Rule 34. Production of Documents and Things and Entry upon Land for Inspection and Other Purposes
(a) Scope. Any party may serve on any other party a request: (1) to produce and permit the party making the request, or someone acting on such party's behalf, to inspect and copy, any designated documents (including writings, drawings, graphs, charts, photographs, phono-records, and other data compilations from which information can be obtained, translated, if necessary, by the respondent through detection devices into reasonably usable form), or to inspect and copy, test, or sample any tangible things which constitute or contain matters within the scope of Rule 26(b) and which are in the possession, custody, or control of the party upon whom the request is served; or (2) to permit entry upon designated land or other property in the possession or control of the party upon whom the request is served for the purpose of inspection and measuring, surveying, photographing, testing, or sampling the property or any designated object or operation thereon, within the scope of Rule 26(b).
(b) Procedure. The request may, without leave of court, be served upon the plaintiff after commencement of the action and upon the United States after service of the complaint. The request shall set forth the items to be inspected either by individual item or by category, and describe each item and category with reasonable particularity. The request shall specify a reasonable time, place, and manner of making the inspection and performing the related acts.
The party upon whom the request is served shall serve a written response within 30 days after the service of the request, except that the United States may serve a response within 45 days after service of the complaint. The court may allow a shorter or longer time. The response shall state, with respect to each item or category, that inspection and related activities will be permitted as requested, unless the request is objected to, in which event the reasons for objection shall be stated. If objection is made to part of an item or category, the part shall be specified. The party submitting the request may move for an order under Rule 37(a) with respect to any objection to or other failure to respond to the request or any part thereof, or any failure to permit inspection as requested.
A party who produces documents for inspection shall produce them as they are kept in the usual course of business or shall organize and label them to correspond with the categories in the request.
(c) Persons Not Parties. A person not a party to the action may be compelled to produce documents and things or to submit to an inspection as provided in Rule 45.
(d) Calls. (1) Issuance. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §2507(a), the court at any time (A) may call upon any department or agency of the United States for any information or papers it deems necessary to be filed with the clerk within a specified time, or
(B) in any case appropriate for a computation by a department or agency of the United States, the court, upon the motion of a party or on its own motion, may issue a call for the computation. Within 30 days after the clerk has served notice of the filing of the computation, each party shall file with the clerk its acceptance or rejection of the computation. A rejection shall be accompanied by a statement of the reasons therefor.
(2) Refusal of Compliance. The head of any department or agency of the United States may refuse to comply with such a call when, in the head of the department's or agency's opinion, compliance will be injurious to the public interest. Such refusal may be made known by a communication signed by the head of the department or agency and filed with the clerk.