(a) Scope. Any party may serve on any other party a request (1) to produce and permit the party making the request, or someone acting on the requestor’s behalf, to inspect, copy, test, or sample any designated documents or electronically stored information (including writings, drawings, graphs, charts, photographs, sound recordings, images, and other data or data compilations stored in any medium from which information can be obtained) translated, if necessary, by the respondent into reasonably usable form, or to inspect, copy, test, or sample any tangible things which constitute or contain matters within the scope of Rule 26(b) and which are in the possession, custody or control of the party upon whom the request is served; or (2) to permit entry upon designated land or other property in the possession or control of the party upon whom the request is served for the purpose of inspection and measuring, surveying, photographing, testing, or sampling the property or any designated object or operation thereon, within the scope of Rule 26(b).
Rule 34.Production of Documents, Electronically Stored Information, and Things, and Entry Upon Land for Inspection and Other Purposes.
Last amended April 15, 2009 · Last verified July 6, 2026
In one sentenceRule 34 lets a party demand that another party produce documents, electronically stored data, and physical things for inspection, or allow entry onto land, and sets the deadlines and format rules for responding.
Full Text of Rule 34
(b) Procedure. The request shall set forth, either by individual item or by category, the items to be inspected, and describe each with reasonable particularity. The request shall specify a reasonable time, place, and manner of making the inspection and performing the related acts. The request may specify the form or forms in which electronically stored information is to be produced. Without leave of court or written stipulation, a request may not be served before the time specified in Rule 26(d).
The party upon whom the request is served shall serve a written response within 30 days after the service of the request. A shorter or longer time may be directed by the court or, in the absence of such an order, agreed to in writing by the parties, subject to Rule 29. The response shall state, with respect to each item or category, that inspection and related activities will be permitted as requested, unless the request is objected to, including an objection to the requested form or forms for producing electronically stored information, stating the reasons for the objection. If objection is made to part of an item or category, the part shall be specified and inspection permitted of the remaining parts. If objection is made to the requested form or forms for producing electronically stored information – or if no form was specified in the request – the responding party must state the form or forms it intends to use. The party submitting the request may move for an order under Rule 37(a) with respect to any objection to or other failure to respond to the request or any part thereof, or any failure to permit inspection as requested.
Unless the parties otherwise agree or the court otherwise orders:
(1) a party who produces documents for inspection shall produce them as they are kept in the usual course of business or shall organize and label them to correspond with the categories in the request;
(2) if a request does not specify the form or forms for producing electronically stored information, a responding party must produce the information in a form or forms in which it is ordinarily maintained, or, if that form is not reasonably usable, it must be produced in a form or forms that are reasonably usable; and
(3) a party need not produce the same electronically stored information in more than one reasonably usable form.
(c) Persons Not Parties. This rule does not preclude an independent action against a person not a party for production of documents and things and permission to enter upon land.
Amendment History
(Adopted by SCO 5 October 9, 1959; amended by SCO 158 effective February 15, 1973; by SCO 1026 effective July 15, 1990; by SCO 1153 effective July 15, 1994; by SCO 1172 effective July 15, 1995; and by SCO 1682 effective April 15, 2009)
Plain-English Summary
A party may ask another party to produce and permit inspection, copying, testing, or sampling of documents and electronically stored information — including writings, photographs, sound recordings, and any other data from which information can be retrieved, converted to a usable form if necessary — or of tangible things within the scope of discovery, or to allow entry onto land the responding party controls for inspection, measuring, surveying, photographing, testing, or sampling. The request must describe each item or category with reasonable particularity and propose a reasonable time, place, and manner for the inspection, and it may specify the form electronically stored information should take. A request can't be served before discovery normally opens.
The responding party has 30 days to serve a written response stating, item by item or category by category, whether inspection will be permitted, and must state its reasons for any objection, including an objection to the requested electronic format; if only part of an item or category is objectionable, the response must say so and allow inspection of the rest. Absent an agreement or court order otherwise, a party producing documents must produce them as kept in the ordinary course of business or organize them to match the request's categories, must produce electronically stored information in the form it's ordinarily kept (or another reasonably usable form if none was specified), and never has to produce the same electronic information in more than one usable form. The rule doesn't stop a party from bringing a separate action against a non-party to get documents produced or to gain entry onto land.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I demand that the other side turn over emails and other electronic records?
Yes, Rule 34 covers electronically stored information along with paper documents and tangible things, and lets the requesting party specify the electronic format it wants.
How long does the other side have to respond to a document request?
30 days, unless the court or a written agreement between the parties sets a different deadline.
Can I get documents from someone who isn't a party to the lawsuit?
Not through a Rule 34 request, but the rule doesn't stop a separate action against a non-party to obtain documents or entry onto land.
Source & verification. The rule text, Amendment History, and Notes are reproduced verbatim from the
official Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure (Alaska R. Civ. P. 34). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Alaska (Alaska Const. art. IV, § 15). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 6, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: RFPRFPsESIdocument request Alaska civil caseelectronically stored information discovery Alaskarequest for production of documents Alaska ruleAlaska R. Civ. P. 34