US federal district courts
What is the deadline for written objection to a subpoena to produce documents or permit inspection?
Written objection to a subpoena to produce documents or permit inspection is governed by FRCP 45(d)(2)(B). This page does not calculate a date. Composite deadline that cannot be reduced to a single number. Read the rule text and the noted conditions before relying on any date.
Read why no date is calculated- Period
- 14 calendar days
- Trigger
- The earlier of the time specified in the subpoena for compliance and service of the subpoena
- Rule
- FRCP 45(d)(2)(B)
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure amended through 2025
Source guide · No automated date
Why this page does not calculate a date
Composite deadline that cannot be reduced to a single number. The rule takes the EARLIER of (a) the compliance date stated on the face of the subpoena and (b) 14 days after service. Where a subpoena sets a compliance date fewer than 14 days out, the compliance date governs and the objection window is shorter than 14 days. The subpoena's own compliance date must be captured as an input.
Read Rule 45The objection must be served before the earlier of the time specified for compliance or 14 days after the subpoena is served.
FRCP 45(d)(2)(B)
Which date starts the 14-day period?
The period runs from the earlier of the time specified in the subpoena for compliance and service of the subpoena.
Count forward from the trigger event. Confirm the event on the docket or in the service record before entering a date.
Read Rule 45The objection must be served before the earlier of the time specified for compliance or 14 days after the subpoena is served.
FRCP 45(d)(2)(B)
This period runs from the specific event in the cited rule. Do not substitute a nearby date such as a hearing, a courtesy copy or the day you first learned of it.
Which date do I enter?How are the 14 calendar days counted?
- Exclude the day of the trigger event.
- Count every following day, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.
- If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, continue to the next day that is not one of those.
Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under FRCP 6(a).
If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, FRCP 6(a) carries it to the next open day.
Rule 6(a) also treats a day on which the clerk’s office is inaccessible as excluded from the last day, and sets the filing cutoff at midnight in the court’s time zone for electronic filing. The national calculation does not confirm those local facts.
Read FRCP 6(a)The calculation gives the ordinary national-rule date. Check relevant holidays, the court’s accessibility and its filing cutoff separately.
Review the filing checklistWhy no worked calculation is shown
No date is calculated on this page because the encoded provision could not be reduced to one fixed period. Read the rule text, the starting event and the noted branches, then confirm the period in the current rules before relying on any date.
Composite deadline that cannot be reduced to a single number. The rule takes the EARLIER of (a) the compliance date stated on the face of the subpoena and (b) 14 days after service. Where a subpoena sets a compliance date fewer than 14 days out, the compliance date governs and the objection window is shorter than 14 days. The subpoena's own compliance date must be captured as an input.
Can an order, motion or extension change the deadline?
- Extensions
- None stated in the rule for the objection period itself, though courts may excuse late objections in their discretion, particularly for non-parties and for privilege claims. A motion to quash under FRCP 45(d)(3) is separately available 'on timely motion'.
- Orders and local rules
- A scheduling order, stipulation approved by the court, standing order or local rule can set a different period and controls over the national default.
- None stated in the rule for the objection period itself, though courts may excuse late objections in their discretion, particularly for non-parties and for privilege claims. A motion to quash under FRCP 45(d)(3) is separately available 'on timely motion'.
- A stipulation, scheduling order, standing order or local rule can set a different period and controls over the national default.
- Composite deadline that cannot be reduced to a single number. The rule takes the EARLIER of (a) the compliance date stated on the face of the subpoena and (b) 14 days after service. Where a subpoena sets a compliance date fewer than 14 days out, the compliance date governs and the objection window is shorter than 14 days. The subpoena's own compliance date must be captured as an input.
What should I check before filing?
These checks help you review the result. They do not activate a calendar date or certify that the deadline applies.
Common questions
Find answers about when this 14-day period starts, how it is counted, what can change it and how to keep your calculation.
Starting the clock
Does the clock start on the earlier of the time specified in the subpoena for compliance and service of the subpoena, or when I first learned of it?
The period runs from the earlier of the time specified in the subpoena for compliance and service of the subpoena as the rule defines it, not from the day you read about it, received a courtesy copy or attended a hearing. Use the date shown on the docket or in the service record.
Read Rule 45Do I add three days because the paper was served by mail?
FRCP 6(d) adds three days only after the listed non-electronic methods of service, such as mail. Electronic service through the court’s filing system does not add days. Check how service was actually made before adding anything.
FRCP 6(d)Counting days and filing
Is it 14 calendar days or business days?
Calendar days. Count intermediate weekends and holidays. If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, FRCP 6(a) carries it forward to the next day that is not one of those.
FRCP 6(a)Which time zone and filing cutoff apply?
Under FRCP 6(a)(4), electronic filing ends at midnight in the court’s time zone unless a statute, local rule or court order sets a different time. Paper filing ends when the clerk’s office is scheduled to close. This calculator does not verify either fact.
FRCP 6(a)What if the court is inaccessible on the last day?
FRCP 6(a)(3) extends the period to the first accessible day that is not a weekend or legal holiday when the clerk’s office is inaccessible on the last day. Check the court’s closure notices and orders. A national holiday calculation does not establish an outage or local closure.
FRCP 6(a)Extensions and local rules
Can the court extend this deadline?
None stated in the rule for the objection period itself, though courts may excuse late objections in their discretion, particularly for non-parties and for privilege claims. A motion to quash under FRCP 45(d)(3) is separately available 'on timely motion'. A request does not itself extend the period, and no discretionary extension is calculated here.
Read Rule 45Do local rules, standing orders or a scheduling order change the date?
They can. Many courts set their own periods by local rule, standing order or case-specific order, and those control over the national default. This calculator gives the national-rule date only; compare it with any order in the case before relying on it.
Choosing the right calculator
Does this calculator decide whether the rule applies to my case?
No. It calculates a period from the date you provide under the cited rule. It does not decide whether the rule governs your filing, whether an exception applies, or whether the filing has merit. Those questions need separate review.
Can I calculate the deadline without an account?
Yes. Enter the trigger date to see the free national-rule calculation, citation, counting steps and warnings. You can add court context after the result. Missing court review keeps the result provisional.
Results, records and your case
What is included in an Evidence Record?
The retained inputs, result, cited rule, calculation working, warnings and review state. The PDF includes a payload digest and retained-data appendix, and the record can be verified against its fingerprint later. It records the calculation, not a guarantee of legal correctness.
Does saving to a case activate the calendar?
Not automatically. Provisional records remain subject to review. A separately labeled manual date does not alter the original calculation.
Official sources and review
The period and the counting method come from different provisions. The official source is the court’s published rules; the reading links open the rule text at the Legal Information Institute.
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| FRCP 45(d)(2)(B) | Trigger and period |
| FRCP 6(a) | Counting, legal holidays and the last day |
| FRCP 6(d) | Three added days after listed non-electronic service |
Rule record reviewed . Guide sources checked . Next source check .
Published by Deadline Engine. This tool calculates the ordinary period under the cited rule. It does not decide whether the rule applies, obtain an extension or file anything for you.