Pennsylvania do not call list: what callers must know in 2025

Last updated 2026-07-09

What is the Pennsylvania do not call list?

Pennsylvania keeps a state do not call registry that is separate from the federal National Do Not Call Registry. The Pennsylvania Telemarketer Registration Act (73 P.S. §§ 2241-2249) created the list and handed the Office of Attorney General the power to enforce it. ^[1] A resident who adds a number gets legal protection from unsolicited telemarketing, and a business that calls anyway faces civil penalties on a per-call basis.

The federal list, run by the FTC, covers most interstate calls. Pennsylvania's list covers intrastate calls and adds a second layer of liability even for callers who already scrubbed the federal registry. Call into Pennsylvania and you check both. A clean federal scrub does not shield you from state law. There is no shortcut.

The state list is free for consumers, and it has run for more than two decades. Millions of Pennsylvania numbers sit on it. That tells you how residents feel about cold calls.

For how state lists fit inside the larger picture, see our guide on the do not call list.

How do Pennsylvania residents register for the DNC list?

Residents register online at donotcall.pa.gov, the official portal run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. ^[2] It costs nothing, and it covers both landlines and cell phones. The Attorney General's office also takes phone registrations, but the website is faster.

Once a number goes on the list, it stays there permanently under Pennsylvania's rules. No five-year renewal cycle. (The FTC has confirmed federal registrations also do not expire in practice under current policy, so the renewal you may have heard about is a myth on both sides.) Permanent registration matters for callers too: you cannot assume an old number aged off the list.

Registration takes up to 31 days to become effective, which matches the federal window. During those days, a caller who reaches a freshly registered number has a safe harbor. Once the window closes, any call to that number without an exemption or prior written consent is a possible violation.

Cell phones qualify for both the Pennsylvania list and the federal list. To see how mobile numbers work across DNC rules, our piece on the mobile phone do not call list covers it.

What are the penalties for violating Pennsylvania's do not call rules?

The Pennsylvania Telemarketer Registration Act allows civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation. ^[1] Each call to a registered number is its own violation. The math turns ugly quickly: ten calls to ten registered numbers is $10,000 in exposure, and the Attorney General can chase every one.

Penalty layer	Authority	Max per violation
Pennsylvania state law	PA Office of Attorney General (73 P.S. § 2241)	$1,000 per call
Federal TCPA (for cell phones, prerecorded calls)	FCC / private lawsuit	$500-$1,500 per call [3]
Federal DNC rules	FTC enforcement	$53,088 per violation [4]

The TCPA runs in parallel. A caller who uses an autodialer or prerecorded message to reach a Pennsylvania cell number without consent takes on federal TCPA exposure on top of the state penalty. Federal TCPA statutory damages sit at $500 per call, trebled to $1,500 for willful or knowing violations. ^[3] Private plaintiffs bring the TCPA suits. The state AG brings the Pennsylvania Act suits. One call can trigger both.

Then there is the cost nobody puts on the penalty table. The AG's office publicizes its actions, and a small outbound team that draws a formal complaint referral usually finds the investigation itself eats weeks of time before anyone assesses a dollar of penalty.

For how these violations turn into real lawsuits, see our guide on do not call list violations.

Who is exempt from the Pennsylvania do not call list?

Pennsylvania's exemptions track several federal categories but are not identical. Calls are generally allowed when the caller has an established business relationship (EBR) with the person, the person gave prior written consent, or the call is not telemarketing. ^[1]

The EBR exemption is where most compliance teams put their attention. Under Pennsylvania law, an EBR exists when the consumer made a purchase, rental, or financial transaction with the company in the past 18 months, or made an inquiry or application in the past three months. The 18-month window lines up with federal rules. The clock resets with each new transaction or inquiry, and it runs from the last contact, not from some vague sense of an ongoing account.

Fully exempt calls include those from nonprofits, political campaigns, and survey researchers. A charity calling on its own behalf (not through a commercial fundraiser) usually falls outside the statute. But when a for-profit telemarketer dials on behalf of a charity, that commercial telemarketer has to register and comply.

Here is what trips up outbound teams. The existing-customer exemption only covers calls from the exact legal entity that holds the relationship. Sell the account to a partner, or spin off a division, and the new entity does not inherit the EBR. You need fresh consent or a fresh transaction.

Do telemarketers have to register with Pennsylvania before calling?

Yes. The Pennsylvania Telemarketer Registration Act requires most telemarketers to register with the Office of Attorney General before they call into the state. ^[1] This is separate from buying or scrubbing the DNC list. The requirement applies to for-profit telemarketers and telefunders (commercial fundraisers) operating in Pennsylvania.

Registration means filing an application, paying a fee, and posting a surety bond. The bond protects consumers if the telemarketer causes financial harm and then cannot satisfy a judgment. Bond amounts vary with the volume of business, but the requirement is real and enforced.

Calling Pennsylvania numbers without registering is its own violation, independent of any scrubbing failure. Enforcement actions have named unregistered telemarketers as the primary wrongdoers even when their DNC scrubbing looked clean, because registration is a baseline legal duty.

Small businesses that make only occasional calls from inside Pennsylvania sometimes assume they are exempt because their operation feels informal. The statute has no volume threshold. Make solicitation calls for profit and registration applies to you.

How do callers actually scrub against the Pennsylvania DNC list?

Pennsylvania gives its DNC list to registered telemarketers through the donotcall.pa.gov portal. ^[2] Once your telemarketer registration is done, you can pull the list for scrubbing. The workflow is simple: register the business, download or access the list, run your call list against it, and record the scrub date.

Federal DNC access runs through the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov. ^[5] Telemarketers pay a fee that scales with the number of area codes they pull, with the first five area codes free as of 2024. Pennsylvania's state list access and pricing are set by the AG's office, so check with them for the current fee structure.

How often you scrub matters as much as whether you scrub. The FTC requires federal scrubs no more than 31 days before a call. Pennsylvania follows the same logic, so a scrub from six months ago is worthless. Most compliant outbound teams run scrubs monthly. High-volume teams run them weekly.

For the mechanics of pulling the federal list, our guide on how do I get the do not call list walks through it. For the registry phone number and lookup resources, see do not call list number.

For teams building or auditing a compliance workflow, LeadCompliant's free DNC scrubbing tools and one-time compliance kit help you structure the scrub-and-document process before you dial into Pennsylvania.

How do you file a do not call list complaint in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania residents can report violations two ways: through the state and through the federal system.

For state complaints, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General takes do not call reports at donotcall.pa.gov. ^[2] The form asks for the number that was called, the date and time, and anything you know about the caller. You do not need a recording or perfect information to file. More detail just helps the AG's office investigate.

For federal complaints, the FTC takes reports at donotcall.gov. ^[5] The FTC does not chase individual complaints one by one. It uses complaint data to spot patterns and target enforcement. A lone complaint rarely triggers federal action. A cluster of complaints against the same number gets read.

Residents can file with both at once. Nothing stops it. For a caller who is breaking both state law and federal TCPA rules, parallel complaints can spark parallel investigations.

If you run a business that got a complaint, treat it seriously before any formal investigation starts. A complaint filed with the PA AG can precede a civil investigative demand, a formal records request that carries legal weight. Get compliant before that demand lands, not after.

For how to file and what follows, our guide on do not call list report covers the federal process.

Does the Pennsylvania DNC list cover text messages and robotexts?

The Pennsylvania Telemarketer Registration Act was written mostly for voice calls, but federal TCPA law clearly covers texts sent by autodialer. ^[3] The FCC treats SMS as a "call" under 47 U.S.C. § 227. So a robotext to a Pennsylvania cell number on the DNC list creates federal TCPA exposure even where the state Act stays quiet about texts.

The answer for outbound teams is short. Treat texting Pennsylvania numbers with the same caution you give voice calls. Scrub both lists, get prior express written consent for marketing texts, and document that consent. The TCPA private right of action for texts matches the one for calls: $500 per text, $1,500 for willful violations, and the plaintiff does not have to prove actual damages.

Pennsylvania has not passed a standalone state SMS statute as of mid-2025. But the AG's office has shown it will pursue new enforcement theories when the consumer harm is clear. Waiting for a state-specific SMS ruling before you get compliant is a bad bet.

See our guide on the government do not call list for how federal and state rules stack across call types.

How does Pennsylvania's list compare to neighboring states?

Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York all layer state telemarketing registration and DNC rules on top of the federal framework. The penalty ceilings and administrative demands differ a lot.

State	State DNC list	Max per-call penalty	Telemarketer registration required?
Pennsylvania	Yes (donotcall.pa.gov)	$1,000 [1]	Yes
New Jersey	Yes (NJ DCA)	$10,000 per violation [6]	Yes
New York	Yes (NY AG)	$11,000 per violation [7]	Yes
Federal (FTC/FCC)	Yes (donotcall.gov)	$53,088 per FTC violation; $1,500 per TCPA call [3][4]	No separate registration

New Jersey and New York carry much higher per-violation ceilings, which changes how much risk you carry dialing mid-Atlantic markets at volume. Pennsylvania's $1,000 cap is lower, but stack enough calls and the aggregate still hurts.

For multistate campaigns, build your compliance floor around the strictest state you touch. Call New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania off one list, and New Jersey's rules set the practical standard.

For Indiana numbers, our Indiana do not call list guide covers that state's rules. For Florida, see our Florida do not call list piece, which details one of the more aggressive enforcement environments in the country.

What records do callers need to keep to prove Pennsylvania DNC compliance?

Documentation is what separates a complaint that becomes a penalty from one that gets dismissed. Under both federal rules and Pennsylvania's telemarketer statute, you have to prove you had a system, ran it, and acted on the results.

Keep at least these things: the date of each DNC scrub (state and federal), the version or download timestamp of the list you used, the output showing which numbers you suppressed, consent records (call logs, signed forms, digital consent timestamps) for any number that appeared on the list but got called under an exemption, and agent training records showing your staff knew the rules.

The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule requires telemarketers to keep do-not-call records for at least 24 months. ^[8] Pennsylvania does not publish a different retention period, so 24 months is a defensible floor. Many teams hold five years given the length of civil litigation windows.

If you run a company-specific internal DNC list (federal rules require one), you have to honor an opt-out within 30 days of the request. An opt-out that sits unread in an inbox for six weeks is a violation.

When a state AG or FTC investigator asks for your compliance records, the real question is this: did you have a process, or were you just hoping not to get caught? The records answer it.

What has Pennsylvania AG enforcement actually looked like?

The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General has brought enforcement actions against telemarketers under the Telemarketer Registration Act. It has gone after both unregistered callers and registered ones who ignored the DNC list or used deceptive tactics. ^[9]

Nobody publishes a clean running tally of every PA AG telemarketer settlement, and the AG's press releases are the most accessible public record. Actions have included consent agreements that require paying civil penalties and registration fees, plus injunctive terms that bar future violations.

At the federal level, the FTC brings actions that reach Pennsylvania consumers along with everyone else, often in multistate coalition suits. The 2023 FTC action against a major auto warranty robocall operation, for one, named conduct affecting consumers nationwide and ended in a $10 million judgment. ^[10]

Here is the honest picture. A single complaint against a small team rarely triggers immediate legal action. But patterns matter. Multiple complaints against the same number tend to escalate faster than isolated ones. And complaints filed with both the PA AG and the FTC build a paper trail that makes a later enforcement action much easier to assemble.

Want to understand your exposure before a complaint shows up? Run an honest internal audit against the questions in our compliance kit. That beats guessing. The FTC's complaint data feeds public enforcement, so watching your own complaint volume is a reasonable early warning too.

What should small outbound teams do right now to comply in Pennsylvania?

Start with the legal baseline. If you make telemarketing calls into Pennsylvania for profit, you have to be registered with the PA Attorney General's office under the Telemarketer Registration Act. That comes before the scrubbing question.

Once registered, pull the Pennsylvania DNC list and the federal list. Run every number through both before you dial. Document the scrub. Do it monthly at a minimum, or within 31 days of any call, whichever tightens the schedule more.

Build a written do-not-call policy. Federal rules require one. It has to cover how you handle opt-out requests, how fast you honor them (30 days is the outer limit), and how you train your agents. A policy that lives only as a PDF nobody reads is not a policy. The people making the calls have to actually know it.

For any calls to cell phones with an autodialer or prerecorded message, layer in TCPA consent documentation. Prior express written consent is the standard. That means a signed or digitally submitted form that clearly discloses who is calling and by what means.

LeadCompliant's free compliance tools check numbers against the federal registry and flag high-risk leads before they reach your dialer. Front-end filtering costs far less than back-end legal exposure.

Keep your records. A complaint you cannot respond to with documentation almost always goes worse than a complaint where you can show a real process. The records are the defense.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add my number to the Pennsylvania do not call list?

Go to donotcall.pa.gov and register your number online for free. You can register both landlines and cell phones. Registration is permanent under Pennsylvania law, so you never renew. The number becomes protected roughly 31 days after you register. You can also register with the federal list at donotcall.gov, and callers must honor both.

How do I file a do not call list complaint in Pennsylvania?

File with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General at donotcall.pa.gov. Provide the number that was called, the date and time, and whatever you know about the caller. You can also file a parallel complaint with the FTC at donotcall.gov. Both agencies accept complaints from Pennsylvania residents, and filing with both raises the odds your report gets noticed.

Does the Pennsylvania do not call list protect cell phones?

Yes. Pennsylvania's registry covers both landlines and mobile numbers. Cell phones also get independent protection under the federal TCPA, which restricts autodialed and prerecorded calls to mobile numbers regardless of DNC registration. For cell phones you effectively have two layers: the state DNC list and federal TCPA consent requirements.

What is the difference between the Pennsylvania and federal do not call lists?

The federal list, run by the FTC, mainly covers interstate calls. Pennsylvania's list, run by the state Attorney General, covers intrastate calls and adds a separate enforcement layer. Telemarketers calling into Pennsylvania scrub both. The federal max through FTC enforcement is over $53,000 per violation. Pennsylvania's state cap is $1,000 per call.

How long does it take for a number to be protected after registering in Pennsylvania?

Roughly 31 days. During that initial period, callers who reach a freshly registered number have a safe harbor because the number may not yet appear in the downloadable list. Once the 31-day window closes, any unsolicited telemarketing call to that number is a possible violation. The federal registry uses the same 31-day window.

Can businesses call you if you have an existing relationship, even if you're on the Pennsylvania DNC list?

Yes, if the relationship is recent enough. Pennsylvania's established business relationship exemption covers purchases or transactions within the last 18 months and inquiries within the last three months. Once those windows close, the exemption expires. The calling company must be the same legal entity you did business with, not a parent, affiliate, or buyer of the account.

Do nonprofits and political campaigns have to follow Pennsylvania's do not call rules?

Generally no, at least under the state Telemarketer Registration Act. Nonprofits calling on their own behalf and political campaigns are usually exempt. But if a for-profit telemarketer calls on behalf of a charity, that commercial telemarketer must register and comply. Political calls also face separate federal restrictions, especially for autodialed calls to cell phones under the TCPA.

Does Pennsylvania's do not call list apply to text messages?

The state Act was written for voice calls, but federal TCPA law clearly covers marketing texts sent via autodialer. The FCC has confirmed SMS counts as a 'call' under 47 U.S.C. § 227. In practice, teams should scrub Pennsylvania mobile numbers against both lists before texting and get prior express written consent for marketing texts, the same standard as for voice.

How often do telemarketers have to re-scrub their call lists against the Pennsylvania DNC registry?

No more than 31 days before any call, following the same logic as the federal standard. A scrub from two months ago is not current. Most compliant outbound teams run monthly scrubs at minimum. High-volume operations often scrub weekly to shrink the gap between a new registration and its effect on their call list.

What records do I need to keep to prove DNC compliance in Pennsylvania?

Keep the date and timestamp of every scrub, the specific list version used, suppression outputs showing which numbers you removed, consent documentation for any registered number called under an exemption, and agent training records. The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule requires at least 24 months of retention. Most compliance teams hold five years to cover civil litigation windows.

How do I find out if a number has complaints against it on the Pennsylvania DNC system?

The PA AG's office does not publish a public database of individual complaint records. The FTC maintains a Consumer Sentinel Network, but access is generally limited to law enforcement. For your own numbers, the most direct check is confirming none of your outbound numbers appear in public court filings or AG press releases. Monitoring complaint volume through your carrier dashboard is a useful early warning signal.

What happens if a Pennsylvania resident keeps getting calls after registering?

They can file a complaint with both the PA AG and the FTC. If the caller is a registered telemarketer ignoring the list, the AG can pursue civil penalties up to $1,000 per call. If the calls use a prerecorded message or autodialer to a cell phone, the resident also has a private right of action under the TCPA with statutory damages of $500 to $1,500 per call, no attorney needed to file in small claims.

Does the FTC do not call list cover Pennsylvania, or do I need to register separately?

The FTC's National Do Not Call Registry covers Pennsylvania numbers for interstate calls. But Pennsylvania also runs its own state list for intrastate calls. Callers scrub both. Registering your number at donotcall.gov handles federal protection. Registering at donotcall.pa.gov handles state protection. Consumers should do both to maximize coverage.

Sources

1. Pennsylvania General Assembly, Telemarketer Registration Act (73 P.S. §§ 2241-2249): Pennsylvania's Telemarketer Registration Act authorizes civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation and requires telemarketers to register with the Office of Attorney General before calling
2. Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, donotcall.pa.gov: Pennsylvania residents can register their phone numbers and file do not call complaints at the official state portal run by the Office of Attorney General
3. Federal Trade Commission, Telemarketing Sales Rule civil penalty amounts: The FTC maximum civil penalty for Telemarketing Sales Rule violations, including federal DNC violations, is $53,088 per violation as adjusted for inflation
4. Federal Trade Commission, National Do Not Call Registry (donotcall.gov): Consumers can register numbers and file federal DNC complaints at donotcall.gov; telemarketers access the registry to scrub call lists
5. New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, New Jersey Do Not Call Law (N.J.S.A. 56:8-119 et seq.): New Jersey's do not call law authorizes penalties up to $10,000 per violation for telemarketing calls to registered numbers
6. New York State Attorney General, Do Not Call Registry (Executive Law § 399-z): New York's do not call law authorizes penalties up to $11,000 per violation for calls to numbers registered on the state list
7. Federal Trade Commission, Telemarketing Sales Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 310): The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule requires telemarketers to maintain do-not-call records for a period of at least 24 months
8. Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Consumer Protection enforcement actions: The Pennsylvania AG has brought enforcement actions against unregistered telemarketers and those who ignored the state DNC list, resulting in civil penalties and consent agreements
9. Federal Trade Commission, FTC v. American Vehicle Protection Corp. (2023 enforcement action): A 2023 FTC enforcement action against auto warranty robocallers resulted in a $10 million judgment covering conduct that affected consumers in multiple states including Pennsylvania