Caption
The United States District Court and the district, the plaintiff and defendant, and the Civil Action No.
AO 88B
Subpoena to Produce Documents, Information, or Objects or to Permit Inspection of Premises in a Civil Action
- Agency
- U.S. Courts
- Revision
- Rev. 02/14
- Fillable fields
- 40
- Pages
- 3
- Official source
- U.S. Courts form page
- Checked
- October 20, 2026
AO 88B: Subpoena to Produce Documents or Permit Inspection of Premises in a Civil Action
AO 88B, Subpoena to Produce Documents, Information, or Objects or to Permit Inspection of Premises in a Civil Action, is a U.S. Courts form for a civil action in a United States district court. It commands the person named in it to produce documents, electronically stored information or objects, or to permit entry onto premises for inspection, at the time, date and place shown. The U.S. Courts page lists it under Notice of Lawsuit, Summons, Subpoena, effective on February 1, 2014, and the form is marked Rev. 02/14.
Page 1 is the subpoena, signed by the Clerk of Court or a Deputy Clerk, or by an attorney. Page 2 is a Proof of Service for the person who serves it. Page 3 prints Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 45 (c), (d), (e), and (g) (Effective 12/1/13), which the form says are attached.
This page explains the form in plain words and is not legal advice. You can fill it out free in your browser on this page and download the result without an account.
What's on AO 88B
Production
A checkbox commanding production of the listed documents, electronically stored information, or objects, and inspection, copying, testing, or sampling of the material, with a place and a date and time.
Inspection of Premises
A checkbox commanding entry onto the designated premises, land, or other property possessed or controlled by the person, with its own place and date and time.
Signature and attorney details
The date, the clerk's or attorney's signature, the contact details of the attorney who issues or requests the subpoena, and the Rule 45(a)(4) notice.
Proof of Service
Page 2: the date received, delivery to the named person or return unexecuted, witness fees and mileage tendered, the server's travel and service fees, the declaration under penalty of perjury, and notes on attempted service.
Rule 45 text
Page 3 prints Rule 45(c) on the place of compliance, 45(d) on protecting a person subject to a subpoena, 45(e) on duties in responding, and 45(g) on contempt.
How to fill out AO 88B
- 1
Fill in the caption
Enter the district, the plaintiff and defendant names, and the civil action number.
- 2
Name the person
Fill in the To line with the name of the person to whom the subpoena is directed.
- 3
Check Production, Inspection or both
For Production, list the documents, electronically stored information or objects and give the place and date and time. For Inspection of Premises, give the location and date and time.
- 4
Sign and add the attorney's details
Date the form. It is signed by the Clerk of Court or a Deputy Clerk, or by an attorney, and lists the name, address, email and phone of the attorney who issues or requests it.
- 5
Complete the proof of service
The server fills in page 2: the date received, how it was served or why it was returned unexecuted, the fees, and signs with a printed name, title and address.
- 6
Keep the Rule 45 page attached
The form says the provisions of Fed. R. Civ. P. 45(c), (d), (e) and (g) are attached. Page 3 prints them.
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Court, fees and Rule 45 terms
Court
The form is captioned for a United States District Court in a civil action. Production and inspection happen at the place, date and time shown on page 1.
Proof of service
Page 2 says the Proof of Service section should not be filed with the court unless required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 45.
Fees
The form does not print a fee amount. The proof of service has blanks for the witness fees for one day's attendance and the mileage allowed by law, unless the subpoena was issued on behalf of the United States or one of its officers or agents, and for the server's travel and service fees.
Place of compliance
The attached Rule 45(c)(2) says a subpoena may command production at a place within 100 miles of where the person resides, is employed, or regularly transacts business in person, and inspection of premises at the premises to be inspected.
Objections
The attached Rule 45(d)(2)(B) says a written objection must be served before the earlier of the time specified for compliance or 14 days after the subpoena is served.
Contempt
The attached Rule 45(g) says the court for the district where compliance is required may hold in contempt a person who, having been served, fails without adequate excuse to obey the subpoena or an order related to it.
Related forms
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Subpoena to Appear and Testify at a Hearing or Trial in a Civil Action
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AO 88A
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AO 89B
Subpoena to Produce Documents, Information, or Objects in a Criminal Case
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AO 90
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Subpoena to Testify at a Hearing or Trial in a Criminal Case
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AO 440
Summons in a Civil Action
34 fields, 2 pages
Who uses AO 88B?
The form names the people who sign it, receive it and serve it.
Official sources and the blank
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Questions about Form AO 88B
Who signs AO 88B?
Page 1 has a signature line for the Clerk of Court or a Deputy Clerk, or, as the alternative, an attorney's signature. The server signs the Proof of Service on page 2.
Does the named person appear in person?
The attached Rule 45(d)(2)(A) says a person commanded to produce documents, electronically stored information, or tangible things, or to permit the inspection of premises, need not appear in person at the place of production or inspection unless also commanded to appear for a deposition, hearing, or trial.
How does the attached rule say documents are produced?
Rule 45(e)(1)(A), printed on page 3, says a person responding to a subpoena to produce documents must produce them as they are kept in the ordinary course of business or must organize and label them to correspond to the categories in the demand.
What does the attached rule say about objections?
Rule 45(d)(2)(B) says a written objection may be served on the party or attorney designated in the subpoena, and must be served before the earlier of the time specified for compliance or 14 days after the subpoena is served.
Is the proof of service filed with the court?
Page 2 says it should not be filed with the court unless required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 45.
Is this page legal advice?
No. This page explains what the form and its attached rule text say in plain words. It does not say how to respond to a subpoena or whether to issue one.