Protection From Abuse Orders (PFAs) are a powerful, but often misused, remedy in Pennsylvania. They are intended to protect vulnerable individuals who are survivors of domestic abuse. The statute offers protection in limited circumstances, and the abuse must be at the hands of family members or household members, including former sexual or intimate partners. The statute lays out the abuse that PFAs protect from, which can be summarized as preventing the defendant from: attempting to cause or intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causing bodily injury, including rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, assault and incest; placing another in reasonable fear of imminent serious bodily injury; falsely imprisoning the plaintiff; physically or sexually abusing minor children or; knowingly engaging in a course of conduct or repeatedly committing acts toward another person, including following the person, which place the person in reasonable fear of bodily injury. See 23 PA Cons Stat Section 6101 (2022). PFAs can also be filed on behalf of minors (PFA OBO), which provides children and teenagers with the necessary protection.

Emergency and temporary PFAs offer immediate protection against abusers while the filer waits for a final PFA hearing date. The process has been relatively streamlined in Philadelphia, and parties can go to the family courthouse to file an emergency PFA or a temporary PFA before they have a hearing for a final PFA. The paperwork is easily accessible online and in person, and filing assistance is available at the courthouse. An emergency PFA petition can be heard by a hearing officer the same day and put into place at an ex parte hearing, followed by obtaining a temporary PFA. Alternatively, a party can get a temporary PFA, which protects the filer until the hearing date for the final order. The final order can last up to three years and can vary in the level of protection it offers.