Texting laws · Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania texting laws for businesses
What 73 P.S. § 2241 et seq. (SB 992, Act 47 of 2026) says about a business texting customers in Pennsylvania, read from the statute.
Texting laws by stateStatute read October 29, 2026
The law
| Law | Telemarketer Registration Act, as amended by Act 47 of 2026 |
| Citation | 73 P.S. § 2241 et seq. (SB 992, Act 47 of 2026) |
| In force | Act 47 approved July 20, 2026; takes effect 90 days later |
| Covers texts? | Yes, by name. 'Telephone solicitation' means 'a telephone call, voicemail, ringless voicemail or text message made to a residential, business or wireless telephone subscriber' to solicit the sale of consumer goods or services. |
| Applies to | Calls and messages soliciting the sale of consumer goods or services, or gathering information for that purpose, made to a residential, business or wireless subscriber. |
The rules
| Rule | What the statute says | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Hours and days | No telephone solicitation 'on a Sunday or after 7 p.m. or before 9 a.m.', and none on a legal holiday. The amendment replaced the earlier 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window. | Telemarketer Registration Act § 5(a)(1), (10) |
| Opt-outs by text | For text solicitations, a person may opt out by replying 'STOP,' 'QUIT,' 'END,' 'REVOKE,' 'OPT OUT,' 'CANCEL' or 'UNSUBSCRIBE'. No further solicitation may follow an opt-out. | Telemarketer Registration Act § 5(a)(2) |
| Robocalls | No robocall to a residential, business or wireless line without the called party's prior express written consent, unless for emergency purposes or otherwise exempt. | Telemarketer Registration Act § 5(a)(11) |
| Registration and state do-not-call list | Telemarketers register with the Office of Attorney General at least 30 days before telemarketing, and may not solicit numbers on Pennsylvania's do-not-call list. | Telemarketer Registration Act §§ 3, 5.2 |
Texting a customer who contacted you first
- A 'telephone solicitation' does not include a call or message made to a subscriber 'in response to the prior express written consent of the subscriber', 'in reference to an existing debt, contract, payment or performance', or one 'with whom the seller or telemarketer has an established business relationship within the past 12 months preceding the call'.
- Registration does not apply to a business that does not complete the sale during the call but completes it 'at a later face-to-face meeting', with conditions.
- The act does not separately address non-sales or job-status texts.
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 Pennsylvania
9% of the 173 Pennsylvania contractor homepages we loaded on a phone in October 2026 had an online booking tool and 12% had a chat or text option. 80% had neither, so after hours a call or a form was the only way in, and 46% had no form either.
| What the homepage has | Pennsylvania | All 21 states |
|---|---|---|
| Sites loaded | 173 | 2407 |
| A tap-to-call link coded in | 77% | 76% |
| An online booking tool | 9% | 12% |
| A chat widget or text option | 12% | 15% |
| Neither booking nor chat or text | 80% | 77% |
| Neither, and no form either | 46% | 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
The 2026 amendment does not restate how violations are enforced; enforcement is in the base Telemarketer Registration Act, which this page does not cover.
What the statute does not settle
- Penalty amounts and whether a consumer can sue directly are set by sections of the Telemarketer Registration Act the 2026 amendment did not restate.
- The 90-day effective date runs from July 20, 2026; the statute text does not print the calendar date.
Questions
Does Pennsylvania law cover text messages from businesses?
Yes, by name. 'Telephone solicitation' means 'a telephone call, voicemail, ringless voicemail or text message made to a residential, business or wireless telephone subscriber' to solicit the sale of consumer goods or services.
What happens if a business breaks Pennsylvania's texting law?
The 2026 amendment does not restate how violations are enforced; enforcement is in the base Telemarketer Registration Act, which this page does not cover.
Can a business text a customer who contacted it first in Pennsylvania?
A 'telephone solicitation' does not include a call or message made to a subscriber 'in response to the prior express written consent of the subscriber', 'in reference to an existing debt, contract, payment or performance', or one 'with whom the seller or telemarketer has an established business relationship within the past 12 months preceding the call'. Registration does not apply to a business that does not complete the sale during the call but completes it 'at a later face-to-face meeting', with conditions. The act does not separately address non-sales or job-status texts.
How many Pennsylvania contractor websites offer online booking?
9% of the 173 Pennsylvania contractor homepages we loaded on a phone in October 2026 had an online booking tool and 12% had a chat or text option. 80% had neither, so after hours a call or a form was the only way in, and 46% 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.