State Robocall and Telemarketing Laws: A 50-State Guide

How the Federal TCPA and State Robocall Laws Work Together

Federal law sets the floor. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) applies in every state and allows $500 per violation, or up to $1,500 if the violation was willful or knowing. It also says it does not preempt state laws that set stricter rules on autodialers, prerecorded voices, and telephone solicitations (47 U.S.C. 227(f)(1)). In practice, state laws stack on top of the federal one.

How to Read This State-by-State Robocall Law Chart

The table below answers three questions for every state and D.C.:

Statute: the main state telemarketing or robocall law we reviewed. “Federal rules only” means we found no notable state statute.

Own do-not-call list: “Yes” means the state still runs a separate sign-up. “Merged with national” means the state list was folded into or legally adopted by the National Do Not Call Registry. “No” means the state has no list of its own.

Private lawsuit allowed: whether that state statute lets a consumer sue. “Buyers only” means that only someone who bought something through the call can sue. “Unclear” means the only route is the state’s general consumer fraud law, which usually requires a monetary loss.

States with their own page on this site are linked. Those pages cover calling hours, consent rules, damages, and how to register and file a complaint.

Robocall and Telemarketing Laws by State: 50-State Table

We checked each entry against the state’s statute or an official agency page in 2026. Laws change often, so the state pages carry the latest details and dates.

States With the Strongest Robocall Lawsuit Rights (Mini-TCPA Laws)

A handful of states have enacted their own versions of the TCPA, often called mini-TCPA. These laws let you sue for fixed damages without proving a money loss:

• Florida and Oklahoma require signed written consent for automated sales calls and texts, limit calling hours to the daytime and early evening, and cap how often a seller can call about the same subject in a single day. Both allow fixed damages per violation, with more available if the caller acted willfully.
• Maryland added similar rules in its Stop the Spam Calls Act and separately allows consumers to collect damages for each call that violates federal telemarketing rules, plus attorney fees.
• Washington bans recorded sales calls and allows some of the more serious per-violation damages in the country.
• Virginia and North Carolina use a rising scale, so damages grow with each repeat violation.
• South Carolina allows meaningful damages per violation, with a higher amount available for willful violations (S.C. Code 37-21-80).
• Georgia, Missouri, Massachusetts, Montana, and Alabama allow larger awards for knowing violations once a caller has broken the rules more than once within a year.

States That Still Keep Their Own Do Not Call List

Most states now rely on the federal registry. About a dozen still run a separate list: Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming. In most of them, the state list also pulls in state numbers from the federal registry, but not the other way around. Register on both. The federal list is what supports a TCPA lawsuit, so see our guide to the federal do not call rule.

Recent Robocall and Text Message Laws

• Texas: SB 140, effective in fall 2025, extended the telephone seller law to texts and added deceptive trade practice remedies to the no-call and TCPA-mirror chapters.
• Virginia: starting in 2026, replying STOP to a sales text counts as a do-not-contact request that sellers must honor for years.
• Washington: a 2026 law sharply reduced damages for unsolicited commercial texts and emails in lawsuits filed after the change took effect in mid-2026.
• Pennsylvania: Act 47 of 2026, now in effect, brings texts, voicemails, and ringless voicemails under state law, narrows calling hours, bans sales calls on Sundays and legal holidays, and requires written consent for most robocalls and marketing texts to people on the do not call list.

How to Take Action Against Illegal Robocalls in Your State

Find your state in the table. If it has its own page, read it for the exact rules, then keep a record of each call with our call log template. In most states, the federal TCPA claim is the one worth the most, so the TCPA overview is the next stop. If you are unsure whether your calls are worth pursuing, a free case review can assess both state and federal claims.

Robocall Law FAQs

Which states have their own do not call list?

Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming still run separate state lists. Most other states have merged their lists into the National Do Not Call Registry, or never had one.

Can state robocall laws get me more money than the TCPA?

Yes, in some states. The TCPA does not preempt stricter state rules, so a single call can support both a federal claim and a state claim. Courts generally will not let you recover twice for the same harm, but state laws can add attorney fees, higher per-call amounts, or rules the TCPA lacks.

What is a mini-TCPA law?

A state law modeled on the federal TCPA that sets its own consent, calling hour, and call-frequency rules and allows consumers to sue for fixed damages. Florida’s Telephone Solicitation Act and Oklahoma’s Telephone Solicitation Act of 2022 are two examples.

Do I need to join my state’s do not call list if I am on the national registry?

In states that still keep their own list, yes. Some of those lists automatically import federal registrations, and others do not; the timing rules differ. Registration is free in the states we checked, including Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and Texas (online).