North Carolina texting laws for businesses (2026)

The law


Law	North Carolina telephone solicitation law
Citation	N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 75-100 to 75-105
In force	As shown on the legislature's site in March to May 2025
Covers texts?	Yes, by name. § 75-101(9) defines 'telephone solicitation' as 'a voice or text communication, whether prerecorded, live, or a facsimile, over a telephone line or wireless telephone network' to encourage a purchase, rental or investment.
Applies to	Communications soliciting or encouraging the purchase or rental of, or investment in, property, goods or services, by a telephone solicitor doing business in North Carolina.

The rules

Rule	What the statute says	Section
Hours	'No telephone solicitor shall make a telephone solicitation before 8:00 A.M. or after 9:00 P.M.'	§ 75-102(f)
Do Not Call Registry	No telephone solicitation to a number on the latest Do Not Call Registry, except as § 75-103 allows.	§ 75-102(a)
Opt-outs	No solicitation to a number whose subscriber has asked not to be solicited, and removal from the contact list within 30 business days of a request.	§ 75-102(b), (c)(3)
Identify yourself	State the identity of the solicitor and the individual at the start, and give a contact number or address on request.	§ 75-102(c)(1), (2)

Texting a customer who contacted you first

The Do Not Call rule does not apply to solicitations made with the subscriber's 'prior express invitation or permission' (a signed form with the number, which may be electronic), or to a subscriber 'with whom the telephone solicitor has an established business relationship' (§ 75-103(a)(1), (2)).
An established business relationship is a purchase, rental, lease or financial transaction 'within the 18 months immediately preceding the date of a telephone solicitation', or the consumer's inquiry or application within the preceding three months (§ 75-101(5)).
It also excepts a solicitation made 'for the sole purpose of arranging a subsequent face-to-face meeting' when no payment is sought and no sale is completed during it (§ 75-103(a)(5)).
These exceptions are written for the Do Not Call rule and some related rules; the 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. limit in § 75-102(f) is not among the rules they lift (§ 75-103(b)).

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?

Contractor websites in North Carolina

13% of the 108 North Carolina contractor homepages we loaded on a phone in October 2026 had an online booking tool and 10% had a chat or text option. 80% had neither, so after hours a call or a form was the only way in, and 40% had no form either.

Contractor homepages loaded as an iPhone, October 27 to 28, 2026
What the homepage has	North Carolina	All 21 states
Sites loaded	108	2407
A tap-to-call link coded in	70%	76%
An online booking tool	13%	12%
A chat widget or text option	10%	15%
Neither booking nor chat or text	80%	77%
Neither, and no form either	40%	41%

These are plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, landscaping, painting, carpentry and general contractor homepages listed in OpenStreetMap, checked on the homepage only, so booking and chat figures are a floor. The method and the national numbers are in our contractor website study. On those sites a customer who cannot book or message has to call, and a call you miss can still get a reply by text; Nova's missed-call text-back is $99 a month.

Penalties

A subscriber who receives a solicitation in violation of the article may sue for 'five hundred dollars ($500.00) for the first violation, one thousand dollars ($1,000) for the second violation, and five thousand dollars ($5,000) for the third and any other violation that occurs within two years of the first violation' (§ 75-105(b)). No suit may be brought where violations result from a mistake and the solicitor meets conditions in § 75-105(c). The Attorney General may also seek civil penalties (§ 75-105(a)).

What the statute does not settle

The legislature's site blocks our network, so this page was written from Internet Archive copies of the official section pages captured between March 16 and May 2, 2025. Changes after those dates are not reflected.

Questions

Does North Carolina law cover text messages from businesses?

Yes, by name. § 75-101(9) defines 'telephone solicitation' as 'a voice or text communication, whether prerecorded, live, or a facsimile, over a telephone line or wireless telephone network' to encourage a purchase, rental or investment.

What happens if a business breaks North Carolina's texting law?

A subscriber who receives a solicitation in violation of the article may sue for 'five hundred dollars ($500.00) for the first violation, one thousand dollars ($1,000) for the second violation, and five thousand dollars ($5,000) for the third and any other violation that occurs within two years of the first violation' (§ 75-105(b)). No suit may be brought where violations result from a mistake and the solicitor meets conditions in § 75-105(c). The Attorney General may also seek civil penalties (§ 75-105(a)).

Can a business text a customer who contacted it first in North Carolina?

The Do Not Call rule does not apply to solicitations made with the subscriber's 'prior express invitation or permission' (a signed form with the number, which may be electronic), or to a subscriber 'with whom the telephone solicitor has an established business relationship' (§ 75-103(a)(1), (2)). An established business relationship is a purchase, rental, lease or financial transaction 'within the 18 months immediately preceding the date of a telephone solicitation', or the consumer's inquiry or application within the preceding three months (§ 75-101(5)). It also excepts a solicitation made 'for the sole purpose of arranging a subsequent face-to-face meeting' when no payment is sought and no sale is completed during it (§ 75-103(a)(5)). These exceptions are written for the Do Not Call rule and some related rules; the 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. limit in § 75-102(f) is not among the rules they lift (§ 75-103(b)).

How many North Carolina contractor websites offer online booking?

13% of the 108 North Carolina contractor homepages we loaded on a phone in October 2026 had an online booking tool and 10% had a chat or text option. 80% had neither, so after hours a call or a form was the only way in, and 40% had no form either.

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.