Customers like getting texts: an appointment reminder, a "running 10 minutes late", a quick photo of the leak so the tech brings the right part. US business texting is also more regulated than most owners expect. Carriers make you register, the wireless industry sets consent standards, and a federal law lets consumers sue over texts they didn't want. This lesson covers the essentials in plain English, with the most space on consent and the TCPA. For 10DLC registration step by step, see A2P 10DLC registration explained.
Not legal advice. This is general information about US rules as of October 2026; ask a lawyer before sending marketing texts.
Step 1: register for A2P 10DLC
A2P ("application-to-person") means texts sent through software rather than typed on a phone. 10DLC ("10-digit long code") means a regular US phone number, as opposed to a 5- or 6-digit short code or a toll-free number. Twilio describes A2P 10DLC as the standard US carriers use to make sure business texting on these numbers is "verified and consensual."
Send texts from a regular US number through any software (a booking system, CRM, phone system or texting app), and you'll need to register two things through your provider:
- Your brand: who is sending. Legal business name, EIN (tax ID), address, website and contact. These must match official records exactly.
- Your campaign: what you send and how people agree. You explain what your messages are for, how customers opt in, opt out and get help, and you supply sample messages.
Providers submit these to The Campaign Registry (TCR), the industry registry for 10DLC. You usually won't deal with TCR yourself.
What it costs and how long it takes (Twilio, as of Oct 2026)
| Brand type | Who it's for | Brand fee | Campaign vetting | Monthly campaign fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietor | No EIN; under 1,000 messages a day; one number, one campaign | $4 one-time | $15 one-time | $2 |
| Low-volume standard | Has EIN; under 6,000 segments a day | $4 one-time | $15 one-time | $1.50-$10 |
| Standard | Has EIN; over 6,000 segments a day | $44 one-time | $15 one-time | $1.50-$10 |
Message charges are on top. Other providers charge different fees. Twilio says vetting "currently takes up to 5 business days for standard use cases", and that unregistered 10DLC numbers have been blocked from sending US messages since August 31, 2023.
Step 2: get opt-in the right way
The CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices (May 2023) are the wireless industry's guidelines. Carriers check campaigns against them. They set out three levels of consent:
| Message type | Example | Consent CTIA expects |
|---|---|---|
| Conversational | Customer texts you first; you reply | Implied: the customer started it |
| Informational | Appointment reminders, job updates | Express consent, which may be given "over text, on a form, on a website, or verbally" |
| Promotional | Offers, seasonal deals | Express written consent |
Here's wording you can adapt for a booking or contact form. Note the separate, unticked box for marketing:
[ ] I agree to receive appointment and service texts from Bright Smile Dental at the number provided. Msg frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.
[ ] (Optional) Also send me occasional offers by text.
Keep a record of when and where each number opted in. If a complaint ever comes, that record is your defense.
The confirmation message
For recurring messages, CTIA says your first text should be a confirmation. It should include the program name, customer care contact information, how to opt out, that messages are recurring and how often, and any fees. Like this:
Bright Smile Dental: you're signed up for appointment texts. Msg frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to opt out.
Step 3: STOP, HELP and quiet hours
STOP. CTIA says to use standardized "STOP" wording in opt-out instructions and to honor normal-language requests like "stop, end, unsubscribe, cancel, quit". Twilio automatically handles STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, END, QUIT, STOPALL, REVOKE, OPTOUT and CANCEL on long codes: it blocks further messages to that number until they text START. You may send one final confirmation ("You're unsubscribed. No more messages will be sent.") and nothing after.
HELP. Reply with your business name and how to reach a person.
Quiet hours. CTIA's document doesn't set texting hours. The FCC's TCPA rules prohibit telephone solicitations to residential subscribers "before the hour of 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m." in the called party's local time. Some states are stricter: Florida's law, for example, bars commercial telephone solicitation calls before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. For anything that isn't urgent, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the customer's time zone is a safe default.
Step 4: TCPA basics
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is the federal law on unwanted calls and texts. The FCC writes the rules under it. Three things to know:
- Consent depends on the content. Informational texts generally need prior express consent; marketing texts sent with automated technology generally need prior express written consent.
- People can sue. The statute provides at least $500 in damages per violation, which a court can increase up to three times for willful or knowing violations. Each text can count as a separate violation, so one careless campaign can get expensive fast.
- States have their own rules. Several states have their own telemarketing laws covering texts, such as Florida's Telephone Solicitation Act, whose definition of a "telephonic sales call" includes text messages.
The FCC's 2024 consent-revocation rules: what took effect
In 2024 the FCC adopted new rules on revoking consent. Not all of them stuck. This is what applies as of October 2026, based on the current eCFR text and the FCC's January 2026 order:
In effect (since April 11, 2025):
- People can revoke consent "by using any reasonable method", and words like "stop", "quit", "end", "revoke", "opt out", "cancel" or "unsubscribe" count automatically (47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(10)).
- Other methods (for example, a voicemail or email saying stop) create a presumption that consent was revoked.
- You must honor revocation "within a reasonable time not to exceed ten business days."
- You may send one confirmation text with no marketing; it's presumed fine if sent within five minutes.
Delayed until January 31, 2027: the "revoke-all" part, which would make an opt-out from one type of message apply to all unrelated robocalls and robotexts from you. In January 2026 the FCC extended its waiver of this requirement to January 31, 2027 (FCC order DA 26-12).
Gone: the FCC's separate "one-to-one consent" rule, which would have limited each consent to a single named seller, was vacated by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Insurance Marketing Coalition v. FCC in January 2025, days before it was due to take effect.
A local example: a med spa's texting setup
A med spa wants to send appointment reminders plus one offer a month.
- Registers its brand (with its EIN) and one campaign covering reminders and promotions, with sample messages for each.
- Adds two separate checkboxes to its online booking form: one for appointment texts, one (optional, unticked) for offers.
- Sends a confirmation text when someone opts in.
- Sends offers only to people who ticked the second box, and only between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. local time.
- Treats any "stop", "no more", or similar reply as an opt-out from all texts, and logs it, rather than waiting for the delayed revoke-all rule.
If you're a health business, leave treatment details out of reminders.
Outside the US
10DLC is US-only. Canada: CASL, enforced by the CRTC. UK: PECR; the ICO requires specific consent for marketing texts, or the "soft opt-in" for existing customers. Australia: the ACMA requires consent, sender identification, and unsubscribes honored within 5 working days.
Do this now
Do I need A2P 10DLC registration to text customers?
Yes, if you send business texts through software from a regular 10-digit US number. Twilio has blocked messages from unregistered 10DLC numbers since August 31, 2023.
How fast must I honor a STOP request?
FCC rules require revocation to be honored within a reasonable time not exceeding ten business days. Most platforms stop messages immediately, which is the safer approach.
What hours can I send business texts?
Federal rules bar telephone solicitations before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time, and some states are stricter. For non-urgent texts, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time is a sensible default.
Did the FCC's "revoke-all" rule take effect?
Not yet. As of October 2026, the FCC has delayed it to January 31, 2027. The other revocation rules took effect on April 11, 2025.
Sources
- What is A2P 10DLC?, Twilio Docs (checked Oct 2026)
- A2P 10DLC registration overview and fees, Twilio (checked Oct 2026)
- A2P 10DLC campaign vetting FAQ, Twilio Support (checked Oct 2026)
- Advanced opt-out, Twilio Docs (checked Oct 2026)
- The Campaign Registry (checked Oct 2026)
- Messaging Principles and Best Practices (May 2023), CTIA (checked Oct 2026)
- 47 CFR § 64.1200 (TCPA rules, including revocation and calling hours), eCFR (checked Oct 2026)
- Order extending revoke-all waiver to January 31, 2027 (DA 26-12, Jan 6, 2026), FCC (checked Oct 2026)
- 47 U.S.C. § 227 (TCPA), Cornell Legal Information Institute (checked Oct 2026)
- Eleventh Circuit vacates FCC's TCPA one-to-one consent rule (Jan 2025), Morrison Foerster (checked Oct 2026)
- Florida Statutes § 501.059 (Telephone Solicitation Act), Florida Legislature (checked Oct 2026)
- Florida Statutes § 501.616 (calling hours), Florida Legislature (checked Oct 2026)
- Canada's anti-spam legislation, CRTC (checked Oct 2026)
- Electronic mail marketing (PECR), ICO (checked Oct 2026)
- Avoid sending spam, ACMA (checked Oct 2026)
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