Protection Orders
What Happens After a Protection Order Is Granted in BC
By SiLaw Group Family LawyersPublished Nov 13, 2026 · 6 min read
If you are in immediate danger, call 911 now. The rest of this post can wait until you are safe.
Once a protection order is granted in BC, it lasts one year unless the court sets a different term, police can enforce it on reasonable and probable grounds whether or not it has been served, and you can apply to change or extend it before it expires.
SiLaw Group Family Lawyers helps clients through this stage, and this post sets out what the Family Law Act and the Supreme Court Family Rules say happens next. For how the order is obtained, see our protection order service page. If you are reading on a shared or monitored device, remember that browsing history can be seen.
Who Gets a Copy of the Order, and Who Serves It?
Both the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the Provincial Court can make protection orders, because the Family Law Act defines "court" to include the Provincial Court to the extent it has jurisdiction (section 1). The steps below come from the Supreme Court Family Rules, so if your order was made in the Provincial Court, ask the registry how service will be handled.
Rule 15-1(2.1) of the Supreme Court Family Rules puts the first steps on the registry. When the court makes a protection order under section 183 of the Family Law Act, the registrar must, as soon as possible, send a copy to the protection order registry, arrange service on or provide a copy to the party against whom the order is made, and give a copy to the person who applied. If the other party is present when the order is made, the registrar hands it to them. If not, the registry arranges personal service within British Columbia. If it cannot, or the other party is evading service, it must notify you and you become responsible for service, and under Rule 15-1(2.2) you must give the registry information about where that party can be found.
So keep the registry informed of the other party's address, and keep your own copy of the order where you can reach it, including a photo on your phone. If service falls back to you, our guide to serving court documents in BC explains personal service, which you should not attempt yourself.
Does the Order Work Before It Is Served?
Yes, as far as police enforcement goes. Section 188(2) of the Family Law Act allows a police officer with reasonable and probable grounds to believe that a person has contravened a term of the order to take action to enforce it, whether or not there is proof the order has been served, and to use reasonable force if necessary. You do not need an affidavit of service before police will act, though service still matters because the person needs to know the terms they must follow.
What Happens If the Order Is Breached?
Section 188(1) of the Family Law Act says a Part 9 order may not be enforced by means of any order under the Act or under the Offence Act, so the Act closes its own enforcement routes. A breach is dealt with under the criminal law, through the offence of disobeying a court order in section 127 of the Criminal Code, which makes it an offence to disobey a lawful court order without lawful excuse. Prosecuted by indictment, it carries a possible prison term of up to two years, and it can also be prosecuted as a summary conviction offence.
So the first call on a breach is the police, 911 if you are in danger and the non-emergency line if the moment has passed. Note the date, time and place, save any messages, ask for the file number, and tell your family lawyer. Our page on breach of a protection order in BC covers this in detail, including what to do if you are the person accused.
How Long Does the Order Last?
Unless the court provides otherwise, an order under section 183 of the Family Law Act expires one year after the date it is made (section 183(4)). Check your order for the term the judge set, and diarize the expiry date, because the timing rule for changes is strict.
Under section 187(1) of the Family Law Act, on application by a party the court may shorten the term, extend the term, otherwise change the order, or terminate it. Section 187(2) requires that application to be made before the order expires. Section 187(3) adds that a new application under section 183 remains possible later, though it must meet the test from the beginning. In the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Rule 15-1(2.3) of the Supreme Court Family Rules requires the court, when it changes or extends an order, to terminate the existing order and make a new one, and under Rule 15-1(2.4) the registrar sends any termination order to the protection order registry and to all parties.
Can the Other Person Challenge the Order?
If the order was made without notice, which section 186(1) of the Family Law Act allows, the party against whom it was made may apply to set it aside or to change it under section 187 (section 186(2)). It is why the evidence behind an order has to be clear and truthful from the start. If you receive notice of a set-aside application, get advice promptly. Our post on responding to an ex parte application explains the procedure from both sides.
How Does the Order Fit With Parenting and Other Orders?
Protection orders take priority over conflicting family law orders. Section 189 of the Family Law Act defines "protection order" for this purpose to include a Part 9 order, a Criminal Code order restricting contact or communication with another person, and a similar order made by a court in British Columbia or elsewhere in Canada. If there is a conflict or inconsistency between a protection order and an order made under another Part of the Act, the other order is suspended to the extent of the conflict until one of the orders is varied to remove it or the protection order is terminated (section 189(2)).
The common example is a parenting time term that assumes an in-person handover while the protection order says no contact. The protection order governs, and the parenting arrangement needs adjusting so exchanges happen without contact, which our parenting services handle. Section 183(5) of the Family Law Act also requires a protection order and any other order made at the same time, including a conduct order, to be recorded in separate documents.
The order does not use up other rights. Section 190 of the Family Law Act says making a Part 9 order does not affect any existing right of action of a person who has been the subject of family violence. Our post on family violence and civil claims in BC explains that path.
What Should You Do in the Weeks After the Order Is Made?
Keep a copy of the order with you and another somewhere safe. Know the expiry date and decide well before it whether to apply for an extension. Keep a dated log of any contact or attempted contact, and report breaches to the police rather than responding yourself. Review your safety plan with a support worker, because an order changes the legal picture but not every practical one. Our family violence resources and safety planning page lists official supports, including VictimLinkBC at 1-800-563-0808 by call or text at any hour. If you need the court again quickly, see our urgent family court applications page, and our family violence services describe the other ways we can help.
Talk to a Family Lawyer About the Next Steps After Your Order
If you have an order in hand and want to understand what it does or how it fits with your parenting arrangements, we can walk through it with you. The first 30 minutes with SiLaw Group are free, by phone, video, or in person in South Surrey. Call (778) 381-9977 or Book Now for a Free Consultation.
This post is legal information, not legal advice. Rules and fees are current to the date of writing and can change.
About SiLaw Group
SiLaw Group Family Lawyers is a Surrey, BC firm practising family law and mediation. Founder Sandy Sihota is an accredited Family Law Mediator, Arbitrator and Parenting Coordinator (Law Society of BC). Articles are legal information, not legal advice.