Pennsylvania Act 47 of 2026: What Outbound Teams Need to Review Before October 19
Outbound teams contacting Pennsylvania consumers still have time to check their calling, texting, and robocall workflows before October 19.
Act 47 of 2026 amends Pennsylvania’s Telemarketer Registration Act. It was approved on July 20, 2026, and takes effect in 90 days. The 90th day falls on Sunday, October 18. Pennsylvania’s statutory time-computation rule omits a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday when it falls on the last day of a statutory period. That appears to place the operative date on Monday, October 19, 2026.
Mortgage and insurance marketers, lead generators, call centers, and other multistate outbound teams should check how Pennsylvania contacts move through their systems before that date.
The changes cover texts, ringless voicemail, robocall consent, calling hours, opt-outs, and vendor-managed outreach.
TL;DR
- Pennsylvania Act 47 of 2026 expressly includes text messages and ringless voicemail within the definition of telephone solicitation.
- Certain robocalls require prior express written consent, subject to statutory exemptions.
- Covered solicitations are generally limited to 9 a.m. through 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
- Teams using vendors should check consent, DNC suppression, opt-outs, and Pennsylvania scheduling.
- Existing Pennsylvania consumer-protection law still matters for penalties and qualifying private claims.
What Pennsylvania Act 47 Changes ?
Pennsylvania Act 47 of 2026 amends the state’s existing Telemarketer Registration Act. It expands the definition of telephone solicitation, adds a written-consent rule for certain robocalls, changes calling hours, and updates rules involving opt-outs and vendor-managed outreach.
The amendment broadens the definition of telephone solicitation, adds a written-consent rule for certain robocalls, changes calling hours, and repeatedly addresses conduct a party initiates or causes to be initiated.
The statute also contains exclusions, exemptions, and registration rules. Which provisions apply can depend on the business, communication, consumer relationship, and purpose of the contact.
Does Pennsylvania Act 47 Cover Text Messages and Ringless Voicemail?
What Counts as a Telephone Solicitation
Pennsylvania Act 47 expressly includes telephone calls, voicemail, ringless voicemail, and text messages within its definition of telephone solicitation when the communication meets the purposes covered by the statute.
The definition includes exclusions, including certain communications made with prior express written consent, communications about an existing debt, contract, payment, or performance, and certain communications involving an established business relationship.
For outbound teams, the practical question is whether voice, SMS, and ringless voicemail follow the same Pennsylvania screening and suppression controls before launch.
Act 47 also recognizes text opt-out replies such as “stop,” “quit,” “end,” “revoke,” “opt out,” “cancel,” and “unsubscribe.” SMS teams should confirm those requests reach the correct suppression process.
A text is not automatically unlawful because it goes to a Pennsylvania number. The statute’s definitions and exceptions still matter.
What Consent Does Pennsylvania Act 47 Require for Covered Robocalls?
Pennsylvania Act 47 generally requires prior express written consent before certain robocalls are initiated or caused to be initiated to residential, business, or wireless lines, subject to emergency and other statutory exemptions.
What the Written Consent Must Include
The agreement must:
- Identify the authorized telephone number.
- Clearly disclose agreement to receive telephone solicitations from the seller, including robocalls or text messages.
- State that consent is not required as a condition of purchase.
- Be signed by the called party, including a qualifying electronic or digital signature.
Lead generators and businesses buying third-party leads should check the underlying consent record, not only a field marked “consent obtained.”
Pull sample Pennsylvania leads. Can the team retrieve the authorized number, seller, disclosure, signature, and consent date? If a vendor collected the consent, confirm the supporting record can also be retrieved.
This does not mean every marketing text requires written consent in every circumstance. The Act contains separate definitions, exclusions, and exemptions.
What Are Pennsylvania’s Telemarketing Hours Under Act 47?
Under Pennsylvania Act 47, covered telephone solicitations generally cannot be initiated or caused to be initiated before 9 a.m., after 7 p.m., or on Sunday. Legal-holiday restrictions also remain.
The previous calling window generally prohibited telemarketing before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
| Before Pennsylvania Act 47 | Under Pennsylvania Act 47 |
| 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Prior calling-hours provision did not include the new Sunday prohibition | Sunday solicitations prohibited |
| Existing statutory definition | Texts and ringless voicemail expressly included |
| Existing robocall provisions | Prior express written consent added for covered robocalls |
Multistate teams should check dialer schedules, SMS automation, time-zone settings, vendor hours, and national campaigns that use one schedule across multiple states.
Using a Vendor Does Not Remove the Company’s Exposure
A company may buy leads from one provider, use another for appointment setting, and send messages through a separate platform.
That matters because Act 47 applies several restrictions to conduct a party initiates or causes to be initiated. Its opt-out provisions also address solicitations made by or on behalf of a seller or telemarketer.
Hiring a vendor does not automatically make a seller liable for every vendor action. Outsourcing also does not automatically remove the seller from the legal analysis.
Make clear who handles consent checks, DNC screening, suppression lists, opt-outs, Pennsylvania calling hours, and lead documentation before outreach starts.
What Penalties and Private Claims Can Apply to Covered Violations?
Penalties and private claims involving covered conduct can arise through Pennsylvania’s existing consumer-protection framework. Act 47 did not create all of these remedies.
Pennsylvania’s Telemarketer Registration Act already states that a violation of the Act is also a violation of the state’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, or UTPCPL.
In practical terms, Act 47 changes the Telemarketer Registration Act, while existing UTPCPL provisions can supply some of the enforcement and consumer remedies tied to violations. The law also preserves remedies otherwise available under the UTPCPL and other state and federal laws.
The UTPCPL contains a private-action provision for qualifying consumers who suffer an ascertainable loss. It allows recovery of actual damages or $100, whichever is greater, with courts able to award additional relief in qualifying cases.
Existing Pennsylvania law also allows government civil penalties for willful unlawful practices of up to $1,000 per violation, or up to $3,000 per violation when the victim is 60 or older.
Those amounts existed before Act 47. The amendment changes regulated conduct that may interact with Pennsylvania’s existing enforcement and consumer-protection remedies.
It does not make every prohibited communication an automatic $3,000 claim.
What Should Outbound Teams Check Before Pennsylvania Act 47 Takes Effect?
1. Identify Pennsylvania campaign records
Know which leads and phone numbers are used for Pennsylvania outreach and where state-specific rules are applied.
2. Check DNC screening
Confirm applicable federal and Pennsylvania DNC screening before outreach.
Pennsylvania had 11,191,146 active National Do Not Call Registry registrations as of September 30, 2025. The FTC recorded 85,798 DNC complaints from Pennsylvania in fiscal year 2025, including 51,833 reported as robocalls.
The FTC states that complaint data is based on reports submitted by consumers and is not independently verified. The numbers do not show that every complaint involved a violation.
3. Test whether robocall consent can be proved
Pull sample records and confirm the required consent information can be retrieved.
4. Update campaign schedules
Set Pennsylvania campaigns for the 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. window and account for Sunday and legal-holiday restrictions.
5. Include text and ringless voicemail workflows
Do not limit the review to live calls. Act 47 expressly includes texts, voicemail, and ringless voicemail.
6. Check vendor procedures
Confirm outside providers follow the correct consent, suppression, opt-out, and timing rules.
7. Check lead documentation
Confirm consent and source information travels with purchased or transferred leads and can be retrieved later.
How Can Searchbug Support Pre-Outreach Phone Screening
Several of these checks happen before outreach starts. Phone-data screening can support that process. These results support internal screening decisions but do not determine whether a specific communication complies with Pennsylvania law.
DNC Check API
Searchbug’s DNC screening can return applicable federal and supported state Do Not Call results before a phone number enters an outbound workflow.
A DNC result is one input in a compliance process and does not determine whether a particular communication is legally permitted.
Phone Validator
Searchbug’s Phone Validator can return information such as line type and carrier data. Teams can use that information for routing, data-quality checks, and internal campaign rules where line type matters operationally.
Line type alone does not determine whether Act 47 applies.
Searchbug provides data and screening signals. It does not determine whether a particular call, text, voicemail, or campaign complies with Pennsylvania law.
Conclusion
Before October 19, focus on the places where Pennsylvania contacts may need different treatment.
Check channel coverage, robocall consent records, campaign timing, opt-out handling, DNC screening, vendor procedures, and lead documentation. Multistate teams should also confirm that national campaign settings are not overriding Pennsylvania-specific rules.
Create a free Searchbug API Test Account and get $10 in credits to test phone validation and DNC screening in your workflow. Teams working with larger datasets can also use Bulk Processing for high-volume phone verification and data screening.
Editorial note: This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Pennsylvania Act 47 appears to take effect on October 19, 2026, based on the Act’s 90-day effective period and Pennsylvania’s time-computation rules. Businesses should confirm their obligations with qualified legal counsel.
