To enter a permanent protection order, do I leave the expiration date blank?
No. The expiration date for any protection-type order is a required entry, so it cannot be left blank. To enter a permanent order, enter an expiration date of 12/31/2099, which is the JIS "high date." High date should also be used to document pre-trial orders which do not have an expiration date listed on the order.
To document a protection-type order that has an expiration date 100 years or longer (instead of 'permanent") enter the expiration date of 12/30/2099, one date before the JIS "high date." Using the different date will help to define the difference between the permanent orders and orders that have an expiration date that simply cannot be entered into JIS.
For more information on entering protection-type orders see the manual pages:
RN id: 175