Rule 9-304.Interim protective orders
Last amended July 1, 2015 · Current through June 1, 2026 · Last verified September 8, 2026
Full Text of Rule 9-304
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
Maryland's protective orders come in three tiers, and each tier has its own issuing officer. The interim order is the first and shortest — the one available when no judge is sitting — and only a District Court commissioner may issue it.
Everything else about interim orders is statutory: what the commissioner must find, what relief may be granted, how long it lasts, and how it converts into a temporary order before a judge. The rule's contribution is the allocation of authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues an interim protective order in Maryland?
Only a commissioner of the District Court.
Can a judge issue an interim order?
No. A judge issues the temporary and final protective orders; the interim order is the commissioner's.
Where are the rules about what an interim order can do?
In the Family Law Article. The rule allocates the authority and leaves the content of the order to the statute.