{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-403.725","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 403.725","heading":"Petition for order of protection -- Venue -- Verified contents -- Concurrent","body":"jurisdiction -- Protocols for access and supplemental jurisdiction -- Referral.\n(1) A petition for an order of protection may be filed by:\n(a) A victim of domestic violence and abuse; or\n(b) An adult on behalf of a victim who is a minor otherwise qualifying for relief\nunder this subsection.\n(2) The petition may be filed in the victim's county of residence or a county where the\nvictim has fled to escape domestic violence and abuse.\n(3) The petition shall be verified and contain:\n(a) The name, age, address, occupation, residence, and school or postsecondary\ninstitution of the petitioner;\n(b) The name, age, address, occupation, residence, and school or postsecondary\ninstitution of the person or persons who have engaged in the alleged act or\nacts complained of in the petition;\n(c) The facts and circumstances which constitute the basis for the petition;\n(d) The date and place of the marriage of the parties, if applicable; and\n(e) The names, ages, and addresses of the petitioner's minor children, if\napplicable.\n(4) The petition shall be filed on forms prescribed by the Administrative Office of the\nCourts and provided to the person seeking relief by the circuit clerk or by anothe r\nindividual authorized by the court to provide and verify petitions in emergency\nsituations, such as law enforcement officers, Commonwealth's or county attorneys,\nand regional rape crisis centers or domestic violence shelters.\n(5) All petitions requested, completed, and signed by persons seeking protection under\nthis chapter shall be accepted and filed with the court.\n(6) (a) Jurisdiction over petitions filed under this chapter shall be concurrent between\nthe District Court and Circuit Court and a petition  may be filed by a petitioner\nin either court, except that a petition shall be filed in a family court if one has\nbeen established in the county where the petition is filed.\n(b) The Court of Justice shall provide a protocol for twenty -four (24) hour access\nto orders of protection in each county with any protocol, whether statewide or\nlocal, being subject to Supreme Court review and approval of the initial\nprotocol and any subseque nt amendments. This protocol may allow for\npetitions to be filed in or transferred to a court other than those specified in\nparagraph (a) of this subsection.\n(c) The Court of Justice may authorize by rule that petitions in a specific county\nbe filed in acc ordance with a supplemental jurisdictional protocol adopted for\nthat county. This protocol may provide for petitions to be filed in or\ntransferred to a court other than those specified in paragraph (a) of this\nsubsection.\n(d) 1. In addition to the protocol s for twenty-four (24) hour access established\nunder paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subsection, before January 1, 2019,\nthe Court of Justice shall provide protocols for filing, including\nelectronic filing, of petitions for orders of protection at those reg ional\nrape crisis centers designated under KRS 211.600, or regional domestic\nviolence shelters designated under KRS 209A.045, that elect to\nparticipate in any county's twenty-four (24) hour access protocol.\n2. These protocols shall be subject to Supreme Co urt review for approval\nof the initial protocol and any subsequent amendments.\n(7) Any judge to whom a petition is referred under subsection (6) of this section shall\nhave full authority to review and hear a petition and subsequently grant and enforce\nan order of protection.\n(8) If the judge of a court in which there is a pending request for modification or\nenforcement of an existing order of protection is unavailable or unable to act within\na reasonable time, the proceedings may be conducted by any judge of the county in\naccordance with court rules.","path":["KRS Chapter 403"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=47935","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:59:30Z","sha256":"c37f38e44b5a0aaea8587997016e30af218d7ff64f21444ca5ca23e2899dac95","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-403.720","next":"us-ky/krs-403.727"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}