Ohio Civil Stalking Protection Orders: The Ground Is Menacing by Stalking, Not Harassment
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Ohio · Last updated October 22, 2026
Ohio has no general harassment order, and the civil stalking protection order, or CSPO, is the nearest thing to one, so read its limit before you file. It is a court order, issued under Ohio Rev. Code 2903.214, telling someone you are not in a domestic relationship with to stay away from you and stop contacting you. The grounds are narrow. You must allege the criminal offence of menacing by stalking under R.C. 2903.211, which needs a pattern of conduct, defined as two or more actions or incidents closely related in time. That conduct must knowingly cause you to believe the person will cause physical harm, or cause you mental distress. Mental distress is defined as mental illness or a condition involving temporary substantial incapacity, or one that would normally require psychiatric or psychological treatment whether or not treatment was sought. That is a markedly higher bar than ordinary annoyance. A civil sexually oriented offense protection order runs under the same section. If the person is a spouse, partner, ex, or family or household member, this is the wrong order and you want a domestic violence civil protection order under R.C. 3113.31, filed in a different court. If the person is under 18, R.C. 2151.34 applies instead. An order can run up to five years (R.C. 2903.214(E)(2)(a)). This page is document preparation information, not legal advice, and no order can guarantee your safety. Attorney review is available through DocDraft.
Find out where you stand in Ohio
Who is harassing you?
DocDraft provides document preparation, not legal advice.
Does Ohio let me get a protection order against someone who only harasses me?
Not on harassment alone. The petition must allege menacing by stalking under R.C. 2903.211, meaning a pattern of two or more incidents closely related in time that knowingly causes you to fear physical harm or causes mental distress, or allege a sexually oriented offense (R.C. 2903.214(C)(1)).
What counts as mental distress for an Ohio civil stalking protection order?
The statute defines it as mental illness or a condition involving temporary substantial incapacity, or a condition that would normally require psychiatric or psychological treatment or services, whether or not you sought any (R.C. 2903.211(D)(2)). Everyday annoyance, irritation or worry does not obviously fit that definition.
How long does an Ohio civil stalking protection order last?
An order must be valid until a date certain, but not later than five years from the date it is issued (R.C. 2903.214(E)(2)(a)). It may be renewed in the same manner as the original order was issued (R.C. 2903.214(E)(2)(b)). The statute sets no cap on renewals.
Is there a filing fee for an Ohio civil stalking protection order?
No. No court or unit of state or local government may charge the petitioner any fee, cost, deposit or money for filing the petition, or for filing, issuing, registering, modifying, enforcing, dismissing or serving the order or a witness subpoena. The court may assess those costs against the respondent (R.C. 2903.214(J)).
Ohio civil stalking protection order rules at a glance
Ohio sorts its protection orders by court and by form rather than by length. A civil stalking protection order, the CSPO, under R.C. 2903.214 goes to the general division of the court of common pleas of the county where the protected person lives, while a domestic violence civil protection order under R.C. 3113.31 goes to the domestic relations division, and both can run to the same five-year limit. The CSPO directs someone you are not domestically tied to, whom you need not know at all, to stay away from you. Its grounds are the narrow part: menacing by stalking, or a sexually oriented offence, by a respondent aged eighteen or older. Nothing in the petition list asks about your relationship to the respondent, but the offence itself must be shown.
A Lorain County condo board treasurer and a unit owner who will not drop a grievance
A Lorain County condominium board treasurer refuses a unit owner's request to waive a late fee. Over six weeks the owner stakes out the parking area, sends her written messages describing her car and her daily route, and appears outside her workplace twice. They have never dated or lived together. She keeps a dated log, since two or more incidents closely related in time are required, and she needs more than irritation: she records a doctor's note about panic episodes and lost work. She files Civil Protection Order Form 24 in the general division of common pleas, free of charge, and asks for an ex parte order. Whether the facts meet the mental distress definition is for the court.
Relevant Laws
Ohio Rev. Code 2903.214 (civil stalking and sexually oriented offense protection orders)
The governing statute. Division (A)(1) defines the court as the court of common pleas of the county where the person to be protected resides. Division (C)(1) requires the petition to allege that the respondent is eighteen or older and engaged in a violation of section 2903.211 or committed a sexually oriented offense against the person to be protected. Last amended by Senate Bill 288 of the 134th General Assembly, effective April 4, 2023.
Ohio Rev. Code 2903.214(D) (ex parte hearing and full hearing)
Requires the court to hold an ex parte hearing no later than the next day the court is in session after the petition is filed, if one is requested, and to schedule the full hearing within ten court days after the ex parte hearing, with continuances permitted for non-service, consent, obtaining counsel or other good cause.
Ohio Rev. Code 2903.214(E)(2) and (J) (duration, renewal and no fee)
Division (E)(2) makes an order valid until a date certain but not later than five years from issuance, renewable in the same manner as the original. Division (J) bars any court or unit of government from charging the petitioner a fee, cost, deposit or money for the petition, the order or a certified copy, and lets the court assess costs against the respondent.
Ohio Rev. Code 2903.211 (menacing by stalking)
Prohibits engaging in a pattern of conduct that knowingly causes another person to believe the offender will cause physical harm, or causes mental distress. Division (D)(1) defines a pattern of conduct as two or more actions or incidents closely related in time, and division (D)(2) defines mental distress by reference to mental illness, temporary substantial incapacity, or a condition normally requiring psychiatric or psychological treatment.
Ohio Rev. Code 3113.31 (domestic violence civil protection orders)
The domestic track that this page routes you to if the person is a family or household member or a dating partner. Division (A)(2) defines the court as the domestic relations division of the court of common pleas where one exists, and division (E)(3)(a) sets the same five-year outer limit on duration.
Ohio Rev. Code 2151.34 (juvenile civil protection orders)
The counterpart where the respondent is under eighteen, carrying the same two grounds as section 2903.214 and heard in the juvenile division. Last amended by Senate Bill 288 of the 134th General Assembly, effective April 4, 2023.
Ohio Rev. Code 2903.213 (criminal protection orders)
A protection order available only in a pending criminal case, on a complaint or indictment, and expressly carved out where the alleged offender is a family or household member. It is not a civil petition and is not a substitute for section 2903.214.
Civil Protection Order Form 24, Petition for Civil Stalking Protection Order or Civil Sexually Oriented Offense Protection Order
The petition form approved by the Supreme Court of Ohio under Civil Rule 84, amended July 1, 2026, replacing Form 10.03-D. Companion forms include Form 23 (instructions), Form 25 (ex parte order) and Form 26 (full hearing order).
Regional Variances
Ohio civil stalking protection order rules at a glance
Instrument name
Civil stalking protection order (CSPO), with a companion civil sexually oriented offense protection order, under Ohio Rev. Code 2903.214. The juvenile counterpart for a respondent under eighteen is R.C. 2151.34.
Who it covers, and the relationship test
No relationship element. The petition must allege the respondent is eighteen or older and engaged in menacing by stalking or committed a sexually oriented offense against the person to be protected (R.C. 2903.214(C)(1)). Family or household members and dating partners are routed to R.C. 3113.31.
The standard
A pattern of conduct amounting to menacing by stalking under R.C. 2903.211: two or more actions or incidents closely related in time that knowingly cause fear of physical harm or mental distress. Mental distress means mental illness, temporary substantial incapacity, or a condition normally requiring psychiatric or psychological treatment (R.C. 2903.211(D)).
Ex parte or temporary order
If requested, the ex parte hearing must be held no later than the next day the court is in session. The full hearing must be set within ten court days after it, and the ex parte order does not expire merely because the respondent was not served or a continuance was granted (R.C. 2903.214(D)).
Duration
Valid until a date certain, but not later than five years from the date of issuance (R.C. 2903.214(E)(2)(a)). The domestic violence order has the same five-year outer limit, so length does not distinguish the two.
Renewal
May be renewed in the same manner as the original order was issued. The statute sets no cap on the number of renewals and no separate renewal standard (R.C. 2903.214(E)(2)(b)).
Court and form
General division of the court of common pleas of the county where the person to be protected resides (R.C. 2903.214(A)(1)). Petition is Civil Protection Order Form 24, amended July 1, 2026, formerly Form 10.03-D.
Filing fee
None. No court or unit of state or local government may charge the petitioner for filing, issuing, registering, modifying, enforcing, dismissing or serving the order, or for a witness subpoena or certified copy. Costs may be assessed against the respondent (R.C. 2903.214(J)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Other Ohio guides
Adult Guardianship in Ohio
Adverse Possession in Ohio: Twenty One Years and a Stringent Standard of Proof
Asset Protection Planning in Ohio (2026)
Dealing With Debt Collectors in Ohio (2026)
Delinquent Property Taxes in Ohio: The Deadline Is a Line on a Court Docket, Not a Date
Expunging a Criminal Record in Ohio (2026)
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