205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM
Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Washington State law allows for a person to file a civil case in court asking a judge to grant an order to protect them from another person whose behavior is abusive, threatening, exploitive or seriously alarming. The primary purpose of most is to order the "respondent" to not contact or harm the "petitioner." Unlike other protection orders, an Extreme Risk Protection Order does not provide protection to the petitioner. Its primary purpose is to order the respondent to surrender weapons.
State law establishes who can seek them, who they can protect, who they can restrain, the types of protections and relief they offer, when and where court hearings are conducted, what costs may be incurred, etc.
Protection orders do not cover everyone’s needs; there may be other legal remedies that are appropriate. A Protection Order packet is available on the second floor of the Courthouse and in the Clerk’s Office, or you can visit Washington Court Forms, or on this web page:
Starting a Protection Order:
Reissuing/Modifying or Terminating a Protection Order:
Upon request, the Clerk’s Office can provide civil protection order forms or any instructions found on: Washington Court Forms
What is Happening?
Washington's Hope Card Program offers survivors an easier way to carry vital information about their full orders of protection. Instead of always carrying a full legal civil protection order with them, they can keep the smaller, durable, and more accessible Hope Card with them. Hope Cards are available to anyone issued a protection order, including minor children, and are free. The card includes all the information law enforcement needs to verify the protection order if a potential violation occurs.
Hope Cards cannot be issued for Temporary Protection Orders. Protection orders must be past temporary status before cards can be issued. Also, Hope Cards cannot be issued for No-Contact Orders (NCO) in a criminal case, Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO), nor Restraining Orders.
The Hope Card Program and its website launched and is live at www.courts.wa.gov/hopecard
