36.01 Request for Admission A party may serve upon any other party a written request for the admission, for purposes of the pending action only, of the truth of any matters within the scope of Rule 26.02 set forth in the request that relate to statements, 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 after service of the summons and complaint. 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, or within such shorter or longer time as the court may allow, 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 the party’s attorney; but, unless the court shortens the time, a defendant shall not be required to serve answers or objections before the expiration of 45 days after service of the summons and complaint upon that defendant. If objection is made, the reasons therefor shall be stated. The answer shall specifically 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 an answer or deny only a part of the matter of which an admission is requested, the party 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 the party states that a reasonable inquiry has been made and that the information known or readily obtainable by the party is insufficient to enable the party 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; the party may, subject to the provisions of Rule 37.03, deny the matter or set forth reasons why the party 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 is to be made at a pretrial conference or at a designated time prior to trial. The provisions of Rule 37.01(d) apply to the award of expenses incurred in connection with the motion.
Rule 36.Requests for Admission
Last verified July 1, 2026
In one sentenceRequests for admission let one side ask the other, in writing, to admit or deny specific facts or the authenticity of documents before trial, and if the other side ignores the request, the facts are treated as admitted.
Full Text of Rule 36
36.02 Effect of Admission Any matter admitted pursuant to this rule is conclusively established unless the court on motion permits withdrawal or amendment of the admission. Subject to Rule 16 governing amendment of a pretrial 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 that party in maintaining the action or defense on the merits. Any admission made by a party hereunder is for the purpose of the pending action only and is not an admission by that party for any other purpose nor may it be used against that party in any other proceeding.
Plain-English Summary
A request for admission is a written list of statements sent to the other side in a lawsuit. Each statement asks the other party to admit it is true, or to admit that a document is genuine. The point is to pin down facts that should not need to be fought over at trial, so the case can focus on what is really in dispute.
Once served, the clock starts running. The party who receives the request has 30 days to respond in writing, unless the court sets a different deadline. A defendant who has recently been served with the lawsuit itself gets extra breathing room: no defendant has to answer a request for admission until at least 45 days after being served with the summons and complaint. If no written answer or objection arrives in time, the statement is treated as admitted, with no judge required.
A response cannot be vague. The receiving party must either deny the statement outright, explain in detail why they cannot truthfully admit or deny it, or admit part and deny part while spelling out exactly which part is which. Saying “I do not have enough information” only works if the party first made a real effort to find out and still could not get enough information to answer. A party also cannot dodge a request because the underlying fact might be contested at trial; that is not a valid reason to object.
Once a fact is admitted under Rule 36, it is locked in for that lawsuit. A court can allow a party to withdraw or change an admission, but generally only if doing so would help the case get decided on its actual merits and would not unfairly harm the other side, who relied on the admission. Importantly, an admission made this way only counts in this particular case. It cannot be used against that party in any other lawsuit or proceeding.
Frequently Asked Questions
I got served with a set of requests for admission. How long do I have to respond?
Generally 30 days from the date you were served, unless the court has ordered a different deadline. If you are a defendant and you recently received the summons and complaint along with the requests, you do not have to respond to the requests for admission until at least 45 days after you were served with the summons and complaint, even if that pushes you past the usual 30-day window.
What happens if I forget to respond to a request for admission?
The statement is automatically treated as admitted. You do not get a warning or a hearing first. This is why deadlines on these requests matter so much, and why it is worth calendaring the response date the moment you are served.
Can I say “I do not know” to get out of admitting or denying something?
Not by itself. You can only rely on lack of knowledge or information as a reason for not admitting or denying if you state that you made a reasonable effort to find out and that what you learned still is not enough to let you truthfully admit or deny the statement.
The fact they are asking me to admit is something I plan to argue about at trial. Can I object on that basis?
No. Believing that a statement raises a real dispute for trial is not, by itself, a valid ground to object. Instead, you need to either deny it or explain in detail why you cannot truthfully admit or deny it.
If I admit something in response to a request for admission, can the other side use that admission against me in a different lawsuit later?
No. An admission made under Rule 36 only applies to the pending case. It is not treated as an admission for any other purpose and cannot be used against you in a separate proceeding.
Source & verification. The rule text and Advisory Committee Comments are reproduced verbatim from the
official Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure (Minn. R. Civ. P. 36). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Minnesota (Minn. Stat. § 480.051). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 1, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: RFArequest to admit