TCPA & DNC Compliance for Cold Calling
The TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) and DNC (Do-Not-Call) rules govern how US businesses can make outbound calls. In practice, four things matter most: only call inside 8am–9pm the lead's local time, scrub numbers against Do-Not-Call lists, keep records of consent and caller ID, and don't rely on reps to remember any of it. The stakes are concrete: under the TCPA (47 U.S.C. § 227), each violating call carries $500 in statutory damages — $1,500 if the violation is willful — with no cap in a class action.
This is a plain-English overview, not legal advice. Consult counsel for your specific situation.
What are the legal calling hours?
You may generally only place telemarketing calls between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the called party's local time zone — not yours. A rep in New York calling California has until midnight Eastern; a rep in California calling New York must stop at 6 p.m. Pacific. Getting this wrong is one of the most common and avoidable violations.
What is the Do-Not-Call list?
Numbers on the National DNC Registry (and your own internal opt-out list) must be scrubbed before you dial. This isn't a one-time task — lists change, and internal opt-outs must be honored immediately and permanently.
Consent and records
Depending on the call type and any autodialing technology involved, you may need prior express consent. Keep records of consent, the number called, the caller ID used, and the outcome. Good records are your best defense if a call is ever questioned.
Enforce it automatically, not by memory
The riskiest setup is a compliance checklist a rep can ignore under quota pressure. The safest is a system that simply won't place a non-compliant call. That's how Warmdial works: DNC scrubbing and 8am–9pm local windows are enforced server-side on every call, and voicemail drops and recording follow the same rules.
Want to sanity-check a timezone before you dial? Use the free best-time-to-call tool. For the bigger picture, see the complete guide to power dialing.