To get on the California Do Not Call list, register your phone number for free at DoNotCall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want protected. California adopted the federal National Do Not Call Registry as its statewide list, so one registration covers you under both federal and California law.1California Legislative Information. California Code, Business and Professions Code BPC 17590 Most commercial telemarketers must stop calling within 31 days, and callers who ignore the list can face federal penalties and private lawsuits worth $500 or more per illegal call.
How to Register Your Number
Registration is free and takes about a minute. You have two options.
Online at DoNotCall.gov, you can enter up to three numbers at once. The FTC sends a confirmation email for each number, and you have to click the link in each one within 72 hours or the registration doesn’t finalize. Got more than three numbers? Go through the process again for the rest.2Federal Trade Commission. Q&A: The National Do Not Call Registry
By phone, call 1-888-382-1222 from the number you want to register. One number per call.3Consumer Advice. National Do Not Call Registry FAQs
Your registration never expires. A number comes off the list only if the line is disconnected and reassigned, or if you ask to be removed.3Consumer Advice. National Do Not Call Registry FAQs You can confirm your status at DoNotCall.gov or by calling the same toll-free number from the phone in question.
Don’t expect silence overnight. Telemarketers are required to pull a fresh copy of the registry every 31 days and scrub their call lists.4Federal Trade Commission. Complying With the Telemarketing Sales Rule – Section: The National Do Not Call Registry Requirements Any sales call to your number after that 31-day window is a violation.
Calls the List Does Not Block
Registration cuts down commercial telemarketing, but several categories of calls remain legal.
Political campaigns, voter surveys, and charities soliciting donations can still call. Purely informational calls, like appointment reminders or delivery notifications, are also exempt because they’re not selling anything.
The Established Business Relationship Window
A company you’ve done business with can keep calling you for 18 months after your last purchase, delivery, or payment. If you only submitted an application or made an inquiry without buying, that company has a three-month window from the date of the inquiry.5Federal Trade Commission. Q&A for Telemarketers and Sellers About DNC Provisions in TSR Signing up for a free trial or requesting a quote hands that business a temporary green light, even with your number on the registry.
The window closes the moment you tell the company to stop calling. Once you make that request, the business must add you to its internal do-not-call list, and no prior relationship justifies another call.6eCFR. 16 CFR 310.4 – Abusive Telemarketing Acts or Practices
Stopping a Specific Company
Every telemarketer has to keep its own company-specific do-not-call list. When you say “take me off your list,” the business must honor it. The Telemarketing Sales Rule makes it illegal to interfere with that request in any way, whether by requiring you to hear a pitch first, charging a fee, or routing you to a different number.6eCFR. 16 CFR 310.4 – Abusive Telemarketing Acts or Practices
If you previously gave a company permission to contact you, you can revoke that consent at any time by any reasonable method. The FCC has recognized “stop,” “revoke,” and “opt-out” as standard revocation language. Replying “stop” to a text triggers the same obligation.
Robocalls and AI Voices in California
California has its own protection against automated calls, layered on top of the registry. Under Public Utilities Code section 2874, a business using an automatic dialing device must connect you with a live person first. That person has to state the nature of the call, identify the company and its contact information, and ask whether you consent to hear a recorded message. If the message uses an artificial voice, the caller must disclose that too.7California Legislative Information. California Public Utilities Code 2874
In February 2024, the FCC ruled that AI-generated and cloned voices qualify as “artificial” voices under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.8Federal Communications Commission. FCC Makes AI-Generated Voices in Robocalls Illegal AI voice robocalls now require the same prior consent as any other robocall, and a caller who uses a cloned voice without consent is violating the TCPA.
What About Text Messages
The Do Not Call Registry was built for phone calls, not texts. Marketing texts are still regulated separately: the TCPA requires prior written consent before a business sends automated marketing texts, with the same penalties as illegal robocalls. Reply “STOP” to opt out, and the sender has 10 business days to process it. You can also forward spam texts to 7726 (SPAM) to flag them for your carrier.
Filing a Complaint
If a telemarketer calls your registered number after the 31-day grace period, file a complaint. The California Attorney General’s office directs consumers to file directly with the FTC.9State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Filing a Complaint
Complaints go through DoNotCall.gov or 1-888-382-1222. You’ll need the name of the company that called or the number it called from, plus the date of the call. Without those details, the FTC can’t investigate.9State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Filing a Complaint Complaints feed the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel database, which the California Attorney General and other agencies use to spot repeat offenders.
Suing for Damages
You don’t have to wait for the government to act. The TCPA gives you a private right to sue in state court.
For robocall violations, including calls using prerecorded voices, auto-dialers, or AI-generated voices without your consent, you can sue for $500 per illegal call. If a court finds the conduct willful, it can triple the amount to $1,500 per call.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 47 USC 227 – Telephone Consumer Protection Act
For do-not-call violations specifically, you have to show you got more than one call within a 12-month period from the same company before you can sue. Damages are the same: up to $500 per violation, or up to $1,500 if the violations were willful.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 47 USC 227 – Telephone Consumer Protection Act A company can defend itself by showing it had reasonable procedures in place to prevent violations, so document each call: save voicemails, screenshot caller ID, and note dates and times.
The statute of limitations depends on state law rather than a single federal deadline, and courts have reached different conclusions. In California, talk to an attorney about the deadline that applies to your situation before you file. For smaller amounts, California’s small claims court handles cases up to $10,000, which is a practical venue when a persistent telemarketer has racked up enough violations to make a claim worthwhile.