index / 02 numbers
Numbers
Every figure that decides a TCPA or FTSA matter, in four tables: money, time, counts, and dates. TCPA damages per call: $500, or up to $1,500 if the violation was willful or knowing. Each row carries its source. Where a figure depends on a court's discretion or on state law, the row says so.
Start and end points for each time figure: TCPA statute of limitations and every other clock. Per-state damages and hours: state telemarketing laws table.
Money
| Number | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | Statutory damages per violation (per call or text) for automated-equipment violations; or actual loss if greater. Also the per-violation cap for do-not-call violations. | 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(3)(B); § 227(c)(5)(B) |
| $1,500 | Maximum per violation where the court finds the violation willful or knowing: up to three times $500. Discretionary. | 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(3); § 227(c)(5) |
| $500 / $1,500 | Florida FTSA statutory damages per violation, trebled if willful or knowing. Stacks with the federal claim for the same call to a Florida recipient. | Fla. Stat. § 501.059(10) |
| $500 / $1,500 | Oklahoma Telephone Solicitation Act damages per violation, trebled if willful or knowing. | 15 O.S. § 775C.1 et seq. |
| $500 | Texas state-law action for a communication violating 47 U.S.C. § 227: the greater of actual damages or $500 per violation, trebled if knowing or intentional. | Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 305.053 |
| $500 | Maryland Telephone Consumer Protection Act: actual damages or $500 per violation, with attorney fees. | Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-3202 |
| $0 | Attorney fees shifted under the federal TCPA. There is no fee-shifting provision; each side bears its own in an individual action. | 47 U.S.C. § 227 (absence of provision) |
Time
| Number | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 4 years | Federal limitations period for TCPA claims, running from each violation to the filing of suit. | 28 U.S.C. § 1658(a) |
| 8am to 9pm | Federal window for telephone solicitations, local time at the called party’s location. | 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(1) |
| 8am to 8pm | Florida and Oklahoma windows for telephonic sales calls, local time of the called party. | Fla. Stat. § 501.059(4); 15 O.S. § 775C.1 et seq. |
| 31 days | A number is protected once registered on the National Do Not Call Registry for 31 days; sellers must scrub against a registry version no more than 31 days old. | 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(2)(i)(D) |
| 18 months | Established business relationship period after a purchase or transaction. | 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(f)(5) |
| 3 months | Established business relationship period after an inquiry or application. | 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(f)(5) |
| 10 business days | Period within which a caller must honour a revocation of consent, under rules effective 11 April 2025. | 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(a)(10); FCC 24-24 |
| 30 days | Outer limit of the "reasonable time" for honouring a company-specific do-not-call request under the longstanding rule. | 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(d)(3) |
| 15 days | Florida: after a recipient replies STOP to a text, the sender has 15 days to comply before a text claim can be brought under the FTSA. | Fla. Stat. § 501.059 (2023 amendment) |
| 5 years | Retention period for a company-specific do-not-call request. | 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(d)(6) |
| 5 seconds | Time within which an artificial or prerecorded voice system must release the called party’s line after notification that the called party has hung up. | 47 U.S.C. § 227(d)(3)(B) |
| 12 months | Window within which a person must receive more than one violating call from the same entity to have a private do-not-call claim. | 47 U.S.C. § 227(c)(5) |
| No expiry | Registrations on the National Do Not Call Registry do not expire. | Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007 |
Counts and multipliers
| Number | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2+ | Calls within 12 months needed for a private do-not-call claim. | 47 U.S.C. § 227(c)(5) |
| 3 per 24 hours | Florida and Oklahoma cap on telephonic sales calls to the same person on the same subject. | Fla. Stat. § 501.059(4); 15 O.S. § 775C.1 et seq. |
| 1 | Confirmation texts permitted after an opt-out, with no marketing content. | FCC 2012 SoundBite ruling; 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(a)(10) |
| 2 lines | An ATDS may not engage two or more lines of a multi-line business simultaneously. | 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(1)(D) |
| 5 | Elements of the do-not-call safe harbour: written procedures, training, internal list, 31-day scrub with records, and error. | 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(2)(i) |
| 3x | Multiplier available for willful or knowing violations under both private rights of action. | 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(3); § 227(c)(5) |
Dates
| Number | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1991 | TCPA signed into law, Pub. L. 102-243. | 47 U.S.C. § 227 |
| June 2003 | National Do Not Call Registry opens; enforcement from October 2003. | FTC; FCC 03-153 |
| 16 Oct 2013 | Prior express written consent requirement for marketing robocalls takes effect. | FCC 12-21 |
| 1 Apr 2021 | Facebook, Inc. v. Duguid decided: ATDS requires a random or sequential number generator. | 592 U.S. 395 |
| 1 Jul 2021 | Florida FTSA private right of action takes effect. | Fla. Stat. § 501.059 |
| 8 Feb 2024 | FCC declares AI-generated voices "artificial" under the TCPA. | FCC 24-17 |
| 24 Jan 2025 | Eleventh Circuit vacates the one-to-one consent rule. | Insurance Marketing Coalition v. FCC |
| 11 Apr 2025 | FCC revocation rules take effect: any reasonable means, honoured within 10 business days. | FCC 24-24 |
Worked arithmetic
One recipient, 4 calls and 2 texts, no consent, number on the registry, recipient in Florida. Federal floor: 6 × $500 = $3,000. Federal trebled: 6 × $1,500 = $9,000. FTSA floor: 6 × $500 = $3,000. FTSA trebled: $9,000. Combined range: $6,000 to $18,000 for one person. The same campaign to 1,000 Florida numbers, inside four years, with the same facts: $6,000,000 to $18,000,000 before any argument about stacking federal subsections. The demand in a letter is usually priced against the first range, not the second.
Quick lookups
- How much is a TCPA violation?
- $500 per call or text, or actual loss if greater, under 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(3) and up to $500 under § 227(c)(5). A court may award up to $1,500 per violation for willful or knowing conduct.
- How many years back can a TCPA claim reach?
- Four years from each call, under 28 U.S.C. § 1658(a).
- How long must a number be on the Do Not Call Registry?
- 31 days before a solicitation to it is a violation. Sellers must scrub against a registry version no more than 31 days old. 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(2)(i)(D).
- How fast must a STOP request be honoured?
- Within ten business days under 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(a)(10), effective 11 April 2025. In Florida, a text sent more than 15 days after a STOP reply is actionable under the FTSA.
- What hours can a telemarketer call?
- 8am to 9pm local time of the called party under federal rules; 8am to 8pm in Florida and Oklahoma.