Rule 36.Requests for admission.

Last amended July 1, 2018 · Last verified July 1, 2026

In one sentenceRule 36 lets a party ask another party to admit specific facts or the genuineness of documents, and treats an unanswered request as admitted after 30 days.

Full Text of Rule 36

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b)

a Scope and procedure.

1 Scope. A party may serve on any other party a written request to admit, for purposes of the pending action only, the truth of any matters within the scope of Rule 26(b) relating to:

A facts, the application of law to fact, or opinions about either; and

B the genuineness of any described documents.

2 Form; copy of a document. Each matter must be separately stated. A request to admit the genuineness of a document must be accompanied by a copy of the document unless it is, or has been, otherwise furnished or made available for inspection and copying.

3 Number. Any party may serve on any other party requests for admission, subject to the numeric limits in Rule 26.2 (f) and the procedures in Rule 26.2 (g) and (h) for obtaining permission to exceed those limits.

4 Time to respond; effect of not responding. A matter is admitted unless, within 30 days after being served, the party to whom the request is directed serves on the requesting party a written answer or objection addressed to the matter and signed by the party or its attorney. Subject to compliance with Rule 26(f)(1) by the party serving discovery, a defendant may serve its answers and any objections within 60 days after service—or execution of a waiver of service—of the summons and complaint on that defendant. A shorter or longer time for responding may be agreed to by the parties or ordered by the court.

5 Answer.

A Generally. If a matter is not admitted, the answer must specifically deny it or state in detail why the answering party cannot truthfully admit or deny it.

B Fairly respond. A denial must fairly respond to the substance of the matter; and when good faith requires that a party qualify an answer or deny only part of a matter, the answer must specify the part admitted and qualify or deny the rest. An answer does not fairly respond to a request if it:

i responds to a request about a document by stating that “the document speaks for itself”;

ii responds to a request about a document by stating that one “denies any allegations inconsistent with the language of a document”; or

iii responds to a request regarding a fact, or the application of law to fact, by claiming that it states a legal conclusion.

C Lack of knowledge or information. The answering party may assert lack of knowledge or information as a reason for failing to admit or deny only if the party states that it has made reasonable inquiry and that the information it knows or can readily obtain is insufficient to enable it to admit or deny.

6 Objections. The grounds for objecting to a request must be stated. A party may not object solely on the ground that the request presents a genuine issue for trial.

7 Motion regarding the sufficiency of an answer or objection. The requesting party may move to determine the sufficiency of an answer or objection. Unless the court finds an objection justified, it must order that an answer be served. If the court finds that an answer does not comply with this rule, the court may order either that the matter is admitted or that an amended answer be served. The court may defer its final decision until a pretrial conference or a specified time before trial. Rule 37(e) applies to an award of expenses.

b Effect of an admission; withdrawing or amending it. A matter admitted under this rule is conclusively established unless the court, on motion, permits the admission to be withdrawn or amended. Subject to Rule 16, the court may permit withdrawal or amendment if it would promote the presentation of the merits of the action and if the court is not persuaded that it would prejudice the requesting party in maintaining or defending the action on the merits. An admission under this rule is not an admission for any other purpose and cannot be used against the party in any other proceeding.

Amendment History

Promulgated by R-16-0010, effective January 1, 2017; amended by R-17-0010, effective July 1, 2018.

Plain-English Summary

A request for admission asks the other side to concede a fact, the application of law to a fact, an opinion about either, or the genuineness of a document, so the parties do not have to spend trial time proving things that are not really in dispute. Unless the party answers or objects within 30 days — 60 for a defendant who has not yet reached the discovery conference — the matter is deemed admitted, which makes the deadline unusually consequential compared to other discovery tools.

An answer that does not admit the matter has to either deny it outright or explain in detail why the party cannot truthfully admit or deny it, and technical dodges — saying a document speaks for itself, or denying only what is inconsistent with a document's language — do not count as a fair response. A party may plead lack of knowledge only after making a reasonable inquiry and finding that the readily available information still is not enough to answer.

An admission made under Rule 36 binds the admitting party only in that case, not in any other proceeding, and the court can allow it to be withdrawn or amended if doing so would help resolve the case on the merits without unfairly prejudicing the party that relied on the admission. If a party denies something that the requesting party later proves true at trial, Rule 37(e) lets the requesting party recover the expense of that proof.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if a party never responds to a request for admission?

The matter is deemed admitted. There is no need for a court order — silence past the deadline has the same effect as an express admission.

Can a party admit part of a request and deny the rest?

Yes, and when good faith calls for it, the answering party must specify which part it admits and qualify or deny the remainder rather than treating the whole request as all-or-nothing.

Can an admission be used against a party in a different lawsuit?

No. An admission made under Rule 36 is binding only in the pending action and cannot be used against the party in any other proceeding.

What if a party denies a fact that turns out to be true?

The requesting party who later proves the matter at trial may ask the court, under Rule 37(e), to make the non-admitting party pay the reasonable expenses of that proof, including attorney's fees, unless one of the rule's specific exceptions applies.

Source & verification. The rule text and History are reproduced verbatim from the official Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure (Ariz. R. Civ. P. 36). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Arizona (Ariz. Const. art. 6, § 5). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 1, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: requests for admissionRFAs