AI receptionist laws, state by state
An AI receptionist is legal in every state. What changes is the recording notice and the AI disclosure. 9 states are all-party for recording (California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington), and 5 are mixed (Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Nevada and Oregon); the rest let a party record without telling the caller. Maine, Utah and, through 2026, Colorado have AI disclosure rules that reach a business's phone agent. We build and manage AI receptionists for businesses in any state, and we recommend putting both the recording notice and the AI disclosure in the greeting.
Researched and written by Modern Mustard Seed in Kalispell, Montana. Checked October 26, 2026. Each rule links to the statute we read; each state links to its own page with the full text.
Recording consent and AI disclosure in every state
One-party means a business on the call may record it without telling the caller. All-party means every person on the call has to consent, and the practical standard is a spoken notice at the start of the call, captured inside the recording. Mixed means the answer depends on the statute, the court reading, or phone versus in person; the state page says which.
| State | Recording consent | Statute | AI disclosure law | Time zones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | One-party | Ala. Code 13A-11-30(1); 13A-11-31 | None for business phone agents | Central |
| Alaska | One-party | Alaska Stat. 42.20.310(a)(1); 42.20.390 | None for business phone agents | Alaska, Hawaii-Aleutian |
| Arizona | One-party | A.R.S. 13-3005; 13-3012(9) | None for business phone agents | Mountain |
| Arkansas | One-party | Ark. Code Ann. 5-60-120(a) | None for business phone agents | Central |
| California | All-party | Cal. Penal Code 632(a); 632.7(a); 637.2 (civil action) | Health care, large firms (2027), dialers | Pacific |
| Colorado | One-party | C.R.S. 18-9-303(1)(a); 18-9-304(1)(a) | Yes, through Dec. 31, 2026 | Mountain |
| Connecticut | Mixed | Conn. Gen. Stat. 53a-187(a), 53a-189 (criminal); 52-570d(a) (civil, telephone) | Companion-bot law excludes customer service | Eastern |
| Delaware | Mixed | 11 Del. C. 2402(c)(4); 11 Del. C. 1335(a)(4) | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| Florida | All-party | Fla. Stat. 934.03(1), (2)(d) | None for business phone agents | Eastern, Central |
| Georgia | One-party | O.C.G.A. 16-11-66(a); 16-11-62(1) | Companion-bot law excludes customer service | Eastern |
| Hawaii | One-party | Haw. Rev. Stat. 803-42(b)(3)(A); 711-1111(1)(d) | None for business phone agents | Hawaii-Aleutian |
| Idaho | One-party | Idaho Code 18-6702(2)(d) | Companion-bot law excludes customer service | Mountain, Pacific |
| Illinois | All-party | 720 ILCS 5/14-2(a)(2); 14-1(d), (g); 14-3(j) | None for business phone agents | Central |
| Indiana | One-party | Ind. Code 35-31.5-2-176; 35-33.5-5-5 | None for business phone agents | Eastern, Central |
| Iowa | One-party | Iowa Code 808B.2(2)(c); 727.8 | Companion-bot law excludes customer service | Central |
| Kansas | One-party | K.S.A. 21-6101(a)(1), (a)(4) | None for business phone agents | Central, Mountain |
| Kentucky | One-party | KRS 526.010; 526.020 | None for business phone agents | Eastern, Central |
| Louisiana | One-party | La. R.S. 15:1303(C)(4) | None for business phone agents | Central |
| Maine | One-party | 15 M.R.S. 709(4); 710(1) | Yes, when it could pass for human | Eastern |
| Maryland | All-party | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. 10-402(c)(3) | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| Massachusetts | All-party | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272, s. 99(B)(4), (C)(1) | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| Michigan | Mixed | MCL 750.539a(2); 750.539c | None for business phone agents | Eastern, Central |
| Minnesota | One-party | Minn. Stat. 626A.02, subd. 2(d) | None for business phone agents | Central |
| Mississippi | One-party | Miss. Code Ann. 41-29-531(e) | None for business phone agents | Central |
| Missouri | One-party | Mo. Rev. Stat. 542.402.2(3) | None for business phone agents | Central |
| Montana | All-party | Mont. Code Ann. 45-8-213(1)(c), (2)(a) | None for business phone agents | Mountain |
| Nebraska | One-party | Neb. Rev. Stat. 86-290(2)(c) | Companion-bot law excludes customer service | Central, Mountain |
| Nevada | Mixed | NRS 200.620(1); 200.650; 200.690 | None for business phone agents | Pacific, Mountain |
| New Hampshire | All-party | N.H. RSA 570-A:2, I and I-a | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| New Jersey | One-party | N.J.S.A. 2A:156A-4(d) | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| New Mexico | One-party | NMSA 1978, 30-12-1(C) | None for business phone agents | Mountain |
| New York | One-party | N.Y. Penal Law 250.00(1), (2); 250.05 | Companion-bot law excludes customer service | Eastern |
| North Carolina | One-party | N.C. Gen. Stat. 15A-287(a) | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| North Dakota | One-party | N.D.C.C. 12.1-15-02(3)(c) | None for business phone agents | Central, Mountain |
| Ohio | One-party | Ohio Rev. Code 2933.52(B)(4) | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| Oklahoma | One-party | 13 O.S. 176.4(5) | None for business phone agents | Central |
| Oregon | Mixed | ORS 165.540(1)(a), (1)(c) | Companion-bot law excludes customer service | Pacific, Mountain |
| Pennsylvania | All-party | 18 Pa.C.S. 5703; 5704(4); 5704(15) | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| Rhode Island | One-party | R.I. Gen. Laws 11-35-21(c)(3) | Companion-bot law excludes customer service | Eastern |
| South Carolina | One-party | S.C. Code Ann. 17-30-30(C) | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| South Dakota | One-party | SDCL 23A-35A-20 | None for business phone agents | Central, Mountain |
| Tennessee | One-party | Tenn. Code Ann. 39-13-601(b)(5); 39-13-604(b)(1) | None for business phone agents | Eastern, Central |
| Texas | One-party | Tex. Penal Code 16.02(c)(4); Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 123.001-.002 | Health care and agencies only | Central, Mountain |
| Utah | One-party | Utah Code 77-23a-4(7)(b) | Yes, when asked; up front for licensed professions | Mountain |
| Vermont | One-party | No statute. Vt. Const. ch. I, art. 11 (limits state actors only) | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| Virginia | One-party | Va. Code 19.2-62(B)(2) | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| Washington | All-party | RCW 9.73.030(1)(a)-(b), (3) | Companion-bot law excludes customer service | Pacific |
| Washington, DC | One-party | D.C. Code 23-542(b)(3) | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| West Virginia | One-party | W. Va. Code 62-1D-3(e) | None for business phone agents | Eastern |
| Wisconsin | One-party | Wis. Stat. 968.31(2)(c) | None for business phone agents | Central |
| Wyoming | One-party | Wyo. Stat. 7-3-702(b)(iv) | None for business phone agents | Mountain |
Highlighted rows need more than one party’s consent, by statute or by court reading. Time zones from 49 CFR Part 71. Statutes read on the official code site, or on FindLaw where the official site refused automated reads; each state page says which.
What applies in every state
Recording: one-party, as a floor
Federal law lets a party to a call record it, unless the recording is made to commit a crime or a tort. It is a floor: stricter state all-party laws still apply.
“It shall not be unlawful under this chapter for a person not acting under color of law to intercept a wire, oral, or electronic communication where such person is a party to the communication”
Calls that cross a state line
When any party to the call is in an all-party state, follow that state's rule for the whole call. The practical standard is a spoken recording notice at the start of every recorded call, captured inside the recording, in every state.
“a business can comply with the applicable California statute by providing such information at the outset of a telephone conversation so that the client or customer will not have a reasonable expectation that the conversation is not being recorded”
AI voices are “artificial” voices for calls you place
In February 2024 the FCC ruled that the TCPA’s limits on “artificial or prerecorded voice” calls cover AI-generated voices. An AI agent that calls customers needs their prior express consent and must name the business at the start of the call. Calls a business receives are outside 47 U.S.C. 227(b), so an AI receptionist answering your line is not reached by the ruling.
“we confirm that the TCPA's restrictions on the use of "artificial or prerecorded voice" encompass current AI technologies that generate human voices.”
FCC 24-17, CG Docket No. 23-362 (released 2024-02-08); 47 U.S.C. 227(b)
Hear how an AI receptionist opens a call.
Type your number and our own agent calls you in about ten seconds. Ask it whether you are talking to a person.
Hear your own voice agent.
Drop your number and Mr. Mustard calls you right now. He asks what your business is, then tells you exactly what your own agent would answer.
One call, placed by Mr. Mustard to the number you just typed, because you asked for it. No list, no spam, and he will not ring you twice. Rather dial him? (406) 312-1223
Questions owners ask about the law
Which states require all-party consent to record a phone call?
+
California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington require every party's consent. Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Nevada and Oregon are mixed: the rule depends on the statute, the court reading or whether the call is by phone or in person. Federal law, 18 U.S.C. 2511(2)(d), lets a party record, but it is a floor, and a caller in an all-party state brings that state's rule onto the call.
Which states require an AI receptionist to say it is AI?
+
Maine (10 M.R.S. 1500-DD) requires it whenever the AI could pass for human. Utah (Utah Code 13-77-103) requires it when a caller asks, and up front for licensed professions in high-risk calls. Colorado (C.R.S. 6-1-1704) requires it from June 30, 2026 until S.B. 26-189 replaces that part of the law on January 1, 2027. California and Texas require it only of health care providers, and California of very large businesses from 2027.
Does federal law require an AI receptionist to disclose that it is AI?
+
Not for calls a business receives. The FCC ruled in February 2024 (FCC 24-17) that AI-generated voices are "artificial" voices under the TCPA, which governs calls a business places: outbound AI calls need the called party's prior express consent and must identify the business at the start (47 CFR 64.1200(b)). Inbound calls are outside 47 U.S.C. 227(b). A proposal to require AI disclosure on calls (FCC 24-84) had no final rule as of October 26, 2026.
Do the new AI companion chatbot laws apply to an AI receptionist?
+
No. The companion chatbot laws in Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington each exclude customer service bots or bots a business uses for its own operations. They are written for apps built to hold a relationship with a user, not for an agent that answers a business's phone.
Which states span more than one time zone?
+
Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas. The boundaries are set in 49 CFR Part 71. Arizona also stays on Mountain Standard Time all year (A.R.S. 1-242). We set business hours and callbacks in the caller's zone.
Who builds AI receptionists for businesses in every state?
+
We do. Modern Mustard Seed is a studio in Kalispell, Montana that builds and manages AI receptionists and voice agents for service businesses anywhere in the United States, and we set each one up for its state's recording and AI rules. Every one answers as your business, books into your calendar and texts you a summary, and you own the accounts.
An AI receptionist set up for your state
We build the receptionist around your services, hours and booking rules, set it up for your state’s recording and AI rules, then run it and keep it improving. You own the number and the accounts. Scope and price are set in one conversation before work starts.
How we built this table
Every recording statute was read on the state’s official code site, or on FindLaw where the official site refused automated reads, and each state page names which. AI disclosure laws were read on their enacted text, including the 2026 companion chatbot laws in Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington. Time zone lines come from 49 CFR Part 71, area codes from the NANPA database, and trade business counts from the Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns. A rule we could not read on a primary source is left out rather than guessed.
Related: voice agents by trade, what an AI receptionist costs, an AI receptionist compared with an answering service and how we work with businesses across the US.