Rule 65.2.Civil Protection Order Forms
Last amended July 1, 2026 · Last verified July 1, 2026
Full Text of Rule 65.2
Amendment History
Effective Date: July 1, 2026
Staff Note (July 1, 2026 Amendment)
(Transferred Commentary January 1, 1998, from Sup.R. 10.01)
On December 9, 1994, Am.Sub.H.B. No. 335 became effective, which made significant changes to Ohio’s domestic violence laws. Section 4 of Am.Sub.H.B. 335 states as follows:
The General Assembly hereby requests the Supreme Court, in consultation with the Department of Human Services, to prescribe a form that is to be filed by a petitioner seeking a civil protection order under section 3113.31 of the Revised Code and that makes reference to all the forms of relief that a court is authorized to grant under division (E) of section 3113.31 of the Revised Code, as amended by this act, contains space for the petitioner to request any of those forms of relief, and includes instructions for completing the form so that a petitioner may file the form without the assistance of an attorney.
The Supreme Court, in consultation with its Domestic Violence Task Force, developed forms in response to the General Assembly’s request in Am.Sub.H.B. No. 335.
During its eighteen months of study, the Supreme Court’s Domestic Violence Task Force determined that due to the variety of protection order forms used by Ohio courts, it can be difficult for law enforcement officers to recognize valid protection orders and understand the pertinent provisions of such orders. The Task Force also discovered that misconceptions exist in regard to the penalties for violating protection orders. Upon recommendation of the Task Force, the Court developed this rule and Forms 10.02-A and 10C to address these concerns.
(Commission Staff Note)
Civ.R. 65.2(B)(6) references Form 31, which requires notification to be provided to the court by law enforcement when a person surrenders to law enforcement a deadly weapon or ammunition pursuant to a court’s protection order. The term “deadly weapon” is defined in R.C. 2923.11(A) to include “any instrument, device, or thing capable of inflicting death, and designed or specially adapted for use as a weapon, or possessed, carried, or used as a weapon.” This includes firearms, see e.g. R.C. 2923.11(B)-(G). This comports with 18 U.S. Code § 922(g)(8), which prohibits the possession of “any firearm or ammunition” by a person who is subject to a protection order issued after a full hearing or by consent agreement.
Plain-English Summary
Division (A) requires the common pleas division that hears each kind of protection-order case to distribute, on request, a packet of forms for it. There are four packets: domestic violence protection orders against an adult under R.C. 3113.31, dating violence protection orders, civil stalking and civil sexually oriented offense protection orders under R.C. 2903.214, and protection orders against a minor under R.C. 2151.34 and 3113.31. Each packet must include, at a minimum, forms substantially similar to the numbered forms the rule lists — among them the petition, the ex parte order, and, in three of the four packets, Form 2, the warning concerning the attached protection order or consent agreement.
Division (B) turns to the court’s own paperwork. Whenever a court issues an ex parte or full hearing order, approves a consent agreement, or modifies an order in one of these case types, it must use the matching form — Form 6, 7, or 8 for a domestic violence order against an adult, for example — and attach a cover sheet substantially similar to Form 2. Two more duties close the rule. When the court orders a respondent to surrender deadly weapons, including firearms and ammunition, it must enter on the docket a Form 31 notice of receipt once law enforcement sends one. When it orders a transfer of wireless service, it must complete Form 29.
The rule took effect July 1, 2026, as part of the move of court-procedure rules out of the Rules of Superintendence, and its Staff Note carries forward commentary transferred from there. The forms still show their former numbers in parentheses — Form 2 was formerly 10-C — which helps anyone matching an older order or local rule to the current form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rule 65.2 require me to file my petition on the Supreme Court’s form?
Rule 65.2 puts its duties on the court. The court must hand out a forms packet on request and must use the prescribed forms for its own orders. The rule does not itself say a petitioner must file on the packet’s petition form, so check the local court’s practice.
What is Form 2, and when must it be attached?
Form 2 is the “Warning Concerning the Attached Protection Order or Consent Agreement.” Division (B) requires a cover sheet substantially similar to it whenever the court issues an ex parte or full hearing protection order, approves a consent agreement, or modifies one. The Staff Note traces the warning to a task force finding that officers had trouble recognizing valid orders and that people misunderstood the penalties for violating them.
What happens on the court’s docket when a respondent surrenders firearms?
If the court ordered the respondent to surrender deadly weapons, including firearms and ammunition, into law enforcement’s protective custody, Rule 65.2(B)(6) requires the court to enter a form substantially similar to Form 31, the notice of receipt, on the docket once law enforcement sends it.