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Not legal advice. Last verified: October 9, 2026.
This page summarizes statutes, regulations and official agency pages we could read on that date. Laws change and courts disagree, and we only checked the states marked “Verified.” A state marked “No specific state law found in our review / check” may still have telephone solicitation or do-not-call laws that reach texts. Before you rely on any of this, talk to a lawyer who handles TCPA and state telemarketing cases.
TL;DR: A missed call text back is a reply to someone who just called you, and most texting laws target sales solicitations, so a plain reply is in a better position than a marketing text. It isn't automatically exempt, though. Federal rules ban telephone solicitations before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., and a STOP reply must be honored within 10 business days. Of the 9 states we verified, several have stricter hours (Pennsylvania: 9 a.m.–7 p.m. and no Sundays from mid-October 2026). Florida, Oregon, Washington's call law, Texas's hours law and Maryland's consent rule have explicit carve-outs for replies to a request or inquiry. Keep the first text conversational, include an opt-out and get written consent before any marketing.
The short version
- Federal quiet hours: no telephone solicitations before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. in the recipient's local time.
- Opt-outs: people can revoke consent by any reasonable means. Replies like STOP, QUIT, END, REVOKE, OPT OUT, CANCEL and UNSUBSCRIBE always count, and you have up to 10 business days to honor them.
- Marketing texts need written consent. Texts that advertise or telemarket, sent with an autodialer, need the recipient's prior express written consent under the FCC's rules.
- The FCC's "one-to-one consent" rule is gone. A federal appeals court vacated it in January 2025, and the FCC formally removed it in 2025.
- States are stricter in places. Of the 9 states we verified, 8 have quiet hours that start earlier or end earlier than the federal rule in at least one law. Several also cap solicitations at 3 per 24 hours.
- Replies have some protection. Florida, Oregon, Washington's telephone-solicitation law, Texas's hours law and Maryland's consent rule have explicit carve-outs for responses to a request or inquiry. Pennsylvania's new definition dropped its old carve-out for calls made in response to an express request.
- Keep the text-back a reply, not a pitch. No promotions, an easy opt-out and a separate written opt-in before any marketing.
Get the full guide
This is a shortened version. Read the full guide with all scripts on Peace Call.
Originally published at getpeacecall.com.
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