Rule 9-302.Definitions
Last amended July 1, 2015 · Current through June 1, 2026 · Last verified September 8, 2026
Full Text of Rule 9-302
Amendment History
Maryland publishes each rule’s adoption and amendment record as a bracketed “Credits” note beneath the rule, giving the date of each Rules Order and the date it took effect. It is reproduced verbatim below.
[Adopted March 2, 2015, eff. July 1, 2015.]
Plain-English Summary
A single sentence, and a deliberate one. Rather than restate what abuse means, or who is a person eligible for relief, or what counts as a home, the chapter takes the definitions the Family Law Article already gives and applies them throughout.
The consequence for anyone using these rules is that the vocabulary is statutory. Whether you can seek a protective order at all, and against whom, is answered by the statute's definitions, not by the rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the definitions for Maryland protective orders?
In the Family Law Article's domestic violence subtitle. Rule 9-302 adopts them for the whole of Chapter 300 rather than restating them.
Does the rule define abuse?
No. It applies the statutory definition, which is where the term abuse and the phrase person eligible for relief are defined.