Learn About the National Do Not Call List

The DNC Registry is a list of phone numbers that consumers can register to avoid receiving telemarketing calls.

Telemarketers are prohibited from calling phone numbers on this list unless there is an exception (e.g., prior express consent or an established business relationship).

Telemarketers must scrub their call / phone lists against the DNC Registry at least every 31 days to ensure they are not calling or texting DNC-registered numbers.

Calls from nonprofit organizations are generally exempt from DNC rules.

Political calls, surveys, and calls from debt collectors are also exempt.

Businesses can call individuals who have given prior express consent or with whom they have an established business relationship (EBR) within the past 18 months.

If a consumer has made a purchase, inquiry, or application with a business, that business has an 18-month window to call them even if the consumer is on the DNC Registry.

If a consumer merely inquired about a product or service, the business has a three-month window to call them.

In addition to the national DNC Registry, businesses must maintain an internal DNC list. This list contains individuals who have specifically requested that the business not call them.

Companies must honor these internal DNC requests indefinitely.

Telemarketers must identify themselves and the company they represent.

They must also provide a phone number or address where they can be reached.

Telemarketing calls can only be made between 8 AM and 9 PM local time of the recipient.

Violating the TCPA’s DNC rules can result in fines of up to $43,792 per violation (adjusted periodically).

Consumers can file lawsuits for statutory damages of $500 per violation, which can be tripled to $1,500 per violation if the violation is willful.

Telemarketers must maintain records of their compliance with the DNC rules, such as their scrub dates and customer consents, for a minimum of five years.