San Diego Superior Court Moves Domestic Violence Restraining Order Cut-Off to 3 p.m.

The San Diego Superior Court will shorten the window for same-day processing of domestic violence temporary restraining order requests beginning next month, the court announced in a public notice issued Wednesday.

Effective November 16, 2026, requests for domestic violence temporary restraining orders must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. to receive same-day review by a judicial officer. Requests filed after the new cut-off will be reviewed on the next court day.

The change applies to DVTRO requests submitted both in person at the Family Law Business Office at any San Diego County court location and electronically through the court's approved e-filing service providers.

The court did not state the current cut-off time in the public notice, nor did it provide a rationale for the change. The notice said only that the earlier deadline applies "to be processed the same court day."

The change comes as San Diego Superior Court continues to manage high volumes of domestic violence filings. According to the most recent California Courts statistics, San Diego County reported 11,423 domestic violence restraining order filings in fiscal year 2023-2024, ranking among the highest-volume counties in the state.

Requests filed after the 3:00 p.m. deadline will still be accepted but will not reach a judge until the following court day, which could mean an overnight delay for petitioners seeking emergency protection orders.

The court posted the full public notice as a PDF document on its website.