Maryland Peace Orders: A 30-Day Window, a Closed List of Twelve Acts, and Six Months of Protection
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Maryland · Last updated October 22, 2026
In Maryland the form of order for harassment by someone outside your family is called a peace order, and it works on a short clock: the act you complain of must have happened within 30 days before you file (Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1503(a)(1)). A peace order is a District Court order directing a person you are not related to, and have no domestic tie with, to stop harassing or contacting you and to stay away. The grounds are a closed list of twelve acts, not harassment in general: serious bodily harm, fear of imminent serious bodily harm, assault, false imprisonment, harassment, stalking, trespass, malicious destruction of property, misuse of telephone facilities, misuse of electronic communication, revenge porn and visual surveillance. If the person is a current or former spouse, a cohabitant, a relative, a parent of your child, or someone you had a sexual relationship with in the past year, the peace order is the wrong order and you want a domestic violence protective order under Family Law 4-501 and following. You cannot pick between them, because the peace order law switches off for anyone eligible for that relief (3-1502(b)(1)). The judge must find the person has committed, and is likely to commit in the future, a listed act (3-1505(c)(1)(ii)). A final order lasts up to six months (3-1505(f)). This page is document preparation information, not legal advice, and no order can guarantee your safety. Attorney review is available through DocDraft.
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Who is harassing you?
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How recently must the conduct have happened to file for a Maryland peace order?
The act must have occurred within 30 days before the petition is filed (Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1503(a)(1)). Older incidents are not themselves a ground. A protective order has no equivalent 30-day limit, which is one reason the choice between the two orders matters for timing.
How long does a Maryland final peace order last?
A final peace order is effective for the period stated in the order, not to exceed six months (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1505(f)). A judge may extend it by a further six months for good cause after notice and a hearing under section 3-1506(a)(2).
What must a judge find before issuing a final peace order in Maryland?
By a preponderance of the evidence, that the respondent has committed, and is likely to commit in the future, one of the listed acts against the petitioner or the petitioner's employee (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1505(c)(1)(ii)). The future-likelihood finding is an added element beyond proving the past act.
Which Maryland court hears a peace order petition?
The District Court of Maryland. The petition is form DC-PO-001 (Rev. 10/2025), which the Supreme Court of Maryland adopts under Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1509(b)(1). When the clerk's office is closed, a District Court commissioner may issue an interim peace order under section 3-1503.1.
Maryland peace order rules at a glance
Maryland has no instrument called a civil harassment restraining order. Its answer is the peace order, found in Courts and Judicial Proceedings sections 3-1501 to 3-1510 and heard only in the District Court. A peace order directs someone outside your domestic circle to stop contact and stay away. Three features set it apart. First, the 30-day window: the act must be that recent. Second, the closed list: twelve enumerated acts, including harassment and stalking, so conduct that fits none of them is not covered. Third, the routing runs by exclusion. Section 3-1502(b)(1) disapplies the subtitle for anyone who is a person eligible for relief under Family Law 4-501, so the relationship categories there, not your preference, decide which order is available. An employer may also petition for an employee harassed at work.
A Howard County bakery owner and a customer who will not stop writing
A Howard County bakery owner has a regular customer who, after a refund dispute, begins posting her home address in online comments and sending a stream of messages through changing accounts. The messages began about two months ago, but the latest burst, including a trespass at the shop's back door, falls twenty-six days before she sits down to file. Because the 30-day rule looks only at recent acts, she builds the petition on the electronic messages and the trespass inside that window, and she must also explain why she expects more. She completes form DC-PO-001 at the District Court. Whether the judge finds the acts and the likelihood of repetition is for the court.
Relevant Laws
Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1503 (petition, grounds and employer standing)
Lets a petitioner file for relief by alleging any of twelve listed acts against the petitioner, or against the petitioner's employee at the workplace, if the act occurred within 30 days before filing. Subsection (e) governs an employer's petition for an employee, including the duty to notify the employee and the bar on retaliation.
Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1502 (who the subtitle does not apply to)
Provides that the peace order subtitle does not apply to a petitioner or petitioner's employee who is a person eligible for relief as defined in Family Law 4-501, or to a respondent who was a child at the time of the alleged act. This is the exclusion that routes domestic situations to the protective order.
Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1504 (temporary peace orders)
Allows a judge to issue a temporary peace order on reasonable grounds to believe the respondent committed a listed act and is likely to commit one in the future. A temporary order is effective not more than seven days after service, extendable as needed but not beyond 30 days to effectuate service or for other good cause.
Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1503.1 (interim peace orders)
Lets a District Court commissioner issue an interim peace order when the clerk's office is closed. It is effective until the earlier of the temporary peace order hearing or the end of the second business day the clerk's office is open after issuance.
Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1505 (final peace orders and duration)
Provides that a judge who finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the respondent has committed, and is likely to commit in the future, a listed act may issue a final peace order. Subsection (f) limits the relief to the period stated in the order, not to exceed six months.
Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1506 (modification and extension)
Permits a judge, for good cause shown after notice and a hearing, to extend the term of the peace order by six months beyond the period in section 3-1505(f). A motion to extend must be heard within 30 days, and if the hearing is not held before the original expiration the order is automatically extended until the hearing.
Md. Code, Fam. Law 4-501 (domestic violence: persons eligible for relief)
Defines a person eligible for relief for the domestic violence protective order, including a current or former spouse, a cohabitant, a relative by blood, marriage or adoption, a vulnerable adult, a parent of the respondent's child, a person with a sexual relationship with the respondent in the past year, and certain sexual offense complainants. A petitioner inside these categories uses a protective order, not a peace order.
Md. Code, Fam. Law 4-506 (final protective order, for contrast)
Sets the duration of a final protective order at up to one year in the ordinary case, with longer periods in the circumstances the section lists. Compare the six-month cap on a final peace order under Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1505(f).
District Court of Maryland form DC-PO-001, Petition for Peace Order
The petition form, Rev. 10/2025, headed Courts and Judicial Proceedings 3-1503. Section 3-1509(b)(1) provides that the Supreme Court of Maryland shall adopt a form for a petition under the subtitle.
District Court of Maryland cost schedule DCA-109
The fee schedule, Rev. 03/2026, listing $56.00 against a line labelled Temporary Peace Order and noting a $60 sheriff service fee for each defendant. Domestic violence filings are listed with no fee.
Regional Variances
Maryland peace order rules at a glance
Instrument name
Peace order, in interim, temporary and final forms, under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1501 to 3-1510. Maryland does not use the name civil harassment restraining order.
Who it covers, and the relationship test
Exclusionary. The subtitle has no relationship requirement of its own but does not apply to a petitioner who is a person eligible for relief under Fam. Law 4-501, or where the respondent was a child at the time of the act (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1502(b)). Those eligible for relief use a protective order.
The standard
Preponderance of the evidence that the respondent has committed, and is likely to commit in the future, one of twelve listed acts, which occurred within 30 days before filing (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1503(a)(1), 3-1505(c)(1)(ii)). Relief is limited to what is minimally necessary to protect the petitioner.
Ex parte or temporary order
An interim order from a commissioner lasts until the temporary hearing or the end of the second business day the clerk's office is open. A temporary order issues on reasonable grounds to believe, lasts up to seven days after service, and may be extended to 30 days (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1503.1, 3-1504).
Duration
A final peace order lasts for the period stated in it, not to exceed six months (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1505(f)).
Renewal
A judge may extend the term by six months for good cause after notice and a hearing. A motion to extend is heard within 30 days, and the order is automatically extended until that hearing if it would otherwise expire (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1506(a)(2)-(3)).
Court and form
District Court of Maryland only. The petition is form DC-PO-001, Petition for Peace Order, Rev. 10/2025, with form MDJ-008 when restricted information is included.
Filing fee
The District Court cost schedule DCA-109 (Rev. 03/2026) prints $56.00 on a line labelled Temporary Peace Order, and that label differs from the petition's name, so confirm the amount with the clerk. Advance payment is not required for petitioners represented through JUDICARE, Maryland Legal Aid or a recognized pro bono program.
Service
Sheriff service is listed at $60 for each defendant on the cost schedule. A temporary order can be extended up to 30 days to effectuate service (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1504(c)).
Employer standing
An employer may petition for an employee harassed at the workplace, must notify the employee before filing, and may not retaliate against an employee who declines to testify (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1503(e)).
Violation
A misdemeanor, with warrantless arrest on probable cause (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 3-1508).
Frequently Asked Questions
Other Maryland guides
Adult Guardianship in Maryland
Adverse Possession in Maryland: The Twenty Year Duty on the Record Owner
Asset Protection Planning in Maryland (2026)
Dealing With Debt Collectors in Maryland (2026)
Delinquent Property Taxes in Maryland: Your County Fixes the Rate and a Judge Fixes the Deadline
Expunging a Criminal Record in Maryland (2026)
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