diff --git a/django/contrib/admindocs/views.py b/django/contrib/admindocs/views.py
index bd566cde40..05f42f475b 100644
--- a/django/contrib/admindocs/views.py
+++ b/django/contrib/admindocs/views.py
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ from inspect import cleandoc
 from pathlib import Path
 
 from django.apps import apps
-from django.conf import settings
 from django.contrib import admin
 from django.contrib.admin.views.decorators import staff_member_required
 from django.contrib.admindocs import utils
@@ -120,8 +119,11 @@ class ViewIndexView(BaseAdminDocsView):
 
     def get_context_data(self, **kwargs):
         views = []
-        urlconf = import_module(settings.ROOT_URLCONF)
-        view_functions = extract_views_from_urlpatterns(urlconf.urlpatterns)
+        url_resolver = get_resolver(get_urlconf())
+        try:
+            view_functions = extract_views_from_urlpatterns(url_resolver.url_patterns)
+        except ImproperlyConfigured:
+            view_functions = []
         for (func, regex, namespace, name) in view_functions:
             views.append({
                 'full_name': get_view_name(func),
diff --git a/docs/releases/4.0.txt b/docs/releases/4.0.txt
index b7b0eec1b2..3d94e8a8a9 100644
--- a/docs/releases/4.0.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/4.0.txt
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ Minor features
 :mod:`django.contrib.admindocs`
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
-* ...
+* The admindocs now allows esoteric setups where :setting:`ROOT_URLCONF` is not
+  a string.
 
 :mod:`django.contrib.auth`
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
diff --git a/tests/admin_docs/test_views.py b/tests/admin_docs/test_views.py
index 47bec73a50..266ee98bf8 100644
--- a/tests/admin_docs/test_views.py
+++ b/tests/admin_docs/test_views.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import sys
 import unittest
 
 from django.conf import settings
+from django.contrib import admin
 from django.contrib.admindocs import utils, views
 from django.contrib.admindocs.views import get_return_data_type, simplify_regex
 from django.contrib.sites.models import Site
@@ -9,7 +10,8 @@ from django.db import models
 from django.db.models import fields
 from django.test import SimpleTestCase, modify_settings, override_settings
 from django.test.utils import captured_stderr
-from django.urls import reverse
+from django.urls import include, path, reverse
+from django.utils.functional import SimpleLazyObject
 
 from .models import Company, Person
 from .tests import AdminDocsTestCase, TestDataMixin
@@ -136,6 +138,21 @@ class AdminDocViewTests(TestDataMixin, AdminDocsTestCase):
         response = self.client.get(reverse('django-admindocs-views-index'))
         self.assertContains(response, 'View documentation')
 
+    def test_callable_urlconf(self):
+        """
+        Index view should correctly resolve view patterns when ROOT_URLCONF is
+        not a string.
+        """
+        def urlpatterns():
+            return (
+                path('admin/doc/', include('django.contrib.admindocs.urls')),
+                path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
+            )
+
+        with self.settings(ROOT_URLCONF=SimpleLazyObject(urlpatterns)):
+            response = self.client.get(reverse('django-admindocs-views-index'))
+            self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+
 
 @override_settings(TEMPLATES=[{
     'NAME': 'ONE',