North Carolina Do Not Call Registry
How to register, what it covers, and how to enforce — 2026
North Carolina maintains its own Do Not Call list separate from the federal National DNC Registry. Consumers should register on both lists for full protection.
Telemarketers calling into North Carolina must scrub their lists against the state registry AND the federal registry before each campaign. Scrubbing only the federal list is not enough.
How to register your number
North Carolina State Registry
North Carolina Do Not Call Registry (uses federal NDNC)
Administered by North Carolina Department of Justice, Attorney General's Office; federal registry maintained by FTC
https://ncdoj.gov/protecting-consumers/telephones-telemarketing/do-not-call/ →Federal National DNC Registry
donotcall.gov
Administered by the Federal Trade Commission. Free, permanent, covers landlines and cell phones in every state.
How long it takes effect
Federal: 31 days for telemarketers to scrub against your number. State registries vary — most align with the federal 31-day window. Reputable telemarketers stop calling within a week. Bad actors keep calling and rack up violations.
What the registry covers
Landlines
Yes
Cell phones
Yes
Text messages
Restricted under TCPA
What it blocks: Telemarketing sales calls and texts. Calls trying to sell you something.
What it does NOT block: Political calls, charitable solicitations, calls from companies you have a current business relationship with (within 18 months of last purchase / 3 months of inquiry), debt collectors, surveys, and informational calls.
Robocalls and AI voice: Already restricted by TCPA regardless of registration. Adding your number to the DNC list adds an extra layer of liability for callers.
North Carolina state list — details
North Carolina adopted the federal National DNC Registry rather than maintaining a separate state list. Consumers register once through donotcall.gov and receive protection under both federal and NC law (NC Telephone Solicitations Act, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 75-104). If the federal registry ceases operation, the AG may develop a state registry. NC requires telemarketer registration with the Department of Justice at least 10 days before conducting business. Telemarketers must implement written procedures, train personnel, and maintain DNC compliance records. Escalating penalty structure: $500 (first violation), $1,000 (second), $5,000 (third+) within a 2-year period — this is a separate state claim from federal TCPA. Federal penalty: up to $11,000 per violation.
What to do when telemarketers call after you registered
- Tell the caller to put you on their internal do-not-call list. That triggers a separate 30-day cure obligation under federal law. If they call again after 30 days, that is an independent violation.
- File a federal complaint at donotcall.gov/report. The FTC tracks these and pursues serial offenders.
- Document the call. Date, time, number that called, company name, what they were selling. Screenshot or save voicemails. This is the evidence you need if you sue or file a state complaint.
- Sue the telemarketer in North Carolina. North Carolina has a private right of action — you can recover $5,000 per call without proving actual damages. Federal TCPA adds another $500–$1,500 per call. File a complaint here →
Recent North Carolina DNC enforcement actions
Michael D. Lansky LLC d/b/a Avid Telecom
telecommunications
May 2023
NC AG led the 49-state Avid Telecom lawsuit alongside OH, IN, and AZ. First action of the Anti-Robocall Task Force. Court denied all Avid dismissal motions in May 2024. NC co-leads the national task force, making it one of the most aggressive states on robocall enforcement at the infrastructure level.
Source →Dish Network LLC
telecommunications
Dec 2020
$13,986,000 settlement
NC AG Stein secured $13.986M — largest penalty ever obtained in NC for DNC violations. Most funds directed to NC public schools. 11-year case (filed 2009). Dish found liable for 66+ million violations through authorized dealers. NC share of $210M multistate settlement with DOJ, FTC, CA, IL, OH. Key NC principle: the state aggressively redirects telemarketing penalties to education funding.
Source →Texas-based robocall operation (Rising Eagle / JSquared Telecom)
insurance
Jun 2020
NC AG Stein sued Texas robocallers for making 75+ million calls to NC phone users, including 34 million to DNC-registered numbers. Health insurance pitch. Part of 7-state coalition that ultimately secured $244M judgment against Spiller/Mears (Rising Eagle). NC was an early mover — filing before most other states acted. NC receives disproportionate robocall volume (2.3 billion in 2024 alone).
Source →Running a telemarketing operation?
This page is for consumers and North Carolina residents. If you operate outbound calls into North Carolina, the compliance scrub workflow is documented separately.
North Carolina DNC compliance for telemarketers →Compare DNC Registry across states
Federal TCPA is the floor. Each state can — and many do — go further.
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Telemarketers — need automated DNC scrubbing?
Catalyst Partners sets up automated DNC scrubbing across every state you operate in. Federal list, state lists, internal lists, on a schedule that keeps you legal.
Book a Compliance Call →This is a compliance reference tool, not legal advice. Data compiled from public statutes, LegiScan, CourtListener, state AG offices, and AI-assisted analysis. Verify all information with qualified counsel before relying on it. Full terms & data sources →