The TCPA in plain English.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), 47 U.S.C. § 227, is the main federal law limiting telemarketing calls, auto-dialed calls, prerecorded messages, and unwanted texts. Passed in 1991 and updated by FCC rules, it requires consent and respects the National Do Not Call Registry.

A call is generally legal only with prior express consent. Prerecorded or auto-dialed calls to mobile numbers need written consent. Calls to numbers on the Do Not Call Registry, calls after you've told the caller to stop, and spoofed calls made to defraud are illegal. Debt-collection and informational calls have narrower rules.

You can revoke consent at any time and in any reasonable way. You can tell any telemarketer to place you on their internal Do Not Call list. You can sue for violations in federal court, often without proving you were harmed.

Statutory damages run $500 per violation, up to $1,500 per call for willful or knowing violations. Class actions can reach large settlements. Courts and the FCC can also impose separate penalties.

Save the number, date, time, and a recording or screenshot. Note whether the call was live or prerecorded and what was said. Your Evidence Locker and our Filing Center help you organize this into a complaint.