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518.131 TEMPORARY ORDERS AND RESTRAINING ORDERS.
    Subdivision 1. Permissible orders. In a proceeding brought for custody, dissolution, or legal
separation, or for disposition of property, maintenance, or child support following the dissolution
of a marriage, either party may, by motion, request from the court and the court may grant a
temporary order pending the final disposition of the proceeding to or for:
(a) Temporary custody and parenting time regarding the minor children of the parties;
(b) Temporary maintenance of either spouse;
(c) Temporary child support for the children of the parties;
(d) Temporary costs and reasonable attorney fees;
(e) Award the temporary use and possession, exclusive or otherwise, of the family home,
furniture, household goods, automobiles, and other property of the parties;
(f) Restrain one or both parties from transferring, encumbering, concealing, or disposing of
property except in the usual course of business or for the necessities of life, and to account to the
court for all such transfers, encumbrances, dispositions, and expenditures made after the order is
served or communicated to the party restrained in open court;
(g) Restrain one or both parties from harassing, vilifying, mistreating, molesting, disturbing
the peace, or restraining the liberty of the other party or the children of the parties;
(h) Restrain one or both parties from removing any minor child of the parties from the
jurisdiction of the court;
(i) Exclude a party from the family home of the parties or from the home of the other
party; and
(j) Require one or both of the parties to perform or to not perform such additional acts as
will facilitate the just and speedy disposition of the proceeding, or will protect the parties or
their children from physical or emotional harm.
    Subd. 2. Impermissible orders. No temporary order shall:
(a) Deny parenting time to a parent unless the court finds that the parenting time is likely to
cause physical or emotional harm to the child;
(b) Exclude a party from the family home of the parties unless the court finds that physical or
emotional harm to one of the parties or to the children of the parties is likely to result, or that the
exclusion is reasonable in the circumstances; or
(c) Vacate or modify an order granted under section 518B.01, subdivision 6, paragraph (a),
clause (1), restraining an abusing party from committing acts of domestic abuse, except that
the court may hear a motion for modification of an order for protection concurrently with a
proceeding for dissolution of marriage upon notice of motion and motion. The notice required by
court rule shall not be waived. If the proceedings are consolidated and the motion to modify is
granted, a separate order for modification of an order for protection shall be issued.
    Subd. 3. Ex parte restraining order; limitations. A party may request and the court
may make an ex parte restraining order which may include any matter that may be included in
a temporary order except:
(a) A restraining order may not exclude either party from the family home of the parties
except upon a finding by the court of immediate danger of physical harm to the other party
or the children of either party; and
(b) A restraining order may not deny parenting time to either party or grant custody of the
minor children to either party except upon a finding by the court of immediate danger of physical
harm to the minor children of the parties.
    Subd. 4. Hearing on restraining order; duration. Restraining orders shall be personally
served upon the party to be restrained and shall be accompanied with a notice of the time and
place of hearing for disposition of the matters contained in the restraining order at a hearing for
a temporary order. When a restraining order has been issued, a hearing on the temporary order
shall be held at the earliest practicable date. The restrained party may upon written notice to the
other party advance the hearing date to a time earlier than that noticed by the other party. The
restraining order shall continue in full force and effect only until the hearing time noticed, unless
the court, for good cause and upon notice extends the time for hearing.
    Subd. 5. Duration of temporary order. A temporary order shall continue in full force and
effect until the earlier of its amendment or vacation, dismissal of the main action or entry of a
final decree of dissolution or legal separation.
    Subd. 6. Effect of dismissal of main action. If a proceeding for dissolution or legal
separation is dismissed, a temporary custody order is vacated unless one of the parties or the
child's custodian moves that the proceeding continue as a custody proceeding and the court finds,
after a hearing, that the circumstances of the parties and the best interests of the child require that
a custody order be issued.
    Subd. 7. Guiding factors. The court shall be guided by the factors set forth in chapter 518A
(concerning child support), and sections 518.552 (concerning maintenance), 518.17 to 518.175
(concerning custody and parenting time), and 518.14 (concerning costs and attorney fees) in
making temporary orders and restraining orders.
    Subd. 8. Basis for order. Temporary orders shall be made solely on the basis of affidavits
and argument of counsel except upon demand by either party in a motion or responsive motion
made within the time limit for making and filing a responsive motion that the matter be heard on
oral testimony before the court, or if the court in its discretion orders the taking of oral testimony.
    Subd. 9. Prejudicial effect; revocation; modification. A temporary order or restraining
order:
(a) Shall not prejudice the rights of the parties or the child which are to be adjudicated at
subsequent hearings in the proceeding; and
(b) May be revoked or modified by the court before the final disposition of the proceeding
upon the same grounds and subject to the same requirements as the initial granting of the order.
    Subd. 10. Misdemeanor. In addition to being punishable by contempt, a violation of a
provision of a temporary order or restraining order granting the relief authorized in subdivision 1,
clause (g), (h), or (i), is a misdemeanor.
    Subd. 11. Temporary support and maintenance. Temporary support and maintenance may
be ordered during the time a parenting plan is being developed under section 518.1705.
History: 1979 c 259 s 11; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 237 s 1; 1987 c 403 art 3 s 76; 1990 c 574 s 8,9;
2000 c 444 art 1 s 2; art 2 s 16-19; 2001 c 7 s 85; 2001 c 51 s 1; 2005 c 164 s 29; 1Sp2005 c 7 s 28

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes