There are many possible reasons why a cease and desist letter (Abmahnung Nümann Lang) may be sent out, although many of the reasons can be grouped into a few distinct categories. Depending on whether it is sent out by an individual or a government authority, a cease and desist letter is a request or demand that the letter recipient refrain from certain defined behaviours.
However, the nature of the behaviour defined in the letter and the organisation sending the letter will affect the type of threat that is outlined in the document. Some of the most common types of behaviour that are commonly associated with cease and desist orders include harassment, stalking, boundary disputes, property disputes, neighbourhood disputes, libel and slander, terms of service violations, patent infringement, trademark infringement, and copyright infringement.

In the United States and some other jurisdictions, there are two distinct types of cease and desist letters. The first type are sent out by individuals, companies, and organisations, and are typically drafted by lawyers as a way to deal with specific complaints and issues. The second type are sent out by government authorities, including judges and law courts, and may be more demanding and formal in their nature. The kinds of threats in cease and desist letters can also vary widely, depending on the nature of the behaviour and whether the person making the threat has any legal authority to carry out specific actions.

A great number of cease and desist letters sent out in the modern world are connected with issues surrounding intellectual property, such as trademark infringement, copyright issues, and patents. In the case of this type of letter, an order may be made which threatens the recipient with a civil lawsuit if they fail to stop performing the undesired activity. For more personal cases, such as harassment and stalking, the order may make threats of criminal charges if the recipient fails to cease and desist certain activities. In the case of general property and neighbourhood disputes, there may be no mention of specific legal action at first, with a simple demand made that the recipient cease particular defined behaviour. In all cases, cease and desist letters provide people with a number of options if they believe they have been negatively influenced by a wide range of behaviour.