Missouri Telemarketing and Cold Calling Laws
In Missouri, sales calls are allowed 8 a.m.–9 p.m., the state enforces a do-not-call list, and recording a call needs one party’s consent.
Missouri rules next to federal law
| Rule | Missouri | Federal baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Calling hours | Telemarketing to a consumer's residence is allowed only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., local time at the called consumer's location (same window as federal law). No Sunday or holiday rule.Mo. Rev. Stat. § 407.1076(5) | 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) |
| Call frequency | No numeric cap, but it is an unlawful telemarketing practice to cause a consumer's phone to ring, or to engage them in conversation, repeatedly or continuously in a way a reasonable consumer would find annoying, abusive or harassing, or to call a consumer who previously asked that seller not to call.Mo. Rev. Stat. § 407.1076(3)-(4) | No general federal equivalent |
| State do-not-call list | The Attorney General keeps a state No-Call list of residential and personal wireless numbers, which by statute also includes the Missouri portion of the national registry. Telephone solicitations (voice calls, texts/SMS/MMS and faxes) to listed residential subscribers are banned unless the person gave prior express permission or had a business contact with the seller in the past 180 days or a current relationship. Penalties: up to $5,000 per knowing violation, and a private suit for up to $5,000 per knowing violation after more than one violating call in 12 months.Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 407.1095, 407.1098, 407.1101, 407.1107 | 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 | Missouri law does not set its own consent rule for autodialed calls. A telemarketing call made by a recorded, computer-generated or other artificial voice must say so promptly at the start of the call.Mo. Rev. Stat. § 407.1073.1(5) | 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 | Callers making telephone solicitations to residential subscribers must identify themselves at the start of the call and may not knowingly block or circumvent caller ID. Telemarketers must also promptly disclose the sales purpose, their name and the seller's name.Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 407.1104, 407.1076(11), 407.1073.1 | 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 | No telemarketer license or bond statute was found. To obtain the state No-Call list, a business must register with the Attorney General's Office, sign a confidentiality agreement and pay $50 per Missouri area code per quarter ($1,200 a year for all six area codes); the list is issued quarterly.Mo. Rev. Stat. § 407.1101.2(4) | No general federal equivalent |
| Call recording consent | A person who is a party to a call, or has one party's prior consent, may record it unless the purpose is to commit a criminal or tortious act.Mo. Rev. Stat. § 542.402.2(3) | Federal law allows recording when one party to the call consents.18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d) |
| Business-to-business calls | Yes. The telemarketing practices law (hours, disclosures, caller ID) exempts calls between a telemarketer and any business, except calls involving the retail sale of nondurable office and cleaning supplies. The No-Call law covers only residential subscribers (personal and family use), and the list is not intended to include numbers used primarily for business.Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 407.1085.1(4)(d), 407.1095(2), 407.1101.1 | No general federal equivalent |
Calling Missouri 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 Missouri 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.
Missouri calling questions
What are the legal calling hours in Missouri?
Telemarketing to a consumer's residence is allowed only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., local time at the called consumer's location (same window as federal law). No Sunday or holiday rule. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 407.1076(5)). Federal law also limits telephone solicitations to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time.
Does Missouri have its own do-not-call list?
The Attorney General keeps a state No-Call list of residential and personal wireless numbers, which by statute also includes the Missouri portion of the national registry. Telephone solicitations (voice calls, texts/SMS/MMS and faxes) to listed residential subscribers are banned unless the person gave prior express permission or had a business contact with the seller in the past 180 days or a current relationship. Penalties: up to $5,000 per knowing violation, and a private suit for up to $5,000 per knowing violation after more than one violating call in 12 months. (Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 407.1095, 407.1098, 407.1101, 407.1107)
Is Missouri a one-party or all-party consent state for recording calls?
A person who is a party to a call, or has one party's prior consent, may record it unless the purpose is to commit a criminal or tortious act. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 542.402.2(3))
Do Missouri telemarketing rules apply to business-to-business calls?
Yes. The telemarketing practices law (hours, disclosures, caller ID) exempts calls between a telemarketer and any business, except calls involving the retail sale of nondurable office and cleaning supplies. The No-Call law covers only residential subscribers (personal and family use), and the list is not intended to include numbers used primarily for business. (Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 407.1085.1(4)(d), 407.1095(2), 407.1101.1)
Do telemarketers need to register in Missouri?
No telemarketer license or bond statute was found. To obtain the state No-Call list, a business must register with the Attorney General's Office, sign a confidentiality agreement and pay $50 per Missouri area code per quarter ($1,200 a year for all six area codes); the list is issued quarterly. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 407.1101.2(4))
This page summarizes Missouri 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.