Blog › Business Texting Compliance: TCPA, 10DLC, and What's Changed Business Texting Compliance: TCPA, 10DLC, and What's Changed Industry trends Tips and Tricks business text messaging Why Compliance Matters More Than Ever If you're using text messaging for business in 2025, compliance isn't optional — it's the foundation of your entire messaging strategy. Carriers have gotten significantly stricter about enforcement, and the consequences of non-compliance have escalated from filtered messages to full-on number suspension. The good news: if you follow the rules, you'll actually get better deliverability than ever before. Carriers now reward compliant senders with higher throughput and fewer filters. Compliance and performance are aligned. Here's what you need to know to keep your business texting compliant and your messages getting delivered. TCPA: The Foundation The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) remains the bedrock of texting compliance in the United States. The core requirements haven't changed, but enforcement has intensified: Prior express written consent — You must have documented permission before sending marketing texts. This means a clear opt-in where the customer knows they're agreeing to receive texts from your business. Clear identification — Every message must identify who's sending it. Don't leave customers guessing. Easy opt-out — Customers must be able to reply STOP at any time, and you must honor it immediately. No "are you sure?" follow-ups, no delays. Reasonable hours — Don't text before 8am or after 9pm in the recipient's time zone. TCPA violations carry penalties of $500-$1,500 per message. Class action lawsuits targeting non-compliant texters have resulted in settlements exceeding $100 million in recent years. This isn't a risk you want to take. 10DLC: The New Standard If you're sending business texts from a standard 10-digit phone number (which most businesses do), you need to be registered with the 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) system. Here's the current state: Brand Registration Every business must register their brand with The Campaign Registry (TCR). This involves providing your business name, EIN, contact information, and details about how you'll use text messaging. Your brand receives a trust score that affects your messaging throughput and filtering. Campaign Registration Beyond brand registration, you must register each messaging use case as a separate campaign. A campaign describes the type of messages you'll send — marketing, customer support, appointment reminders, etc. — along with sample messages and your opt-in process. What's Changed Recently Carriers have continued to tighten 10DLC requirements: Higher trust scores required — Low-scoring brands face more aggressive filtering and lower throughput limits Faster enforcement — Non-registered traffic is now blocked outright by most carriers, not just filtered Sample message scrutiny — Carriers are more carefully reviewing the sample messages you submit during campaign registration Opt-in proof requirements — Some carriers now require detailed documentation of your consent collection process Opt-In Best Practices for 2025 Your opt-in process is the most important part of your compliance strategy. Here's what a bulletproof opt-in looks like: Be specific about what they're signing up for — "Receive appointment reminders and occasional promotions from [Business Name] via text" is much better than a vague "agree to receive communications" Separate consent from other agreements — Don't bury texting consent in your terms of service. It should be a standalone checkbox or action. Disclose message frequency and rates — Include language like "Msg frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply." Confirm with a welcome message — After opt-in, send an immediate confirmation: "Welcome to [Business Name] texts! Reply STOP at any time to unsubscribe." Keep records — Document when, where, and how each contact opted in. You'll need this if there's ever a dispute. Common Compliance Mistakes to Avoid Even well-intentioned businesses make these errors: Importing old contact lists without re-consent — Just because someone gave you their phone number doesn't mean you can text them. You need explicit texting consent. Sharing opt-in lists across brands — Consent is specific to the business that collected it. You can't buy a list or use another company's opt-ins. Inconsistent content with your campaign registration — If you registered for "appointment reminders" but start sending promotional blasts, carriers will flag you. Ignoring opt-out requests — Your system must process STOP requests automatically and immediately. Manual processing isn't fast enough. Texting without a registered 10DLC campaign — Unregistered traffic is increasingly blocked outright. Staying Ahead The texting compliance landscape continues to evolve. The best approach is to build compliance into your messaging workflow from day one — not as an afterthought. Use a platform that handles 10DLC registration, automatic opt-out processing, and consent management for you. Need help getting your business texting compliant? Start a free trial with Avochato — we handle 10DLC registration and keep you compliant so you can focus on your customers.
