This page reflects 47 CFR 64.1200 and 16 CFR 310.4 as shown in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, and the state sources linked in the table, checked on October 6, 2026. It is general information, not legal advice.
Only states whose rule was verified from an official source (a state legislature statute page, a state attorney general or consumer protection page, or a state public utility commission page) are in the table. States that could not be verified are listed separately under the table, with a link to the official page to check.
Key points
- Federal rule: no telephone solicitation to a residential subscriber before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., local time at the called party’s location (47 CFR 64.1200(c)(1)).
- The FTC Telemarketing Sales Rule sets the same 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window for outbound calls to a person’s residence, unless the person gave prior consent (16 CFR 310.4(c)).
- Several states set a narrower window, ban Sunday or holiday calls, or limit only automated or prerecorded calls.
- A call inside the federal window can still fall outside a state’s window, so the state rule for the called person’s location matters.
What time can telemarketers call?
Under federal law, telemarketers can call between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., local time at the called party’s location. The FCC rule, 47 CFR 64.1200(c)(1), says no person or entity shall initiate any telephone solicitation to any residential telephone subscriber before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. Under 64.1200(e), the rules in paragraphs (c) and (d) also apply to telephone solicitations and telemarketing calls or text messages to wireless numbers, to the extent described in the FCC’s 2003 TCPATCPAThe Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the federal law that governs telemarketing calls and texts, autodialers, prerecorded voice messages and the Do Not Call Registry. Glossary order.
The FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule has its own calling time restriction. 16 CFR 310.4(c) makes it an abusive practice for a telemarketer to make outbound calls to a person’s residence at any time other than between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. local time at the called person’s location, without that person’s prior consent.
What counts as a telephone solicitation
The FCC hours rule applies to telephone solicitations. Under 64.1200(f)(15), a telephone solicitation is a call or message made to encourage the purchase or rental of, or investment in, property, goods or services. The definition leaves out three kinds of calls:
- calls to a person who gave prior express invitation or permission
- calls to a person with whom the caller has an established business relationship
- calls by or on behalf of a tax-exempt nonprofit organization
State laws use their own definitions and their own exceptions, so a call that falls outside the federal definition can still be covered by a state rule. The statute linked in each row of the table is the text to read.
Telemarketing calling hours by state: the verified table
The table lists each state whose official source sets calling hours stricter than the federal 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window, or adds a day or holiday limit. Each rule links to the official source it was taken from, and each state name links to its row in the state telemarketing laws table, which also shows the state’s do-not-call list and registration rules.
No stricter state hours found (17)
For these, the official source we checked has no calling-hour rule stricter than the federal one: Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Not verified (14)
We could not confirm these from an official source when this table was last reviewed, so they are left out of the table above. Each link goes to the state's official legislature or attorney general page.
Last reviewed: October 6, 2026. Built from the same data as the state telemarketing laws table. General information, not legal advice.
How state calling-hour rules differ from the federal rule
The state rules in the table fall into four groups. One state can be in more than one group, and the exact wording of each rule is in the table.
A narrower daily window
Some states end calls earlier or start them later than the federal rule. Florida bars commercial telephone solicitation calls before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. in the called person’s time zone (Fla. Stat. 501.616(6)(a)). Other states in this group use windows such as 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., or 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday and holiday limits
Some states bar calls on Sundays or legal holidays, or allow a shorter window on Sunday. Texas, for example, allows calls after 9 a.m. and before 9 p.m. on a weekday or Saturday, and after 12 noon and before 9 p.m. on Sunday (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 301.051).
Limits on automated or prerecorded calls only
In some states the hours apply only to calls made with an automatic dialing-announcing device or another automated system, and live calls follow the federal window. The table cell says when a rule is limited this way. A program that uses only live agents and one that uses prerecorded messages can face different hours in the same state.
Limits on how often a person can be called
Two states in the table pair their hours with a frequency limit. Florida bars more than three commercial telephone solicitation calls from any number to a person over a 24-hour period on the same subject matter or issue, regardless of the number used (Fla. Stat. 501.616(6)(b)). Oklahoma’s Telephone Solicitation Act has a three-calls-in-24-hours limit on the same subject, as shown in its row.
Which time zone applies to a call?
The federal rules use the local time at the called party’s location. Several state rules use the same test: Florida refers to the called person’s time zone and Maryland to the called party’s time zone. Mississippi’s rule is stated in Central time.
A phone number’s area code does not always match where the person is. Florida law adds a rebuttable presumption that a telephonic sales call made to any area code in Florida is made to a Florida resident or to a person in Florida at the time of the call (Fla. Stat. 501.059(8)(d)).
For calls to leads, the lead record usually holds the information needed to apply the right window: the state and ZIP code the person entered on the form, and the time the form was submitted. A dialer that schedules calls from the area code alone can place a call outside the window of the state where the person lives.
Calling hours and consent
Some calling-hour rules have a consent exception and some do not. The TSR window applies “without the prior consent of a person” (16 CFR 310.4(c)). New York’s rule (N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law 399-z(2)) allows calls outside 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. if the customer consents. Florida’s 501.616(6) lists the barred calls, including calls before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m., with no consent exception in that subsection (Fla. Stat. 501.616).
Read the linked statute for each state you call into before relying on an exception. The consent rules themselves are covered in TCPA consent and express written consent.
How calling hours apply to lead buyers and publishers
When a person submits a lead form and a buyer calls them, the buyer, or the call center calling for the buyer, places the call, so the calling hours apply to that call. A buyer that receives leads from many states needs its dialer or call schedule to apply each state’s window to each lead.
- Buyers: set call schedules by the lead’s state, not by the buyer’s own time zone, and keep the state rules in the table up to date in the dialer.
- Publishers and sellers: pass the state, ZIP code and submission time with every lead, so the buyer can apply the right window.
- Everyone: keep records of when calls were placed. Calling-hour questions usually come down to the time stamp of the call and the location of the person called.
Summit Leads works with web leads, not calls or live transfers. TCPA consent is captured on every lead, with consent certificates. State do-not-call rules are covered in state do not call lists, and the National Do Not Call RegistryDNC / Do Not Call RegistryThe National Do Not Call Registry is a federal list of numbers whose owners have opted out of most telemarketing calls. Glossary in DNC list for businesses.
Buying or generating leads across several states? Email us your verticals and states.
For publishers
Sending traffic to Summit landers? Read the publisher traffic guidelines and TCPA basics for lead gen affiliates. For how the wider industry works, see the lead generation industry guide.
Frequently asked questions
What are the federal telemarketing calling hours?
Between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., local time at the called party’s location. The FCC rule is 47 CFR 64.1200(c)(1) and the FTC rule is 16 CFR 310.4(c).
Can telemarketers call on Sunday?
The federal rules set no separate Sunday limit. Some states do: they bar Sunday calls or allow a shorter window on Sunday. The table shows which states, with the official source for each.
Do calling hours apply to text messages?
47 CFR 64.1200(e) applies the FCC’s paragraph (c) rules to telephone solicitations and telemarketing calls or text messages to wireless numbers, to the extent described in the FCC’s 2003 order. State laws define calls and messages in their own words, so check each linked statute.
Which rule applies when the state and federal windows differ?
Both rules apply to the same call, so a call has to fit inside each window that covers it. In practice the narrower window is the one that limits the call.
Is this legal advice?
No. This page is general information about federal and state rules, checked on the date shown. Talk to a lawyer about your own calling program.
Related guides
Sources
- 47 CFR 64.1200, Delivery restrictions, Electronic Code of Federal Regulationsecfr.gov
- 16 CFR 310.4, Abusive telemarketing acts or practices, Electronic Code of Federal Regulationsecfr.gov
- Florida Statutes 501.616, Unlawful acts and practices, The Florida Legislatureleg.state.fl.us
- Florida Statutes 501.059, Telephone solicitation, The Florida Legislatureleg.state.fl.us
- Texas Business and Commerce Code chapter 301, Texas Legislaturestatutes.capitol.texas.gov
Buying or generating leads across states?
Summit Leads buys and sells leads by ping/post, with real-time routing. TCPA consent is captured on every lead, with consent certificates. Email us your verticals, states and volume.
Or write to team@summitleads.ai. We reply by email.
What happens next
- Step 1: You email us.
- Step 2: We reply by email.
- Step 3: Every publisher is reviewed, and return and payment terms are agreed during onboarding, before you go live.
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