Can you record a customer call? Under federal law and in most states, yes, with one party's consent. In thirteen states every party has to agree, or be clearly told. Here is the list, with the statute for each, checked against the official text.
Quick answer: federal law and most states let you record a call if one party to it (you) consents. Thirteen states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington, require the consent of everyone on a phone call, or a clear notice that counts as consent. If a call crosses state lines, the safe habit is to follow the stricter state's rule and tell people at the start.
The federal Wiretap Act allows a person who is a party to a call, or who has the consent of one party, to record it, unless the recording is made to commit a crime or a tort: 18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d) (text). States can be stricter, and many are.
| State | Rule for phone calls | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| California | All parties | Cal. Penal Code § 632(a): recording a confidential communication "without the consent of all parties" (text) |
| Connecticut | All parties (civil law, phone calls) | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-570d(a): consent of all parties, or a recorded verbal notice at the start, or a warning tone about every 15 seconds (text) |
| Delaware | All parties (statutes conflict) | 11 Del. C. § 1335(a)(4) bars intercepting a telephone message "without the consent of all parties"; § 2402(c)(4) allows it with one party's consent. Follow the stricter rule (text) |
| Florida | All parties | Fla. Stat. § 934.03(2)(d): lawful when "all of the parties to the communication have given prior consent" (text) |
| Illinois | All parties | 720 ILCS 5/14-2: recording a private conversation in a surreptitious manner without "the consent of all other parties" (text) |
| Maryland | All parties | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 10-402(c)(3): lawful where all parties have given prior consent (text) |
| Massachusetts | All parties | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272, § 99: secretly recording without prior authority from all parties (text) |
| Michigan | All parties (see note) | MCL 750.539c: eavesdropping "without the consent of all parties". The Reporters Committee notes it applies at least to recordings by someone not in the conversation (text) |
| Montana | All parties, or a warning | Mont. Code Ann. § 45-8-213(1)(c), (2)(a): recording without the knowledge of all parties is an offense; a warning to the other party is an exception (text) |
| Nevada | All parties for phone calls | NRS 200.620(1): one party's consent is enough only in an emergency, with court ratification afterwards (text) |
| New Hampshire | All parties | RSA 570-A:2, I: intercepting a telecommunication "without the consent of all parties" (text) |
| Pennsylvania | All parties | 18 Pa.C.S. § 5704(4): lawful where all parties have given prior consent (text) |
| Washington | All parties, or an announcement | RCW 9.73.030(1)(b), (3): consent of all persons; an announcement to all parties counts, and must itself be recorded (text) |
| State | Rule | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | One party for phone calls; all participants informed for in-person conversations | ORS 165.540(1)(a) and (1)(c) (text) |
| Missouri | One party for phone calls | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 542.402.2(3) (text) |
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press also notes that Hawaii and Maine require everyone's consent in particularly private places and one party's otherwise.
These states and the District of Columbia follow a one-party rule for phone calls, according to the Reporters Committee's recording guide. Vermont has no recording statute, so only the federal rule applies there.
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
We checked the statute text for every all-party and split state above, and the federal statute, on October 28, 2026. The one-party list follows the Reporters Committee's guide; we did not re-read each of those statutes.
Unmanually's AI says it is an AI in its first words on a call.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws change and courts interpret them; check with a lawyer licensed in your state.
Related: best AI receptionist for plumbers · for HVAC · all comparisons · all guides
For phone calls: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington, based on the statute text we checked on October 28, 2026. Some of them treat a clear announcement or warning as consent.
Yes. 18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d) allows a party to a call, or someone with one party's consent, to record it, unless it is done to commit a crime or tort.
The stricter state's rule may apply. A common cautious practice is to tell everyone at the start that the call may be recorded.
In some states, yes: Washington counts a recorded announcement to all parties, Connecticut accepts a recorded verbal notice at the start, and Montana excepts people who were warned. Check your own state.
The recording rules are about recording, whoever answers. Unmanually's AI says it is an AI at the start of a call. This is not legal advice.
Owners spend about 11 to 16 hours/week on admin, and a lead reached within an hour is nearly 7 times more likely to turn into a real conversation (HBR). Knowing what to do is the easy part; the money leaks out in the calls you can't take, the follow-ups nobody sends and the invoices that sit unpaid. Unmanually is a 24/7 AI Office Manager for your business that you run by voice from your phone:
Sources: admin hours, Time etc / Censuswide 2023 and Amex SME Barometer 2026; speed to lead, HBR audit of 2,241 US companies (2011).
Unmanually is an AI Office Manager that works 24/7 and that you run by voice from your phone. Leave your mobile number and the AI Office Manager calls you right away, the same way it would call back one of your customers. That call is the demo: it answers, books you a 15-minute time with the founder and follows up.
We use your details only to call you and follow up about Unmanually. Unsubscribe any time.
Pick the one that fits where your business is right now.
$99/month
Your AI Office Manager calls back every lead, books the job and runs your office 24/7, so hours of admin become minutes of talking.
Start Growth$0, no credit card
A website for your business that makes your phone ring, built in 60 seconds. Add the Growth plan whenever you are ready.
Get my free website