Last amended June 4, 2026 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 36 lets a party ask another party to admit specific facts or the genuineness of documents, and treats any matter not timely and properly denied as conclusively established for the case.
(a)Request for Admission. A party may serve upon any other party a written request for the admission, for purposes of the pending action, of the truth of any matters within the scope of Rule 26(b) set forth in the request that relate to statements or opinions of fact or the application of law to fact, including the genuineness of any documents described in the request. Copies of documents shall be served with the request unless they have been or are otherwise furnished or made available for inspection and copying. The request may, without leave of court, be served upon the plaintiff after commencement of the action and upon any other party with or after service of the summons and complaint upon that party.
Each matter of which an admission is requested shall be separately set forth. The matter is admitted unless, within 30 days after service of the request, the party to whom the request is directed serves upon the party requesting the admission a written answer or objection addressed to the matter, signed by the party or by his attorney. However, a defendant shall have 30 days after service of the request or 45 days after he has been served with the summons and complaint to answer, whichever time is longer. These time periods may be shortened or lengthened by the court. A blanket objection to a set of requests will not be recognized. If objection is made, the reasons therefor shall be stated as to the specific request or to a part thereof if it is compound, in which case the remaining parts of the request shall be fully answered. It is not sufficient to state merely that the request is not relevant or proportional or is otherwise improper. The grounds for the objection mjust be stated with particularity. The party answering requests for admissions shall repeat each request immediately before the answer or objection. The answer shall specifically admit or deny the matter or set forth in detail the reasons why the answering party cannot truthfully admit or deny the matter. A denial shall fairly meet the substance of the requested admission, and when good faith requires that a party qualify his answer or deny only a part of the matter of which an admission is requested, he shall specify so much of it as is true and qualify or deny the remainder. An answering party may not give lack of information or knowledge as a reason for failure to admit or deny unless he states that he has made reasonable inquiry and that the information known or readily obtainable by him is insufficient to enable him to admit or deny. A party who considers that a matter of which an admission has been requested presents a genuine issue for trial may not, on that ground alone, object to the request; he may, subject to the provisions of Rule 37(c), deny the matter or set forth reasons why he cannot admit or deny it.
The party who has requested the admissions may move to determine the sufficiency of the answers or objections. Unless the court determines that an objection is justified, it shall order that an answer be served. If the court determines that an answer does not comply with the requirements of this rule, it may order either that the matter is admitted or that an amended answer be served. The court may, in lieu of these orders, determine that final disposition of the request be made at a pre-trial conference or at a designated time prior to trial. The provisions of Rule 37(a)(4) apply to the award of expenses incurred in relation to the motion.
If an attorney for a party to whom requests for admission are addressed signs an answer, his signature shall be deemed his oath as to the correctness of the answer and his specific authority to bind the party on whose behalf he signs.
(b)Effect of Admission. Any matter admitted under this rule is conclusively established unless the court on motion permits withdrawal or amendment of the admission. Subject to the provisions of Rule 16 governing amendment of a pre-trial order, the court may permit withdrawal or amendment when the presentation of the merits of the action will be subserved thereby and the party who obtained the admission fails to satisfy the court that withdrawal or amendment will prejudice him in maintaining his action or defense on the merits. Any admission made by a party under this rule is for the purpose of the pending action only and is not an admission by him for any other purpose, nor may it be used against him in any other proceeding.
(c)Separate Document. Requests for admissions must be filed in a separate document so titled and shall not be combined with interrogatories, document production requests, or any other material.
Amendment History
Amended February 22, 1982; amended May 16, 1983; amended July 9, 1984, effective September 1, 1984; amended November 11, 1991, effective January 1, 1992; amended and effective June 4, 2026.
Reporter's Notes
Reporter’s Notes (as modified by the Court) to Rule 36: 1. Rule 36 is similar to FRCP 36. Prior Arkansas law was found in superseded Ark. Stat. Ann. § 28-358 (Repl. 1962) which tracked the Federal Rule prior to its 1970 amendments. This rule does effect certain changes in Arkansas law. One major change is the extension of time to respond to requests to a full 30 days. Additionally, the rule expands the scope of matters which may be determined through the use of requests to include statements and opinions of fact.
Addition to Reporter’s Notes, 1982 Amendment: The fourth sentence of the second paragraph of Rule 36(a) was added.
Addition to Reporter’s Notes, 1983 Amendment: The words "or the application of law to fact" have been added in the first sentence of Rule 36(a).
The second paragraph of Rule 36(a) has been amended to permit an attorney to sign, on behalf of his client, a response to a request for admission. The last paragraph of Rule 36(a) has been added to establish the effect of the attorney’s signature.
The word "Rule" has been added to the last sentence of the third paragraph of Rule 36(a).
Additions to Reporter’s Notes, 1984 Amendments: Rule 36(a) is amended by stating separately the power of the court to shorten or lengthen the response time and by changing the third sentence of the second paragraph to make it clear that a party responding to admissions requests must do so within 30 days after the requests are served or 45 days after service of the summons and complaint, whichever period is longer.
Addition to Reporter’s Note, 1986 Amendment: Under new subsection (c), it is impermissible to combine requests for admissions with interrogatories or other discovery devices. The amendment is consistent with the practice followed in the Arkansas federal courts. See Rule 15(e), Rules of the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas (as amended effective May 1, 1985).
Addition to Reporter’s Note, 2026 Amendment: Rule 36(a) is amended to specify additional requirements for the assertion of objections to requests for admission. This amendment is modeled on the current version of Local Rule 33.1 of the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas.
Plain-English Summary
A request for admission works differently from the other discovery tools: it does not ask the other side to produce information so much as to lock down what is not in dispute. Rule 36(a) allows a party to ask another party to admit the truth of any matter within the scope of Rule 26(b) that relates to facts, opinions of fact, or the application of law to fact, including whether a document is genuine. Copies of any documents referenced have to be served with the request unless they have already been made available. As with the other party-to-party discovery devices, a request can reach the plaintiff once the case starts and any other party with or after service of the summons and complaint.
The deadline is what gives Rule 36 its bite: each matter is deemed admitted unless the responding party serves a written answer or objection within 30 days of service -- or, for a defendant, the longer of 30 days from service of the request or 45 days from service of the summons and complaint. Missing the deadline does not just waive an argument; it establishes the fact. An answer has to specifically admit or deny each matter, or explain in detail why the party can neither admit nor deny it, and a denial must squarely meet the substance of what was asked. A party cannot hide behind a claim of missing information without first stating that it made reasonable inquiry and that the information available to it is still not enough to answer. Objections face the same particularity requirement found in Rules 33 and 34: no blanket objections, and the ground must be stated with specificity as to the particular request or a compound part of it. Critically, a party cannot object merely because the request touches a genuine issue for trial -- the response must be a denial or an explanation, not a refusal framed as an objection.
Rule 36(b) makes an admission conclusive for the pending action unless the court permits its withdrawal or amendment, a step the court will allow only where doing so serves the merits and the party who obtained the admission cannot show prejudice from the change. An admission made under this rule stays confined to that lawsuit; it cannot be used against the admitting party in any other proceeding. If a responding party's answer looks evasive or the objection looks unjustified, the requesting party can move the court to test the sufficiency of the response, and the court can order a proper answer or deem the matter admitted outright.
Two structural details close out the rule. Rule 36(c) requires that requests for admission be filed as their own separate document -- they cannot be folded into interrogatories or a document request. And if an attorney signs the response on the client's behalf, that signature stands as the client's oath to the answer's correctness and confirms the lawyer's authority to bind the client. A party who denies something that later turns out true, without good reason for the denial, risks paying the other side's costs of proving it under Rule 37(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I miss the deadline to respond to a request for admission?
The matter is deemed admitted. Rule 36(a) makes an unanswered request conclusive at the end of the response period -- 30 days after service, or for a defendant the longer of 30 days after service of the request or 45 days after service of the summons and complaint -- without any need for a court order.
Can I object to a request for admission because it raises a genuine issue for trial?
No. Rule 36(a) specifically says a party cannot object on that ground alone. If the matter is disputed in good faith, the proper response is to deny it or explain in detail why it cannot be admitted or denied, not to object.
Do requests for admission have to be filed separately from other discovery?
Yes. Rule 36(c) requires that requests for admission be filed in their own document, titled as such, and forbids combining them with interrogatories, production requests, or other discovery material.
Can my attorney sign the response to a request for admission for me?
Yes. Rule 36(a) treats an attorney's signature on the response as the client's oath to its correctness and as confirmation that the attorney has authority to bind the client to that answer.
What if I don't have enough information to admit or deny a request?
You can say so, but only after stating that you made reasonable inquiry and that the information you know or can readily obtain still is not enough to admit or deny the matter. A bare claim of ignorance, without that showing, is not an adequate response under Rule 36(a).
Can an admission made under Rule 36 be withdrawn later?
Only with the court's permission. Rule 36(b) allows withdrawal or amendment when it would serve the presentation of the case on the merits and the party who obtained the admission cannot show that the change would prejudice its case.
Does an admission in one lawsuit bind me in a different case?
No. Rule 36(b) limits an admission made under this rule to the pending action. It is not an admission for any other purpose and cannot be used against the admitting party in any other proceeding.
What happens if I deny something in a request for admission and the other side later proves it true?
Under Rule 37(c), the party who proves the matter can ask the court to order you to pay the reasonable expenses of that proof, including attorney's fees -- unless your objection was justified under Rule 36(a), the matter was of no real importance, you had reasonable grounds to think you might win the point, or there was other good reason for the denial.
Source & verification. Rule text, Reporter's Notes, and amendment
history are reproduced verbatim from the Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure, prescribed by
the Arkansas Supreme Court. The plain-English summary is original and written by us.
Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as:request for admission arkansasRFA arkansasarkansas rule 36ARCP 36admissions arkansasdeemed admitted arkansasrequests for admission deadline arkansasgenuineness of documents arkansas