Mississippi Telemarketing and Cold Calling Laws
In Mississippi, sales calls are allowed 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Central, no Sundays, the National Do Not Call Registry applies, and recording a call needs one party’s consent.
Mississippi rules next to federal law
| Rule | Mississippi | Federal baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Calling hours | Telephone solicitations may be made only between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Central Standard Time, and never on Sunday. A separate law for unsolicited sales calls to residential numbers allows 8 a.m.-9 p.m. CST Monday-Saturday, also with no Sunday calls; the 8 p.m. cutoff is the stricter rule.Miss. Code Ann. §§ 77-3-723(1), 77-3-603(a) | 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 | Since July 1, 2023 Mississippi uses the federal Do Not Call Registry as its no-call list: solicitors must obtain the list directly from the FTC (the Attorney General asks for monthly downloads) and may not call registered numbers. Numbers that were on the old Public Service Commission list before July 1, 2023 also stay protected.Miss. Code Ann. §§ 77-3-705(j), 77-3-707(1)-(2), 77-3-717 | 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 | A telephone solicitor may not use an automated dialing system or similar system that uses a recorded voice message to communicate with the consumer unless it has an established business relationship with the consumer and the message informs them about a new product or service. An established business relationship generally lapses 6 months after it ends.Miss. Code Ann. §§ 77-3-723(2), 77-3-705(g) | 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 | Telephone solicitors may not knowingly block or circumvent caller ID. Knowingly transmitting misleading caller ID with intent to defraud, harm or wrongfully obtain value is a misdemeanor under the Caller ID Anti-Spoofing Act and also a violation of the Telephone Solicitation Act. Callers must state their name, company and the purpose of the call at the start.Miss. Code Ann. §§ 77-3-723, 77-3-805, 77-3-809 | 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 | All telephone solicitors must register with the Attorney General before soliciting in Mississippi, renewing annually (the AG asks for May-June filing through its online No Call portal), with a $75,000 surety bond (cash, CD or government bonds allowed instead) and a registered agent, plus proof of a current federal Do Not Call subscription.Miss. Code Ann. §§ 77-3-713, 77-3-605 | No general federal equivalent |
| Call recording consent | A participant in a call, or a person with one party's consent, may record it, unless the recording is made with criminal or tortious intent.Miss. Code Ann. § 41-29-531(e) | Federal law allows recording when one party to the call consents.18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d) |
| Business-to-business calls | No general B2B exemption. The Telephone Solicitation Act defines 'consumer' as 'a person or business' that receives a call or text, and 'telephone solicitation' includes encouraging the purchase of property or soliciting any item of value, so business lines are covered by the no-call, 8 a.m.-8 p.m./no-Sunday, caller ID, autodialer and registration rules. Exemptions include calls to established-business-relationship contacts and calls where the major sales presentation is not made on the phone or the sale is completed at a later face-to-face meeting.Miss. Code Ann. §§ 77-3-705(a), (d), 77-3-711(a), (j) | No general federal equivalent |
Recent changes
- 2023: HB 1225 (effective July 1, 2023) moved administration and enforcement of the Telephone Solicitation Act from the Public Service Commission to the Attorney General, replaced the state no-call database with the federal Do Not Call Registry (keeping pre-July 2023 PSC-listed numbers protected), and consolidated registration into one Attorney General registration with one $75,000 bond.
- 2024: HB 1350 (effective July 1, 2024) bars telephone solicitations about Medicare Advantage plans unless the person first called the company, and removed the insurance-agent exemption for Medicare supplement solicitations.
- 2023-2024: After the transfer, the PSC repealed its telemarketing rules (39 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1, R. 1:28), which had barred calls on legal holidays; the statutory Sunday ban remains.
Calling Mississippi 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 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.
Mississippi calling questions
What are the legal calling hours in Mississippi?
Telephone solicitations may be made only between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Central Standard Time, and never on Sunday. A separate law for unsolicited sales calls to residential numbers allows 8 a.m.-9 p.m. CST Monday-Saturday, also with no Sunday calls; the 8 p.m. cutoff is the stricter rule. (Miss. Code Ann. §§ 77-3-723(1), 77-3-603(a)). Federal law also limits telephone solicitations to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time.
Does Mississippi have its own do-not-call list?
Since July 1, 2023 Mississippi uses the federal Do Not Call Registry as its no-call list: solicitors must obtain the list directly from the FTC (the Attorney General asks for monthly downloads) and may not call registered numbers. Numbers that were on the old Public Service Commission list before July 1, 2023 also stay protected. (Miss. Code Ann. §§ 77-3-705(j), 77-3-707(1)-(2), 77-3-717)
Is Mississippi a one-party or all-party consent state for recording calls?
A participant in a call, or a person with one party's consent, may record it, unless the recording is made with criminal or tortious intent. (Miss. Code Ann. § 41-29-531(e))
Do Mississippi telemarketing rules apply to business-to-business calls?
No general B2B exemption. The Telephone Solicitation Act defines 'consumer' as 'a person or business' that receives a call or text, and 'telephone solicitation' includes encouraging the purchase of property or soliciting any item of value, so business lines are covered by the no-call, 8 a.m.-8 p.m./no-Sunday, caller ID, autodialer and registration rules. Exemptions include calls to established-business-relationship contacts and calls where the major sales presentation is not made on the phone or the sale is completed at a later face-to-face meeting. (Miss. Code Ann. §§ 77-3-705(a), (d), 77-3-711(a), (j))
Do telemarketers need to register in Mississippi?
All telephone solicitors must register with the Attorney General before soliciting in Mississippi, renewing annually (the AG asks for May-June filing through its online No Call portal), with a $75,000 surety bond (cash, CD or government bonds allowed instead) and a registered agent, plus proof of a current federal Do Not Call subscription. (Miss. Code Ann. §§ 77-3-713, 77-3-605)
This page summarizes Mississippi 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.