Virginia Telemarketing and Cold Calling Laws
In Virginia, sales calls are allowed 8 a.m.–9 p.m., the National Do Not Call Registry applies, and recording a call needs one party’s consent.
Virginia rules next to federal law
| Rule | Virginia | Federal baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Calling hours | Telephone solicitations (calls and texts) may be made only between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. local time at the contacted person's location, unless the person gave prior consent.Va. Code § 59.1-511 | 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 | No state list: solicitations to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry are prohibited, and a request not to be contacted (for texts, a reply of 'STOP' or 'UNSUBSCRIBE') must be honored for at least 10 years. Reasonable procedures plus a registry copy no more than 31 days old are an affirmative defense.Va. Code § 59.1-514 | 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 | No state consent rule for autodialed calls beyond federal law. If no live representative is available within two seconds of the person's greeting, the call must play a prerecorded message giving the seller's name and a number that accepts do-not-call requests during business hours.Va. Code § 59.1-513.1 | 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 must transmit a number that accepts do-not-call requests during business hours (for texts, a number that accepts reply opt-outs) and their name when the carrier makes it available, and may not block caller ID or display false or misleading caller ID. The seller's name and customer-service number may be substituted.Va. Code § 59.1-513 | 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 | The Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act does not require telemarketer registration.Source | No general federal equivalent |
| Call recording consent | A party to a call, or a person with one party's prior consent, may record it.Va. Code § 19.2-62(B)(2) | Federal law allows recording when one party to the call consents.18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d) |
| Business-to-business calls | No B2B exemption. The Act covers calls to any landline or wireless phone with a Virginia area code (and texts to Virginia-area-code wireless phones), not only residences, so business numbers with Virginia area codes are covered; the only exclusions are signed written consent, an established business relationship, or a personal relationship.Va. Code §§ 59.1-510, 59.1-514(D) | No general federal equivalent |
Recent changes
- 2026: 2025 Va. Acts ch. 626 (SB 1339), effective Jan. 1, 2026, set rules for text-message solicitations: a text opt-out is made by replying 'STOP' or 'UNSUBSCRIBE' (honored for at least 10 years, as with calls), a number that accepts reply opt-outs satisfies the caller-ID rule for texts, and the name-identification and abandoned-call rules apply to voice calls.
Calling Virginia 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.
Virginia calling questions
What are the legal calling hours in Virginia?
Telephone solicitations (calls and texts) may be made only between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. local time at the contacted person's location, unless the person gave prior consent. (Va. Code § 59.1-511). Federal law also limits telephone solicitations to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time.
Does Virginia have its own do-not-call list?
No state list: solicitations to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry are prohibited, and a request not to be contacted (for texts, a reply of 'STOP' or 'UNSUBSCRIBE') must be honored for at least 10 years. Reasonable procedures plus a registry copy no more than 31 days old are an affirmative defense. (Va. Code § 59.1-514)
Is Virginia a one-party or all-party consent state for recording calls?
A party to a call, or a person with one party's prior consent, may record it. (Va. Code § 19.2-62(B)(2))
Do Virginia telemarketing rules apply to business-to-business calls?
No B2B exemption. The Act covers calls to any landline or wireless phone with a Virginia area code (and texts to Virginia-area-code wireless phones), not only residences, so business numbers with Virginia area codes are covered; the only exclusions are signed written consent, an established business relationship, or a personal relationship. (Va. Code §§ 59.1-510, 59.1-514(D))
Do telemarketers need to register in Virginia?
The Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act does not require telemarketer registration.
This page summarizes Virginia 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.