Automatic Dialing-Announcing Devices
VA ADAD law
Marketing · Communications
Restricts robocalls: callers may use automatic dialing-announcing devices for commercial solicitations only in listed circumstances, and prerecorded-message devices must disconnect within five seconds after the called party hangs up.
- Where
- Virginia
- Citation
- Va. Code §§ 59.1-518.1 to 59.1-518.4 (Title 59.1, Chapter 44.1)
- Status
- In force
- In force since
- 2009-07-01
- Enforced by
- Virginia Attorney General and local attorneys under the VCPA; consumers via VCPA private action (59.1-518.4)
- People can sue
- Yes
- Penalties
- A violation is a VCPA prohibited practice (59.1-200(A)(50)): private action for actual damages or $500 (treble or $1,000 if willful) and civil penalties up to $2,500 per willful violation (59.1-204, 59.1-206).
- Applies to
- Callers using automatic dialing-announcing devices for commercial telephone solicitations to Virginia numbers (59.1-518.2)
Practices it requires
- Do not use an automatic dialing-announcing device for commercial telephone solicitations except in the circumstances the statute lists.Va. Code § 59.1-518.2
- Devices playing prerecorded or synthesized voice messages must disconnect within five seconds after the called party ends the call.Va. Code § 59.1-518.3
Sources
- Official text
- Va. Code Title 59.1, Chapter 44.1, Automatic Dialing-Announcing Devices (law.lis.virginia.gov)
- Va. Code § 59.1-200 (Virginia Law, law.lis.virginia.gov)
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: Effective date inferred from the default July 1 date (2009, c. 699). The permitted-use conditions in 59.1-518.2 were not summarized in detail.
Research reference, not legal advice.