Texting laws · Connecticut

Connecticut texting laws for businesses

What Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-284 and 42-288a says about a business texting customers in Connecticut, read from the statute.

Texting laws by stateStatute read October 29, 2026

The law


Law	Connecticut telemarketing law, as rewritten by Public Act 23-98
Citation	Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-284 and 42-288a
In force	October 1, 2023
Covers texts?	Yes, by name. § 42-284(18) defines a 'telephonic sales call' to include calls made by way of 'over-the-top messaging or text or media messaging', and § 42-284(19) defines a text or media message to include SMS and MMS.
Applies to	Calls and messages to a Connecticut resident or Connecticut area code made by or for a telemarketer doing business in the state for the purpose of a marketing or sales solicitation, among other listed purposes (§ 42-284(18)).

The rules

Rule	What the statute says	Section
Written consent	'No telemarketer may make, or cause to be made, a telephonic sales call to a consumer without such consumer's prior express written consent.' The consent must name the contact method and number and bear the consumer's signature.	§§ 42-288a(l), 42-284(14)
Hours	Telephonic sales calls only 'between the hours of nine o'clock a.m. and eight o'clock p.m. local time'.	§ 42-288a(c)
Identify and stop on request	Disclose identity and purpose within 10 seconds, and permanently remove the consumer on request. No caller-ID blocking or spoofing.	§ 42-288a(d), (f), (g), (h)
Federal rules adopted	A violation of the federal do-not-call rules or the TCPA is also a violation of Connecticut law.	§ 42-288a(b)

Texting a customer who contacted you first

A 'telephonic sales call' does not include a call or message 'sent in response to a request or inquiry made by a resident consumer', including one about an item the consumer bought from the telemarketer in the preceding twelve months (§ 42-284(18)(B)(i)).
Nor one 'to an existing customer of a telemarketer unless such customer previously informed the telemarketer, orally or in writing, that such customer no longer wishes to receive such calls or messages' (§ 42-284(18)(B)(vii)), or one primarily about an existing debt or contract not yet completed (§ 42-284(18)(B)(vi)).
Separately, a 'marketing or sales solicitation' excludes contact with a consumer with whom the telemarketer has an established business relationship, formed by 'a voluntary two-way communication' and not terminated (§ 42-284(8), (9)).

This matters for missed-call text-back, which replies to someone who just called the business. Federal rules and the reply-versus-marketing line are covered in is missed-call text-back legal?

Penalties

A violation is an unfair trade practice under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act and carries a fine of 'not more than twenty thousand dollars for each violation' (§ 42-288a(k), (o)). The telemarketing law itself sets no statutory damages; a private action runs through CUTPA, which allows actual damages for an ascertainable loss of money or property (§ 42-110g).

What the statute does not settle

Public Act 24-75 later amended § 42-288a(m); its exact effective date was not confirmed on the day we read the statute.

Questions

Does Connecticut law cover text messages from businesses?

Yes, by name. § 42-284(18) defines a 'telephonic sales call' to include calls made by way of 'over-the-top messaging or text or media messaging', and § 42-284(19) defines a text or media message to include SMS and MMS.

What happens if a business breaks Connecticut's texting law?

Can a business text a customer who contacted it first in Connecticut?

A 'telephonic sales call' does not include a call or message 'sent in response to a request or inquiry made by a resident consumer', including one about an item the consumer bought from the telemarketer in the preceding twelve months (§ 42-284(18)(B)(i)). Nor one 'to an existing customer of a telemarketer unless such customer previously informed the telemarketer, orally or in writing, that such customer no longer wishes to receive such calls or messages' (§ 42-284(18)(B)(vii)), or one primarily about an existing debt or contract not yet completed (§ 42-284(18)(B)(vi)). Separately, a 'marketing or sales solicitation' excludes contact with a consumer with whom the telemarketer has an established business relationship, formed by 'a voluntary two-way communication' and not terminated (§ 42-284(8), (9)).

Sources

Read October 29, 2026. Federal law (the TCPA and FCC rules) applies on top of state law everywhere. This page describes what the statute says. It is general information, not legal advice, and it does not cover your message content or your industry. Talk to a lawyer before relying on it.