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Guide

Texting customers legally: a plain guide.

Texting is the fastest way to reach a lead. These are the rules that keep your texts delivered and keep you out of trouble.

Updated November 2026 · 7 min read · Not legal advice

On this page
  1. Register your number with carriers
  2. Get consent first
  3. Say who you are
  4. STOP must always work
  5. Respect quiet hours
  6. AI voice calls need consent too
Not legal advice. This is a plain-English overview for contractors. Rules differ by state and by type of message. If you're unsure, ask a lawyer.

1. Register your number with the carriers

If you text US customers from a regular 10-digit business number through software, carriers require A2P 10DLC registration. Unregistered business texts get filtered or blocked.[1]

Registration asks for your legal business name, your EIN and details about what you'll send. It also checks that your website has a privacy policy and that your forms ask for consent.

The simplest rule: only text people who asked you to. Someone who fills in your estimate form and ticks a box agreeing to texts has given you permission to reply about their request.

Marketing texts, like a spring discount sent to past customers, need clear written consent first.[2] An old customer list without that consent isn't enough.

3. Say who you are

Every new conversation should start with your business name: "Hi Dana, it's Summit Roofing." People ignore and report texts from numbers they don't recognize.[2]

4. STOP must always work

  • Anyone who replies STOP (or similar words like CANCEL or UNSUBSCRIBE) must stop getting texts from you.
  • Since April 11, 2025, FCC rules require businesses to honor an opt-out made in any reasonable way and to process it within 10 business days.[2]
  • Don't text them again from another number. An opt-out is an opt-out.

5. Respect quiet hours

Federal rules bar telephone solicitations before 8 AM or after 9 PM, local time where the customer is.[3] Some states are stricter.[4]

A reply to someone who just messaged you at 10 PM about a leak is different from a marketing blast, but the safe habit is simple: no promotional texts outside 8 AM to 9 PM in the customer's time zone.

6. AI voice calls need consent too

In February 2024 the FCC ruled that AI-generated voices count as "artificial" voices under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. That means calls using them need the called person's prior express consent.[5]

If you use an AI receptionist to call leads back, only call people who asked to be contacted, for example through a consent checkbox on your form.

Sources

  1. 1. Omni Online Strategies: GoHighLevel A2P 10DLC and SMS compliance — on registration being required for 10-digit business texting
  2. 2. Quo: SMS compliance guide — on written consent for marketing texts, identifying yourself, and the April 2025 FCC opt-out rule
  3. 3. 47 CFR § 64.1200 (eCFR) — the federal rule text, including the 8 AM to 9 PM limit for telephone solicitations
  4. 4. TextBolt: carrier violations and SMS compliance — on some states having stricter quiet hours
  5. 5. Hunton Andrews Kurth: FCC ruling on AI-generated voice calls — February 8, 2024 declaratory ruling

Checked November 2026. Platforms change their pricing and rules; check the source before you rely on a number.