Wisconsin Do Not Call Registry: How It Works and What Telemarketers Owe You

One list, two names

Wisconsin used to keep a separate “nonsolicitation directory.” A 2011 law changed that. Today, Wis. Stat. 100.52(1)(fm) defines the “state do-not-call registry” as “the portion of the national do-not-call registry that consists of telephone numbers with Wisconsin area codes.” The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) says the Wisconsin Do Not Call Registry “is managed by the US Federal Trade Commission.”

So you sign up once and get both. According to DATCP’s consumer FAQ:

• Register by calling 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to list, or online at NoCall.Wisconsin.gov, which takes up to three numbers at a time.
• Registration is free and does not expire. Numbers leave the list only if disconnected and reassigned, or if you remove them.
• Telemarketers have up to 31 days after you register to stop calling.
• Only personal home and cell numbers qualify. A home line used partly for a home office can be listed; a dedicated business line cannot.

What Wisconsin law adds to the federal rules

Wis. Stat. 100.52 covers any “telephone solicitation,” defined as the unsolicited start of “a telephone conversation or text message” to encourage a purchase (100.52(1)(i)). It applies to interstate calls received in Wisconsin and to calls within the state (100.52(7)). A telephone solicitor, or its employee or contractor, may not:

1. Use an electronically prerecorded message in a telephone solicitation without the recipient’s consent (100.52(4)(a)1).
2. Call or text a number on the state do-not-call registry (100.52(4)(a)2).
3. Call a business line after the business mailed a do-not-call notice (100.52(4)(a)3).
4. Block caller ID (100.52(4)(a)4).
5. Knowingly send misleading or inaccurate caller ID. A seller’s name and a customer service number where you can make a do-not-call request are allowed (100.52(4)(a)5).

Callers must also identify, at the start of the conversation, the telemarketing company and the seller if different (100.52(4)(d)). DATCP’s FAQ adds a notable point: even if a business already has you as a customer, “they may not use pre-recorded messages to contact you.”

Registration numbers you can ask for

Most telemarketers calling Wisconsin residents must register with DATCP and get a registration number (100.52(3)). DATCP suggests you ask the caller for its Wisconsin telephone solicitor registration number, and write it down. A caller who cannot give one may not be registered, which is a separate violation.

Exemptions

The do-not-call rule does not apply to a call you asked for, or to a call to a current client of the seller, though not a client of an affiliate (100.52(6)). DATCP’s rules also allow one call to check whether a former client let a contract lapse by mistake, and one satisfaction call. Nonprofits, polls, political calls, collection agencies, and individuals acting on their own behalf fall outside the registry rule.

Penalties, and the missing private lawsuit

DATCP investigates and can go to court for an injunction (100.52(9)(b)). The forfeitures are:

• Up to $100 per violation for calls to listed numbers, unconsented prerecorded messages, and most other rules (100.52(10)(a), (b)).
• Between $100 and $10,000 per violation for blocking or spoofing caller ID (100.52(10)(c)).

A 2023 law, 2023 Wisconsin Act 243, also created Wis. Stat. 100.523, which makes it a violation to knowingly send misleading caller ID “with the intent to defraud or wrongfully obtain anything of value.” That also carries a $100 to $10,000 forfeiture per violation.

Section 100.52 does not give consumers their own damages claim. DATCP’s process is to contact the business first, then “after a reasonable amount of time to comply, if we receive subsequent complaints about the same business, we may pursue court action and monetary penalties.” That is useful pressure, but it pays you nothing.

Where the lawsuit comes from: the TCPA

Because Wisconsin’s list is the national list, every registered Wisconsin number is also protected by the federal TCPA. Two or more sales calls within a year from one company to a registered number can support a federal claim worth up to $500 each, and up to three times that when the caller acted willfully or knowingly. A recorded sales pitch you never agreed to is its own federal violation. See our pages on the federal do not call rule and on telemarketer violations.

How common the problem is in Wisconsin

DATCP’s 2025 complaint report, as covered by WEAU in February 2026, ranked telemarketing second among consumer complaint categories, with 1,283 complaints. Only landlord-tenant issues drew more. Reported problems included phishing, spoofing, imposter scams, robocalls, harassment, and do not call violations.

What to do next in Wisconsin

Check your registration at donotcall.gov, then give telemarketers the 31 days. After that, when a sales call comes in, get the company name, the telemarketing firm’s name, and its Wisconsin registration number, and note the date and time. File a No Call complaint with DATCP at 1-800-422-7128 or DATCPHotline@wi.gov. If the calls keep coming, those same notes support a federal claim. Keep those notes in one place with our evidence log. Neighboring Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota are on the state-by-state page.