Louisiana Telemarketing and Cold Calling Laws
In Louisiana, sales calls are allowed 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday–Saturday, no Sundays or holidays, the state enforces a do-not-call list, and recording a call needs one party’s consent.
Louisiana rules next to federal law
| Rule | Louisiana | Federal baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Calling hours | Sales calls to residential subscribers are allowed only 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Monday through Saturday (local time at the called party's location), and never on Sundays or legal holidays; this applies even to callers exempt from the do-not-call list, except market-research and political calls. During a governor-declared state of emergency, telephonic solicitation of residential subscribers is banned except for listed exemptions such as express requests and existing business relationships.La. R.S. 45:811(2)–(3), 45:844.31; LPSC General Order R-35852 § V(A)(2) | Telephone solicitations only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the called person’s local time.47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(1) |
| State do-not-call list | The Louisiana Public Service Commission keeps a state do-not-call list for residential subscribers; solicitors must register, buy it, and not call numbers on it or on the National Do Not Call Registry, with fines up to $1,500 per violation ($3,000 if the subscriber is over 65). Exemptions include express requests, existing debts or contracts, and existing business relationships or ones that ended within the past six months.La. R.S. 45:844.12(6), 45:844.14, 45:844.15 | No telephone solicitations to residential or wireless numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, subject to the rule’s exemptions such as an established business relationship.47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(2) |
| Autodialer and consent | Calls using ADAD equipment (auto-dialing with recorded messages) need the called party's consent before the message plays, given to a live operator who introduces the call or through the device, and consent covers only that call. The message must state the caller's name and phone number within the first 25 seconds and at the end, and ADAD calls to cell phones need prior express consent.La. R.S. 45:811–812; LPSC General Order R-35852 § V(A) | Autodialed or prerecorded telemarketing calls to wireless numbers need the called person’s prior express written consent.47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(a)(2) |
| Caller ID | Solicitors calling residential or mobile subscribers must transmit caller ID showing their name and a number answered during business hours, and may not block or misrepresent it. The caller's name, phone number, and the firm the call is made for must be stated right after the called party answers and again at the end.La. R.S. 45:844.2; LPSC General Order R-35852 § V(A) | Telemarketers must transmit caller ID with a number that can be called back during business hours.47 C.F.R. § 64.1601(e) |
| Telemarketer registration | Telephonic solicitors calling Louisiana residential subscribers must register annually with the Public Service Commission's Do Not Call program (the PSC says unregistered callers face an added fine of up to $10,000). Anyone using ADAD equipment, or live operators selling consumer goods, must also hold a PSC permit backed by a $10,000 surety bond.La. R.S. 45:844.14(A)(3)(b), 45:813 | No general federal equivalent |
| Call recording consent | State wiretap law lets a party to a call, or someone with one party's prior consent, record it. Separately, the PSC's do-not-call order requires telemarketers to tell a residential customer and get permission before recording the customer's response.La. R.S. 15:1303(C)(4); LPSC General Order R-35852 § V(A)(4) | Federal law allows recording when one party to the call consents.18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d) |
| Business-to-business calls | Louisiana's do-not-call law, calling-hours order, and emergency ban apply to 'residential telephonic subscribers' (individuals with residential service), and business subscribers cannot join the list. The Consumer Telemarketing Protection Act's hours, consent, and permit rules cover only calls offering goods or services mainly for personal, family, or household use.La. R.S. 45:844.12(5)–(6), 45:811; LPSC General Order R-35852 § II | No general federal equivalent |
Recent changes
- 2021: LPSC General Order R-35852 (March 10, 2021) replaced the 2006 do-not-call order; it keeps the Sunday/holiday ban and 8 p.m.–8 a.m. limit for all residential solicitation and carves market-research and political calls out of the hours rule.
Calling Louisiana from a sales team
- Schedule call blocks in the prospect’s local time, not the rep’s.
- Check numbers against the National Do Not Call Registry and the Louisiana list before each campaign, and honor opt-outs right away.
- If a call may cross into an all-party state, announce the recording anyway.
Trellus dials from the CRM list your reps already work, with each call logged back to the record. See the power and parallel dialer.
Louisiana calling questions
What are the legal calling hours in Louisiana?
Sales calls to residential subscribers are allowed only 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Monday through Saturday (local time at the called party's location), and never on Sundays or legal holidays; this applies even to callers exempt from the do-not-call list, except market-research and political calls. During a governor-declared state of emergency, telephonic solicitation of residential subscribers is banned except for listed exemptions such as express requests and existing business relationships. (La. R.S. 45:811(2)–(3), 45:844.31; LPSC General Order R-35852 § V(A)(2)). Federal law also limits telephone solicitations to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time.
Does Louisiana have its own do-not-call list?
The Louisiana Public Service Commission keeps a state do-not-call list for residential subscribers; solicitors must register, buy it, and not call numbers on it or on the National Do Not Call Registry, with fines up to $1,500 per violation ($3,000 if the subscriber is over 65). Exemptions include express requests, existing debts or contracts, and existing business relationships or ones that ended within the past six months. (La. R.S. 45:844.12(6), 45:844.14, 45:844.15)
Is Louisiana a one-party or all-party consent state for recording calls?
State wiretap law lets a party to a call, or someone with one party's prior consent, record it. Separately, the PSC's do-not-call order requires telemarketers to tell a residential customer and get permission before recording the customer's response. (La. R.S. 15:1303(C)(4); LPSC General Order R-35852 § V(A)(4))
Do Louisiana telemarketing rules apply to business-to-business calls?
Louisiana's do-not-call law, calling-hours order, and emergency ban apply to 'residential telephonic subscribers' (individuals with residential service), and business subscribers cannot join the list. The Consumer Telemarketing Protection Act's hours, consent, and permit rules cover only calls offering goods or services mainly for personal, family, or household use. (La. R.S. 45:844.12(5)–(6), 45:811; LPSC General Order R-35852 § II)
Do telemarketers need to register in Louisiana?
Telephonic solicitors calling Louisiana residential subscribers must register annually with the Public Service Commission's Do Not Call program (the PSC says unregistered callers face an added fine of up to $10,000). Anyone using ADAD equipment, or live operators selling consumer goods, must also hold a PSC permit backed by a $10,000 surety bond. (La. R.S. 45:844.14(A)(3)(b), 45:813)
This page summarizes Louisiana and federal rules for general information. It is not legal advice, rules change, and exemptions depend on the facts of your calls. Read the cited sources or ask counsel before relying on it.