Address Confidentiality Program Domestic Violence

What an Address Confidentiality Program Does

An Address Confidentiality Program gives domestic violence survivors a legal substitute mailing address — typically the Secretary of State's office or a designated PO Box — that replaces their actual physical address on all public records. State agencies, schools, utility companies, the DMV, voter registration offices, and courts are required to accept this substitute address instead of your real one.

The practical effect is that your abuser cannot find your new address by searching court filings, property records, vehicle registrations, or voter rolls. Every common avenue for tracking someone through public records is closed.

State-administered ACPs operate across the United States, but availability, eligibility, and coverage vary by state. Eligibility generally requires that you're a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, that you've relocated or are planning to relocate to a confidential address, and that you're working with a DV advocate who can serve as your application assistant.

How to Enroll

Enrollment starts with a domestic violence advocate — through a local DV agency, shelter, or legal aid organization. The advocate serves as your application assistant and helps verify your eligibility. The process typically involves:

1. Contact your state's ACP office — usually housed within the Secretary of State or Attorney General's office. A web search for "[your state] address confidentiality program" will find the right agency.
2. Work with a DV advocate to complete the application, which includes a certification that you're a survivor of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault.
3. Designate the substitute address — the program provides this. All first-class mail sent to the substitute address is forwarded to your actual location by the program office.
4. Update your records — once enrolled, use the substitute address for government agencies and entities that maintain public or semi-public records. Ask private companies, including banks, whether they can use it.

Processing times and enrollment requirements vary by state — check the program's current instructions. If you're filing for divorce, enroll before filing the petition so the substitute address appears on all court documents from the start.

In the UK, the equivalent protection is Form C8 (Confidential Contact Details), filed alongside your initial family court application. This ensures your address is withheld from the respondent and accessible only to court staff and Cafcass. In Australia, "silent elector" status through the Australian Electoral Commission keeps your address off the publicly searchable electoral roll.

What ACPs Cover and What They Don't

ACPs cover government records comprehensively — court filings, voter registration, driver's licenses, school enrollment, utility connections, and any state or local government database. Your substitute address legally replaces your physical address on these records.

ACPs don't cover private databases, social media, or information you voluntarily share with private companies. If you sign up for a loyalty card, create a social media account with location services enabled, or give your real address to a private employer without requesting confidentiality, that information exists outside the ACP's reach.

They also don't cover real-time location tracking through devices, vehicles, or apps. Digital safety measures are a separate and equally critical layer of protection.

Housing Options When You Leave

Leaving an abusive spouse means finding somewhere safe to live, often with very limited financial resources. The housing landscape for DV survivors includes several options:

Emergency shelters provide immediate, no-cost housing for survivors and their children, with the length of stay set by the individual program. They also connect you with advocates, legal aid, and benefit enrollment. The National DV Hotline (1-800-799-7233) can locate shelters near you.

Transitional housing programs offer longer-term housing while you rebuild financial independence; length of stay and services vary by program. These programs often include case management, job training, and children's services. Availability varies widely by location.

Section 8 and public housing — the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) provides housing protections for DV survivors in covered federally subsidized housing, including the ability to request emergency transfers to another unit or development when program conditions are met. Some local housing authorities offer DV preference points that move survivors higher on waiting lists.

Other housing-assistance programs — DV agencies and local housing authorities may offer additional help. Ask an advocate which programs serve your area and how they protect your location information.

Coordinating Your ACP with Divorce Filings

When you file for divorce with an ACP substitute address, the court uses that address for filings and correspondence under the applicable state procedure. Your spouse is served at their address; you are contacted through the substitute address. An ACP is designed to keep your physical location out of public court records, but it is not a guarantee that no document or filing will reveal it.

Some practical coordination matters: ensure your attorney knows you're enrolled so they use the substitute address on all pleadings, request that the court seal any documents that might inadvertently reveal your location (like children's school records referenced in custody filings), and confirm that the ACP office forwards time-sensitive court documents promptly — delays in mail forwarding can cause you to miss filing deadlines.

The Leaving an Abusive Marriage Safely Guide walks through ACP enrollment as part of the pre-filing safety plan, with checklists for which records to update and how to coordinate the substitute address with your attorney, your children's school, and benefit agencies.