Group V: Depositions and Discovery · Last amended March 1, 2017 · Last verified July 14, 2026
In one sentenceRule 36 lets a party serve written requests asking another party to admit facts, the application of law to fact, opinions, or the genuineness of documents, and provides that anything not timely answered or objected to is deemed admitted for the case.
(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)(1) 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)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. A shorter or longer time for responding may be stipulated to under Rule 29 or be ordered by the court.
(4)Answer. — 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. 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 a part of a matter, the answer must specify the part admitted and qualify or deny the rest. 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.
(5)Objections. — The grounds for objecting to a request must be stated. A party must not object solely on the ground that the request presents a genuine issue for trial.
(6)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. On finding 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(a)(5) 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(e), 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
Added February 2, 2017, effective March 1, 2017.
Plain-English Summary
A request for admission asks the other side to concede a specific point so nobody has to spend trial time proving it. Rule 36(a) lets a party serve these requests covering facts, the application of law to fact, opinions about either, or whether a described document is genuine, so long as the subject falls within the general scope of discovery in Rule 26(b)(1). Each matter has to be stated separately, and a request asking about a document's genuineness has to come with a copy of that document unless it has already been made available. The responding party gets 30 days, absent a different schedule agreed to under Rule 29 or set by the court, and if that party does not serve a signed written answer or objection within the time allowed, the matter is deemed admitted automatically -- no motion or court order is needed to make that happen.
An answer that does not admit a matter outright has real requirements to meet: it must specifically deny the matter or explain in detail why the party can neither truthfully admit nor deny it, and if only part of a matter can truthfully be admitted, the answer has to say which part and address the rest. A party can only claim lack of knowledge or information as an excuse for failing to admit or deny if it has made a reasonable inquiry and still cannot get enough information to answer either way. Objections have to state their grounds, and a party cannot object solely because the request touches a genuine issue for trial -- that is precisely the kind of issue a request for admission is meant to help narrow, not a valid basis for refusing to respond. If the requesting party thinks an answer or objection falls short, it can move the court to rule on its sufficiency, and the court can order a proper answer served, deem the matter admitted, or defer the question until closer to trial. Under Rule 36(b), once a matter is admitted, it is conclusively established in that case unless the court allows the admission to be withdrawn or amended, weighing whether doing so would help resolve the case on the merits without unfairly prejudicing the party who relied on the admission. An admission made this way binds the case it was made in and nothing else -- it cannot be used against that party in any other proceeding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a request for admission and how is it different from an interrogatory?
A request for admission, sometimes called an RFA or request to admit, asks the other party to concede that a fact, the application of law to a fact, an opinion, or the genuineness of a document is true, under Rule 36. An interrogatory under Rule 33 instead asks the other side to provide information or explain its position, rather than admit or deny a stated point.
What happens if I do not respond to a request for admission in time?
Rule 36(a)(3) provides that the matter is automatically deemed admitted if you do not serve a signed written answer or objection within 30 days, or whatever different period was agreed to or ordered. No court order is required to trigger the admission.
Can I object to a request for admission just because it involves an issue that will be contested at trial?
No. Rule 36(a)(5) specifically bars objecting solely on the ground that the request presents a genuine issue for trial, since narrowing disputed issues is one of the purposes requests for admission serve.
Can I say I don't know whether something is true instead of admitting or denying it?
Only if you have made a reasonable inquiry first. Rule 36(a)(4) allows a lack-of-knowledge answer only when the party states that it made reasonable inquiry and that the information it knows or can readily obtain is not enough to admit or deny.
Once I admit something under Rule 36, is that admission binding for the rest of the case?
Yes. Rule 36(b) makes an admission conclusively established in that action unless the court permits it to be withdrawn or amended. The admission cannot be used against that party in any other proceeding.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Wyoming. Last verified July 14, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as:requests for admissionRFArequest to admitdeemed admitted wyominggenuineness of documents