Automatic dialing-announcing devices (robocalls)
ADAD law
Marketing · Communications
Regulates prerecorded-message autodialers. Operators must follow CPUC rules, may not place ADAD calls to California phones between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m., and (under 2874) generally need a live operator to introduce the call and obtain consent before the recorded message plays.
- Where
- California
- Citation
- Cal. Pub. Util. Code 2871-2876
- Status
- In force
- Last amended
- 2023-01-01
- Enforced by
- California Public Utilities Commission
- People can sue
- No
- Penalties
- Not determined from sections read.
- Applies to
- Anyone operating an automatic dialing-announcing device to call telephones in California; exemptions for schools, nonprofits calling members, utilities, emergency and public-safety agencies, and calls to established business relationships
Practices it requires
- Do not operate an automatic dialing-announcing device except in accordance with the article and CPUC regulation.Cal. Pub. Util. Code 2872(a)-(b)
- Do not place ADAD calls received in California between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m.Cal. Pub. Util. Code 2872(c)
- Have a live operator introduce the call and obtain the called party's consent before playing a recorded message, unless an exception applies.Cal. Pub. Util. Code 2874
Sources
- Official text
- Cal. Pub. Util. Code 2872 (California Legislative Information)
- Cal. Pub. Util. Code 2874
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: 2874 live-operator rule summarized from background knowledge; the fetched 2874 page did not render the section text. | Original enactment date not determined.
Research reference, not legal advice.