In 37 states and the District of Columbia, the consent of one person on a phone call is enough to record it. 10 states have an all-party rule for phone calls: California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington. In Connecticut, Delaware and Michigan, two laws or court rulings point different ways, so the table says how.
Each state's page quotes its statute and court rulings from the official pages they come from, with the date we read them: the consent rule for phone calls, penalties, in-person conversations and what the sources say about businesses that record calls.
Criminal law one-party; civil law all-party or noticeConn. Gen. Stat. § 52-570d (civil action for illegal recording of private telephonic communications)
One person on the call, who can be the person recording it, can agree to the recording.
All-party consent
Every person on the call has to agree. Some states word this around secret recording, private conversations or a warning; the table shows the wording.
Mixed
Two laws, or a law and a court ruling, point different ways. The state page explains both.
Recording notices
Callers can be in any state. A short notice at the start of a call, such as “This call may be recorded.”, tells them the call may be recorded. Some state laws mention notices or warnings, and their pages quote what those laws say. Whether a notice is enough for a given call is a question for a lawyer licensed in the state.
The disclosure generator shows the rule for each state you pick and writes the notice sentence in English or Spanish.
Recording notices on CallFlux numbers
CallFlux plays a recording notice to callers on every tracking number that records, before the call connects.
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia. In each, the consent of one person on the call is enough to record it. Each state's page quotes its law.
Which states require the consent of all parties to record a call?
California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington have an all-party rule for phone calls, each worded a little differently. Connecticut, Delaware and Michigan have mixed rules: two laws or court rulings point different ways. The table shows how each state's rule is worded.
What is the difference between one-party and all-party consent?
Under a one-party rule, one person on the call, who can be the person recording it, can agree to the recording. Under an all-party rule, every person on the call has to agree. Some states word their rule around secret recording, private conversations or a warning instead.
Where do these facts come from?
Only official sources: state statutes on the legislature’s own site and court opinions on the court’s own site. Each state page quotes the pages it relies on, links to them and shows the date we read them.
Is this legal advice?
No. These pages summarize what the official sources say. Laws change and courts read them in different ways, so ask a lawyer licensed in the state about your own calls.
This guide summarizes the official pages linked next to each fact. Laws change and courts read them in different ways, so check the source and ask a lawyer licensed in the state about your own calls. This is not legal advice.
