injunction shall be effective against a party upon receipt of a copy of the standing injunction by the party or the party’s attorney.
Amendment History
(Adopted by SCO 5 October 9, 1959; amended by SCO 30 effective February 1, 1961; by SCO 223 effective January 1, 1976; by SCO 258 effective November 15, 1976; by Section 2, Chapter 82, Session Laws of Alaska 1977 effective September 1, 1977; by SCO 708 effective July 15, 1986; by SCO 1153 effective July 15, 1994; by SCO 1269 effective July 15, 1997; by SCO 1361 effective October 15, 1999; by SCO 1620 effective August 16, 2006; and by SCO 1939 effective January 1, 2019)
Notes
Note: AS 10.06.630, as enacted by ch. 166, § 1, SLA 1988, amended Civil Rule 65 by changing the procedure for enjoining dissolution proceedings under AS 10.06.630.
Note: In 1996, the legislature enacted AS 18.66.110– 18.66.130 relating to domestic violence protective orders. According to § 78 ch. 64 SLA 1996, these statutes have the effect of amending Civil Rule 65 relating to temporary restraining orders, the method of obtaining those orders, and the timing of those orders.
Note: Chapter 42 § 2 SLA 1999 enacts AS 09.19.200 which governs the remedies available in civil litigation involving conditions in correctional facilities. According to § 3 of the act, the enactment of AS 09.19.200 has the effect of amending Civil Rules 59(f), 60(b), 62, and 65 by altering the remedies available and the procedure to be used in litigation involving correctional facilities.
Note: Chapter 87 SLA 03 (HB 1) enacted AS 18.65.850- 860, which addresses protective orders for persons who are victims of stalking not involving domestic violence. According to Section 8(b) of the Act, these provisions have the effect of amending Civil Rule 65 relating to temporary restraining orders, the method of obtaining those orders, and the timing of those orders. Note: Chapter 54 SLA 2005 (HB 95) enacted extensive amendments and new provisions related to public health, including public health emergencies and disasters. According to Section 13(d) of the Act, AS 18.15.375(c)(3), (d), and (e), and 18.15.385(d) –(k), enacted in Section 8, have the effect of amending Civil Rule 65 by allowing temporary and ex parte injunctions to be issued and by expediting the procedures related to injunctive relief in matters involving public health.
Note: Chapter 36 SLA 2006 (SB 54) enacted changes to the protective order statutes for crimes involving stalking to include crimes involving sexual assault and sexual abuse. According to section 12 of the Act, the amendments to AS 18.65.850 and AS 18.65.855 made in sections 4 through 8 of the Act have the effect of changing Civil Rule 65 by changing the method for obtaining, and the timing of, temporary restraining orders.
Note: Chapter 65, SLA 2018 (HB 170) enacted comprehensive changes to securities laws. According to section 30(d) of the Act, AS 45.56.655(c), enacted by section 25 of the Act, have the effect of changing Civil Rule 65, effective January 1, 2019, by changing the procedure for injunctions in certain cases and by prohibiting requiring the administrator (in the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development) to post a bond. Cross References CROSS REFERENCE: AS 09.40.230
Plain-English Summary
A preliminary injunction can't issue without notice to the other side, though the court can move the trial itself up and combine it with the injunction hearing, and any evidence taken at that hearing that would also be admissible at trial becomes part of the trial record without having to be repeated — done in a way that preserves whatever jury trial rights the parties have. A temporary restraining order is different: it can issue without notice, but only on a specific showing of immediate and irreparable harm and a certification of what efforts were made to give notice. A TRO issued without notice has to spell out why it was granted that way, expires within 10 days unless extended or the restrained party agrees to longer, and pushes the case straight to a hearing on a preliminary injunction, which takes priority over most other business on the court's calendar. The restrained party can also ask, on two days' notice, to have the TRO dissolved or modified sooner.
Except for the state, a municipality, or a domestic relations case (unless the court orders otherwise), anyone who gets a restraining order or injunction has to post security to cover the costs and damages of a party later found to have been wrongfully restrained — and a surety on that bond submits to the court's jurisdiction and can be pursued by motion rather than a separate lawsuit. Every order has to state its reasons, describe the restrained conduct in specific terms rather than by reference to the complaint, and it binds only the parties, their officers, agents, and attorneys, plus anyone in active concert with them who gets actual notice.
Rule 65 also creates a standing injunction that a judicial district's presiding judge can put in place for most domestic relations actions — dissolutions, domestic violence cases, and interstate support enforcement cases are excluded — automatically barring either party from removing a child from Alaska without the other's written consent, disposing of marital property without consent (beyond ordinary living expenses), or threatening or harassing the other party. It takes effect against a party as soon as that party or their attorney receives a copy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a judge issue a restraining order without telling the other side first?
Only on a specific showing that immediate and irreparable harm will happen before the other side can be heard, along with a certification of what notice efforts were made. Even then the order expires within 10 days unless extended, and it must be followed quickly by a noticed hearing on a preliminary injunction.
Do I have to put up money to get an injunction?
Generally yes — the applicant posts security for costs and damages in case the restrained party turns out to have been wrongfully enjoined. The state, a municipality, and (unless the court orders otherwise) domestic relations cases are exempt.
Is there an injunction that applies automatically once I file for divorce?
In most domestic relations actions other than dissolutions, domestic violence cases, and interstate support enforcement cases, the presiding judge can put a standing injunction in place barring either party from removing a child from Alaska, disposing of marital property, or threatening the other party without consent, effective once that party receives a copy.
Source & verification. The rule text, Amendment History, and Notes are reproduced verbatim from the
official Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure (Alaska R. Civ. P. 65). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Alaska (Alaska Const. art. IV, § 15). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 6, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as:preliminary injunction Alaska ruletemporary restraining order Alaska civil caseTRO Alaska rulestanding injunction Alaska divorceAlaska R. Civ. P. 65