State law guide · Washington

Unwanted calls and texts in Washington: what the rules say

Washington has one set of rules for telephone solicitations and a separate law for certain commercial texts sent to Washington residents' cell phones or pagers. The text law labels covered conduct an unfair or deceptive practice under Washington's Consumer Protection Act.

Where the rules draw a line

The call statute includes live, artificial-voice, and recorded calls, limits covered calls to 8 a.m.–8 p.m. local time, and requires a solicitor to honor a request to stop future calls for at least one year. The text statute has exceptions, including advance affirmative consent and certain carrier-directed messages. The call rules do not automatically apply to texts.

What this can mean for a consumer

Washington law provides public enforcement options, including actions by the Attorney General. The statutes reviewed do not support saying that every recipient automatically receives a set payment for a commercial text; any consumer claim depends on the specific law and its requirements.

Keep the details

Save the full text thread, call log, voicemails, dates and times, the company or product named, and any reply asking the sender to stop. Those details can help show what happened; they do not establish by themselves that a law was violated.

Official Washington sources

This page is general information, not legal advice. State and federal rules have different definitions, exceptions, and deadlines. Whether a rule applies depends on the facts and current law.