How do I apply for a peace bond or a family law protection order?

Last reviewed October 2026 by the Clicklaw editors

If someone hurts you – or you are afraid they may hurt you, your family, or your property, you may have a few options to try to protect yourself through the BC court system.

  • Report a crime to the police. If the police or the Crown counsel don’t agree with a charge, you can lay a private information;
  • Apply for a peace bond against anyone by laying a private information; or
  • Apply for a family law protection order against a family member.

NOTE: These options are used when you feel unsafe but are not in immediate danger. If you are in immediate danger, contact the police at 911.

A protection order lists conditions that a person must follow that includes having limited or no contact with another person. You can apply for either a peace bond (against anyone) or a family law protection order (against a family member). You may also choose to apply for both a family law protection order and a peace bond if the person is a family member.

Instead of applying for a protection order, you may want to call the police to ask them to press criminal charges. If they don’t agree to press charges or the Crown counsel decides not to press charges, another option is to lay an information.  To learn more about laying an information to ask, go to this guide [link].

Peace Bond

A peace bond (also known as a “810 recognizance”) is a court order made in criminal court. It is meant to protect you, your family, or your property from anyone who you have real cause to believe will harm you. Peace bonds can be made against anyone. Apply for a peace bond by calling the police. If the police don’t agree to move forward with the matter, you can fill out the forms yourself by laying an information. Be aware that it may be more difficult to get a peace bond without police help.

Some helpful guides about peace bonds:

 Laying an information to apply for a peace bond

  1. Laying an information can be started by filling out Form 2, which is included in the Offence Act and the Criminal Code. Go to a courthouse and speak to a Court Services Justice of the Peace for further details. You can call the courthouse ahead of time in case there’s any other information you need to know.
  2. Before you fill in the information, review the Criminal Code and determine the appropriate charge or section.
  •  A peace bond uses the same Form 2 as the one for laying criminal charges; however, it only relies on s.810 of the Criminal Code.
  1. A laid information must use the format for a form of charge under the Criminal Code. You can find the Criminal Code in text form and the forms of charges in Martin’s Annual Criminal Code (Appendix A – subsection A2) at a Courthouse Libraries BC location during our open hours.
  • There are four forms of charges under s.810 in Appendix A of Martin's Annual Criminal Code. It is your responsibility to review which form of charge is relevant to your situation.
  1. A criminal charge and a peace bond cannot be made on the same document.
  2. If there are multiple alleged charges or misconducts, each should be in a separate count.
  3. All counts must include the name of the accused, the date that the offense occurred, and the location of the incident (town and province) as seen in the forms of charges.

 Filling out a Form 2 to apply for a peace bond

The Form 2 document begins with:

This is the information of

_____________________________________________________________________________

(the “informant”)

Of _______________________________________________________________(occupation)

The informant says that he has reasonable and probable grounds to believe and does believe that  _____________________________________________(form of charge)

Note: Form 2 may also be provided in French.

Form 2 example to apply for a peach bond

In cases where you fear the other person will hurt you or your property, write "contrary to section 810(1) of the Criminal Code" at the end of the reasons for why you fear harm.

  • There is also section 810.1 ‘Where fear of sexual offence’ where you would need to say which part of the Criminal Code applies. Section 810.1(1) has a list of the relevant sections of the Criminal Code.

Here is an example for the section ‘fear of injury or damage by another person’ from Martin’s Criminal Code Appendix A. Appendix A says:

810(1) Fear of injury or damage by another person

A.B. fears that X.Y. will cause personal injury to him [or to his spouse or to his children] in that X.Y. did on …… at …… utter the words [specify, e.g. “I will kill you”] contrary etc.

Filling this out with your own information for two counts would look something like this:

Count 1:

Minnimus Mousecowitz fears that Donald Duckerton will cause personal injury to her in that Donald Duckerton did on November 4, 2025, at Prince George, British Columbia, utter the words, "I will kill you" contrary to section 810(1) of the Criminal Code.

Count 2:

Minnimus Mousecowitz fears that Donald Duckerton will cause personal injury to her property at 4 Buena Vista Drive in that Donald Duckerton did on November 4, 2025 at Prince George, British Columbia, utter the words, "I will burn your house down" contrary to section 810(1) of the Criminal Code.

Once you have filled this portion out, you will bring it to a Justice of the Peace to be sworn/affirmed.

Protection Orders

A family law protection order is a court order made in family court to protect you or a family member from violence. It can only be made against a family member, which can include partners (or ex-partners), guardians, or other relatives. You can find out who is considered a family member in s. 1 of the Family Law Act. If the person who you think might harm you doesn’t fit into the definition in the FLA, you can apply for a peace bond instead.

Family law protection orders can be made in both courts but are usually made in Provincial Court using a Form 12, Application about a Protection Order. In Provincial Court, applying for a family law protection order is free but in Supreme Court you must pay court filing fees unless you apply for a fee waiver. The court process is also simpler in Provincial Court than in Supreme Court. Even if you have an existing Supreme Court file (i.e., dealing with divorce or property), you can still apply for a protection order in Provincial Court.

The protection order only deals with safety issues. If you want to deal with other family matters, you need to apply for separate orders using Form 3, Application about a Family Law Matter in Provincial Court, or F31, Notice of Application in Supreme Court. You can apply for a protection order by itself, or you can apply for a protection order similar to other family orders.

Here are some helpful guides about protection orders:

Provincial Court

The Family Law Website has a step-by-step guide about how to apply for a protection order without notice in Provincial Court. You can also apply for a protection order using the Family Law Act Application online tool.

Supreme Court

In most cases, you can go through Provincial Court, but if you choose to go through Supreme Court, look at the common question about making an urgent family application through Supreme Court. If you go through the application process, you’ll need to use Form F54 for your draft order.

If you want to apply for a fee waiver, see our guide: I’m involved in a Supreme Court case and can’t afford the court fees. What can I do? 

Helpful resources

Helpful services

  • Family Duty Counsel: These are family lawyers who may be available at your courthouse to provide free legal advice or other help.
  • Amici Curiae (AC) Friends of Court: Their volunteers can help with completing court forms. Book an appointment on their website.
  • Courthouse Libraries BC: We are a network of libraries in BC courthouses where you can access public computers, books and other print materials, and legal databases. Reach us at 1-800-665-2570 or email librarian@courthouselibrary.ca.
  • VictimLinkBC: Provides information and referral services to all victims of crime. It can be accessed by calling or texting 1-800-563-0808 or sending an email to 211-VictimLinkBC@uwbc.ca.  
  • Find more services.

    

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