Spam texts and robocalls
Getting marketing texts or robocalls you never agreed to in Washington?
Washington law bars marketing texts without clear advance permission and bans recorded sales calls. Companies that break these rules can owe money for every text and every call, whether it reached your personal phone or your business phone.
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The text message rule
Under Washington’s Commercial Electronic Mail Act, known as CEMA, a business may not send a marketing text to the cell phone of anyone in Washington unless that person clearly agreed in advance to get those texts. Washington law sets damages of $100 for each illegal text.
What counts as a marketing text
Any text sent to promote a product, service or property for sale or lease. Washington courts read that broadly.
- Sales, coupons, promo codes and “flash deal” texts
- Loan, credit, debt relief and financing offers
- Real estate, “cash for your house” and insurance quote texts
- Recruiting and job texts that pitch a company’s services
What doesn’t usually count
Texts that don’t promote anything, like a delivery notice or a login code you asked for. And texts from a company you clearly agreed to hear from.
“But I must have signed up somewhere”
Maybe, but agreeing to some other website’s fine print usually isn’t enough. Washington courts have said consent has to be given to the business that actually sends the text. Lead forms and “partner” lists often don’t meet that standard.
Recorded sales calls
A separate Washington law bans using a machine that dials numbers and plays a recorded or artificial voice sales message. It applies to calls meant for anyone in Washington, personal or business, and a recorded message left on your voicemail counts. Washington law sets $1,000 for each call.
Live telemarketing calls
Live sales callers reaching people in Washington have rules too. They must say who they are, who they work for and why they’re calling within the first 30 seconds. They can’t call before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. They can’t call numbers on the national Do Not Call list. If you say you don’t want more calls, they must stop for at least a year. When a telemarketer keeps breaking these rules, the law sets at least $1,000 for each violation. These live call rules don’t cover business to business calls.
Keep everything
The best proof is what’s already on your phone.
- Screenshots of the texts, showing the number and date
- Recorded voicemails, saved or forwarded
- Your call log showing the calls
- Any reply you sent, like STOP
Please don’t delete anything. Even if you only have a few, tell us. These cases are often brought as class actions for everyone who got the same messages.
Learn more
Our plain English guide to CEMA explains who the law protects and what changed in 2026. You can also read the full text of the law. Own a business? See our page for Washington businesses.