TCPA Calling Hours by State (2026): What Time Can You Legally Make Sales Calls?

TCPA calling hours, in short: federal law bars telemarketing calls to residential and mobile numbers before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. in the called person's local time. Many states are stricter: Florida, Oklahoma, Maryland, Washington and others stop at 8 p.m., Texas starts at 9 a.m. and noon on Sundays, and Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Dakota and Utah ban Sunday calls. The strictest rule that applies wins.

More on this topic: Calls, SMS and AI voice agents, every guide in one place.

Calling-hours lawsuits have become one of the most common TCPA claims, partly because they are easy to prove: the call log shows the time. This guide gives the federal rule, a table of the stricter states, the exemptions that matter for B2B callers, and a safe window you can set in a dialer.

Key takeaways

What are the legal calling hours under the TCPA?

Under the TCPA rules, you may not make a telephone solicitation to a residential subscriber before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., measured in the local time where the called person is. The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule sets the same 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window for telemarketing calls.

“Local time at the called party's location” is the part that trips teams up. A 9 a.m. Eastern start is 6 a.m. in California. Dialers usually infer the time zone from the area code, which is imperfect for mobile numbers that moved with their owners, so build in margin rather than calling to the minute.

Which states have stricter calling hours?

About twenty states set narrower windows or day bans than the federal rule. The table lists the stricter ones from a published 2026 compilation; the remaining states follow the federal 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window.

Some states set different hours for automated calls: Illinois 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Indiana 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., South Carolina 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Maine weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. only. If an AI voice agent or a prerecorded message is involved, check those rows too.

Federal rules from 47 CFR 64.1200 and the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule; state hours from a published 2026 state-by-state compilation, checked on 25 October 2026. State laws change and have their own exemptions — confirm the current statute for each state you call, and treat this as a summary, not legal advice.

Do calling hours apply to B2B calls?

The federal time-of-day rule protects residential subscribers, so calls to a business landline are generally outside it, and the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule exempts most business-to-business calls. But mobile numbers are presumed residential, and many small-business owners answer on their personal cell.

In practice a B2B team calling founders, contractors and shop owners is often calling mobile phones. State laws also differ on B2B exemptions: some exempt calls to businesses or existing customers, others do not. The safe assumption is that a mobile number is covered, and to apply the hours to every call.

Calling hours sit beside the do-not-call rules: sales calls to consumers also need a registry scrub at least every 31 days. See the Do Not Call Registry for business.

Which calls are exempt from TCPA calling hours?

Calls made with the person's prior express invitation or permission, calls to someone with an established business relationship, and calls by tax-exempt non-profits fall outside the federal definition of a telephone solicitation. Commentators disagree on how far those exemptions reach the hours rule, so many teams apply the window anyway.

What are the penalties for calling outside legal hours?

A person who receives a call in violation of the TCPA's telephone solicitation rules can sue for $500 per violation, up to $1,500 if the violation was wilful or knowing. Class actions multiply that across every call in a campaign, which is why a single misconfigured dialer can become expensive.

The FTC can also seek civil penalties under the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and state attorneys general enforce their own laws. Calling hours sit alongside the Do Not Call rules: scrub against the National Do Not Call Registry at least every 31 days and keep your own internal do-not-call list.

How do you set compliant calling hours in a dialer?

Set the window in the recipient's local time, add stricter state rules and day bans, and make the dialer refuse calls outside them rather than warn. Then log every call's local time, so you can prove compliance.

• Time zone per number: infer from the area code, and fall back to a conservative zone when unsure.
• Default 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Saturday, no holidays, with state overrides where you call often.
• Block Sundays and holidays for the states that ban them.
• Honour do-not-call immediately, across every campaign.
• Limit attempts per number per day; repeated calls drive complaints.
• Record consent for any automated or AI-voiced call.

For the consent side of automated calls, see are AI voice calls legal; for scripts and routines, cold calling for small business; and for numbers and caller ID, business phone numbers.

In Scalry, which publishes this guide, each voice agent campaign has a calling window enforced in every number's local time — 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. by default and editable — with the time zone inferred from the area code and a fallback zone you choose. Numbers on the workspace's do-not-call list are skipped, and each contact gets one call a day by default. State-specific hours are yours to set.

Frequently asked questions

What time can you legally make sales calls?

Federally, between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the called person's local time. Many states are stricter, such as 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Florida and Oklahoma, or 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday in Texas.

Can telemarketers call on Sundays?

Federally, yes, within 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. But Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Dakota and Utah ban Sunday telemarketing calls, and Texas limits Sundays to noon to 9 p.m.

Do TCPA calling hours apply to cell phones?

Yes. Mobile numbers are presumed residential under the TCPA rules, so the 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window applies.

Do calling hours apply to B2B calls?

Calls to business landlines are generally outside the federal residential rules, but a business owner's mobile is presumed residential, and some state laws cover business calls. Most teams apply the hours to every call.

Whose time zone counts for calling hours?

The called person's local time at their location, not the caller's.

What is the penalty for calling outside TCPA hours?

$500 per violation in a private lawsuit, up to $1,500 if wilful, plus possible FTC and state enforcement.

How Scalry's voice agents enforce calling windows and do-not-call lists is described on the AI voice agents page.