Requests for Production: When Are Responses Due in California?
Not legal advice. Rules attested September 29, 2026; last full pass August 17, 2026. Verify every date yourself. Read the full disclaimer
Each verified rule carries its own date on the methodology page, all of them September 29, 2026: the date the maintaining attorney last attested it. The last full pass, signed off on August 17, 2026, checked the rules against their official sources (the code, the California Rules of Court, or for court holidays the Judicial Council calendar), with the exceptions listed on the about page. Rules still awaiting sign-off are listed on the methodology page as not yet verified. County local rules are paraphrased summaries. Individual department and judge standing orders are included only where the court publishes them and we have read the document, so assume your own department has requirements beyond what you see here. Verify every date against the operative code sections, your court's rules and your department's own order before relying on it. Using this site creates no attorney-client relationship.
You have 30 days from the date of service to respond to a demand for inspection, copying, testing, or sampling. That comes from Code of Civil Procedure section 2031.260, and it works the same way as the interrogatory deadline: the clock runs from service, and the service method can add time.
The extension rules
Electronic service made by December 31, 2026 adds 2 court days under CCP section 1010.6. From January 1, 2027 it adds nothing (AB 540, Stats. 2026, ch. 263). Mail sent and addressed within California adds 5 calendar days. If either the place of mailing or the address is outside California but inside the US it adds 10, and if either is outside the country, 20 (CCP section 1013(a)). Overnight delivery adds 2 court days. If the last day falls on a weekend or judicial holiday, the deadline moves to the next court day.
Two traps worth knowing. First, court days and calendar days are different animals, and the overnight and 2026 electronic service extensions use court days, so a deadline near Thanksgiving or Christmas can move further than you expect. Every day the courts are closed is listed on the California court holiday calendar, including the four closures that are not federal holidays. Second, the response deadline and the production date are separate things. Your written response is due at 30 days plus extensions; the demand itself states the date for the actual inspection or production.
Your dates
Example: requests for production served Nov 20, 2026, mailed in California
MON
Monday, December 28, 2026
- 30 daysCCP § 2031.260(a)
- +5 calendar daysCCP § 1013
- Christmas, FRI Dec 25, 2026CCP § 12a
- Dec 28, 2026
Rules read against the code 2026-09-29
Enter your dates and the example above is replaced by your result.
Missing the deadline
Same painful result as interrogatories: all objections waived, including privilege (CCP section 2031.300). The demanding party can move to compel without waiting, and monetary sanctions usually follow. Relief from waiver takes a noticed motion and a good excuse.
FAQ
Do I have to produce documents on day 30?
Not necessarily. Day 30 (plus extensions) is when your written response is due. Production happens on the date stated in the demand, which must be a reasonable time at least 30 days after service of the demand (CCP section 2031.030(c)(2)), plus the CCP section 1013 time if the demand was mailed (CCP section 2016.050).
Can we stipulate to more time?
Yes, in writing, under CCP section 2031.270. Confirm the stipulation preserves your right to object.
What about electronically stored information?
ESI follows the same response deadline. Objections about form of production and accessibility need to be in the timely written response or they are waived like everything else.
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Related: Interrogatory response deadlines · RFA deadlines & deemed admitted · Records subpoena deadlines · Deposition deadlines · Discovery cutoff