Ark. Code Ann. » Title 9 Chapter 15
Arkansas Code Annotated

Ark. Code Ann. § 9-15-207 (2026)

Order of protection — Enforcement — Penalties — Criminal jurisdiction

✓ current as of May 2026
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  1. Any order of protection granted under this chapter is enforceable by a law enforcement agency with proper jurisdiction.
  2. An order of protection shall include a notice to the respondent or party restrained that:
    1. A violation of the order of protection is a Class A misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of one (1) year's imprisonment in the county jail or a fine of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both;
    2. A violation of an order of protection under this section within five (5) years of a previous conviction for violation of an order of protection is a Class D felony;
    3. It is unlawful for an individual who is subject to an order of protection or convicted of a misdemeanor of domestic violence to ship, transport, or possess a firearm or ammunition under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8) and (9) as it existed on January 1, 2019;
    4. A conviction of violation of an order of protection under this section within five (5) years of a previous conviction for violation of an order of protection is a Class D felony;
    5. A person who is a respondent or an enjoined party is restrained from harassing, stalking, or threatening a person named in an order of protection as a family or household member, a child of the family or household member, or a child of the respondent or enjoined party; and
    6. A person who is a respondent or an enjoined party is restrained from engaging in other conduct that would place a person named in an order of protection as a family or household member, a child of the family or household member, or a child of the respondent or enjoined party in reasonable fear of bodily injury.
  3. For respondents eighteen (18) years of age or older or emancipated minors, jurisdiction for the criminal offense of violating the terms of an order of protection is with the circuit court or other courts having jurisdiction over criminal matters.
    1. In the final order of protection, the petitioner's home or business address may be excluded from notice to the respondent.
    2. A court shall also order that the petitioner's copy of the order of protection be excluded from any address where the respondent happens to reside.
  5. A law enforcement officer shall not arrest a petitioner for the violation of an order of protection issued against a respondent.
  6. When a law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that a respondent has violated an order of protection and has been presented verification of the existence of the order of protection, the officer may arrest the respondent without a warrant whether or not the violation occurred in the presence of the officer if the order of protection was obtained according to this chapter and the Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure.
  7. An order of protection issued by a court of competent jurisdiction in any county of this state is enforceable in every county of this state by any court or law enforcement officer.
  8. An order of protection shall include either:
    1. A finding that the respondent presents a credible threat to the physical safety of a person named in an order of protection as a family or household member, a child of the family or household member, or a child of the respondent or enjoined party; or
    2. An explicit prohibition against the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person named in the order of protection as a family or household member, a child of the family or household member, or a child of the respondent or enjoined party which would reasonably be expected to cause bodily injury.

History. Acts 1991, No. 266, § 10; 1999, No. 1551, § 4; 2001, No. 1469, § 1; 2007, No. 676, § 2; 2009, No. 331, § 2; 2009, No. 698, § 8; 2019, No. 908, §§ 1, 2.

Amendments. The 2007 amendment added (c) and redesignated the remaining subsections accordingly.

The 2009 amendment by No. 331 rewrote (b) and (c) and redesignated them as (b), inserted (e), and redesignated the remaining subsections accordingly; and made minor stylistic changes.

The 2009 amendment by No. 698 inserted “For respondents eighteen (18) years of age or older and emancipated minors” in (d), and made related changes.

The 2019 amendment substituted “January 1, 2019” for “January 1, 2007” in (b)(3); added (b)(5) and (b)(6); added (h); and made stylistic changes.

Case Notes

Criminal Jurisdiction.

Trial court had no subject-matter jurisdiction to try defendant for the crime of violation of a protective order under this section; unlike § 5-53-134, this section does not describe a criminal offense but provides a mechanism by which a person can obtain injunctive and equitable relief for protection against domestic abuse. Standridge v. State, 2014 Ark. 515, 452 S.W.3d 103 (2014).

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 7 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 2005–2025 · leading case: Standridge v. State, 2014 Ark. 515 (Ark. 2014).
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Standridge v. State, 2014 Ark. 515 (Ark. 2014). · cites it 108× “” Ark. Code Ann. § 9-15-207 (c) (emphasis added).”
Standridge v. State, 2014 Ark. 515 (Ark. 2014). · cites it 52× “” Ark. Code Ann. § 9-15-207 (c) (emphasis added).”
City of Little Rock v. Circuit Court of Pulaski Cnty., 2017 Ark. 219 (Ark. 2017). · cites it 2× “The Stand-ridge court reversed and dismissed a criminal conviction under Arkansas Code Annotated section 9-15-207 for violating an order of protection because the State had charged Standridge under a noncriminal statute.”
Timothy Hocut v. Hilary Hocut, 2022 Ark. App. 452 (Ark. Ct. App. 2022). · cites it 4× “2020), lack sufficient definiteness to provide proper notice and, therefore, are void for vagueness; (2) the circuit court committed clear error when it granted Hilary Hocut’s order of protection because there was insufficient evidence that a present and immediate threat of…”
Davis v. Davis, 200 S.W.3d 886 (Ark. 2005). · cites it 4× “See Ark.Code Ann. § 9-15-207 (Repl.2002). She also underscores the point that our General Assembly passed the Domestic Abuse Act to assure the safety and protection of victims of domestic violence.”
Beason v. Parks, 459 S.W.3d 841 (Ark. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 2× “See Ark. Code Ann. § 9-15-207 (Repl. 2009). Because we have held that statutory provisions that are punitive in nature must be strictly construed, this is further support for our conclusion that substantial compliance with section 9-15-201 is insufficient.”
Aiden Jones v. Ashley Zachery, 2025 Ark. App. 332 (Ark. Ct. App. 2025). · cites it 4× “Moreover, while section 9-15-207 includes restraining a respondent from “harassing, stalking, or threatening” but does not define “harassment,” the criminal offense of harassment is defined in Arkansas Code Annotated section 5-71-208(a) (Repl.”
— Ark. Code Ann. § 9-15-207(b) — 1 case
Aiden Jones v. Ashley Zachery, 2025 Ark. App. 332 (Ark. Ct. App. 2025). “Moreover, while section 9-15-207 includes restraining a respondent from “harassing, stalking, or threatening” but does not define “harassment,” the criminal offense of harassment is defined in Arkansas Code Annotated section 5-71-208(a) (Repl.”
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