Calling rules
Can you cold call on Sundays and holidays?
Federal law allows sales calls every day of the week, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the owner’s time zone. Seven states ban Sunday sales calls, Texas shortens Sunday, and five states ban calls on legal holidays. Here is each one.
The short answer
Yes, except where a state says no
- Federal law: no day-of-week rule. The FCC’s rule under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule allow sales calls from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the called person’s time zone, Sundays included.
- No sales calls on Sunday: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Utah.
- Shorter Sunday hours: Texas, noon to 9 p.m.
- No sales calls on legal holidays: Alabama, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Utah.
The rule that counts is the one where the owner lives, not where your caller sits. Whether these state laws reach a call offering to buy a house is unsettled in most states, so the safe course is to follow them on every call.
State by state
States with Sunday or holiday rules
Every other state follows the federal 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window seven days a week. Checked against state statutes and agency pages in October 2026.
| State | Sunday | Legal holidays | Monday–Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No calls | No calls | 8 a.m.–8 p.m. |
| Louisiana | No calls | No calls | 8 a.m.–8 p.m. |
| Mississippi | No calls | Allowed | 8 a.m.–8 p.m. |
| Pennsylvania | No calls | No calls | 9 a.m.–7 p.m. |
| Rhode Island | No calls | No calls | Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| South Dakota | No calls | Allowed | 9 a.m.–9 p.m. |
| Texas | noon–9 p.m. | Allowed | 9 a.m.–9 p.m. |
| Utah | No calls | No calls | 8 a.m.–9 p.m. |
Nebraska’s rule for recorded-message (autodialed) calls also narrows Sundays and holidays to 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. The full calling window for all 50 states is in cold calling hours by state.
Holidays
Which holidays count?
The laws say “legal holidays”, and Rhode Island’s spells out state and federal holidays. In the states above, the safe course is to keep callers off the phone on every federal holiday and on that state’s own holidays too.
Texts follow the same rules in most of these states. Mississippi and South Dakota name texts in their laws, and federal rules treat a text as a call, so keep marketing texts inside the same days and hours.
Check before you dial
The quickest way to stay inside the window
Our free can I call now? checker takes the owner’s state and time zone and tells you whether a sales call is allowed at this moment, including the Sunday and holiday rules on this page. For the rest of each state’s rules, from do-not-call lists to wholesaling laws, see the cold calling laws by state table.
General information, not legal advice. Laws change; have your attorney confirm what applies to your campaign.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Can telemarketers call on Sunday?
Under federal law, yes, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the called person’s time zone. Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Utah ban Sunday sales calls, and Texas allows them only from noon to 9 p.m.
Can you cold call on holidays?
Federal law does not ban it. Alabama, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Utah ban sales calls on legal holidays, so skip federal and state holidays when you call owners there.
What are the Sunday calling hours in Texas?
Noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, in the owner’s local time. The Texas page has the rest of the state’s rules.
Do the Sunday rules apply to text messages?
Treat them as if they do. Federal rules count a text as a call, and Mississippi and South Dakota name texts in their laws.
Calls made on the right days, every time
Real estate investors: our callers dial by the owner’s local time and each state’s rules. Your first week is free, and if we don’t hand you at least 3 sellers who want an offer, you pay nothing.