Requests for Admission: The Deadline With Teeth

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.

Responses to requests for admission are due 30 days after service under Code of Civil Procedure section 2033.250. Every written discovery deadline in California matters, but this one is different, because the penalty for blowing it is the worst in the discovery act.

Why RFAs are the most dangerous deadline in discovery

Miss the deadline on interrogatories and you waive objections. Miss the deadline on RFAs and the propounding party can move to have every request deemed admitted (CCP section 2033.280). Deemed admissions are established facts for the entire case. Lawyers have lost summary judgment, and whole cases, on facts nobody actually agreed to, because a response was served late.

There is one escape hatch: if you serve substantially compliant proposed responses before the hearing on the deemed admitted motion, the court must deny the motion. You will almost certainly pay sanctions anyway, and you will have spent a very bad week getting there.

Calculating the real due date

Start at 30 days from service. Electronic service made by December 31, 2026 adds 2 court days (from January 1, 2027 it adds nothing), mail within California adds 5 calendar days, out-of-state mail adds 10, international adds 20, and overnight delivery adds 2 court days. Weekend or court holiday on the last day pushes the deadline to the next court day. California court holidays include a few that catch people off guard, like Farmworkers Day (March 31 in 2026, April 10 from 2027) and the day after Thanksgiving.

Your dates

Example, not your dates

Example: requests for admission served Nov 20, 2026, mailed in California

MON

Monday, December 28, 2026

CCP § 2033.250(a)

30 daysCCP § 2033.250(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.

FAQ

The responses were one day late. Is everything admitted automatically?

No. Admissions are not automatic; the propounding party has to bring a motion (CCP section 2033.280(b)). Serve a proposed response in substantial compliance with section 2033.220 before the hearing and the court must deny the motion. Expect sanctions anyway: they are mandatory against the party or attorney whose late response made the motion necessary (CCP section 2033.280(c)).

Do RFA responses need verification?

Yes, unless the response contains only objections: the responding party signs it under oath (CCP section 2033.240(a)). Serve the verification with the answers. If no timely response is served, the requesting party can move to have the matters deemed admitted (CCP section 2033.280(b)).

Can deemed admissions be withdrawn later?

Sometimes, by motion under CCP section 2033.300, on a showing of mistake, inadvertence, or excusable neglect. Courts have discretion, which means no guarantees.

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