Is It Illegal to Send Mass Text Messages? What US Rules and Carriers Expect on Consent

Whether mass texting is illegal turns on consent

In the United States, whether it is illegal to send mass text messages depends mainly on whether the recipients agreed to get them. The FCC's consumer guide states that its rules ban text messages sent to a mobile phone using an autodialer unless the phone's owner previously gave consent or the message is sent for emergency purposes. The same guide says commercial texts require written consent, and that for informational texts consent may be oral.

That is as far as a plain yes or no can go. This page describes what official sources say and is general information, not legal advice. It covers the United States only and does not cover state laws. Whether a particular sending method counts as an autodialer, and what your organization must do, are questions for a qualified lawyer.

What the FCC guide says about consent and opting out

These points come from the FCC's guide on unwanted robocalls and texts, as read on 3 October 2026:

• Autodialed texts to a mobile phone need the owner's prior consent, unless sent for emergency purposes.
• Commercial texts require written consent. For informational texts, consent may be oral.
• The rules apply even if the number is not on the National Do Not Call Registry.
• A person may opt out of any robotext at any time and in any reasonable manner, even after giving consent.
• For political campaigns, autodialed texts need consent; the guide says manually sent texts do not.

What carriers expect: the CTIA messaging principles

Separate from the law, the wireless industry publishes its own expectations. CTIA's Messaging Principles and Best Practices, dated May 2023, apply to businesses and organizations, and name nonprofit organizations among them. The document says its examples are not legal advice. Regardless of whether the legal rules apply, it expects senders to get consent to message, get express written consent for marketing messages, and let people revoke consent.

On opting out, CTIA says senders should let people opt out at any time, use standard STOP wording, also act on ordinary phrases such as stop, end, unsubscribe, cancel or quit, and send one final confirmation and nothing after it. It also says senders should not use opt-in lists that were rented, sold or shared, and should keep records of each opt-in, including when and how it was given.

A worked example: a club texting 250 members

Take a community club that wants to text 250 members about meeting changes.

1. It adds a line to its membership form with a box to tick, saying the member agrees to receive text announcements from the club at the number given, and keeps the forms.
2. Members who prefer can join by texting a keyword to the club's number instead.
3. Each new member gets a confirmation text. CTIA says a confirmation for recurring messages should give the program name, a help contact, how to opt out, how often messages will come, and any charges.
4. Every later text is sent only to people on that list, and anyone who replies STOP is removed.

TXT180's own program terms on its support page show what those disclosures look like in practice: a maximum of 8 messages a month, message and data rates may apply, reply STOP to end and HELP for help. If the club later wants to send a sales or marketing promotion, such as an offer on club merchandise, CTIA's table puts that in the promotional category, where written permission is expected. Check your own records with the consent readiness guide.

Mistakes to avoid when texting a list

• Buying or borrowing a list. TXT180's pricing page says it does not sell lists and describes the practice as prohibited by carriers and by federal law. CTIA says rented, sold or shared lists should not be used.
• Treating an old consent as covering everything. CTIA says an opt-in applies only to the campaign and sender it was given for.
• Ignoring opt-outs written in ordinary words. The FCC says a person can opt out in any reasonable manner.
• Importing contacts without proof of how they agreed. CTIA says senders should keep a record of each opt-in. See the import readiness guide.

When a paid texting service is worth it

A paid broadcast service does not make a send lawful by itself, but it supplies tools for the opt-in and opt-out steps that the FCC and CTIA material describes. With TXT180, people opt in by texting a keyword, an automatic reply confirms it, and the support page says a subscriber who replies STOP receives no further messages. Its terms require permission-based lists and say it may require a double opt-in. Its FAQ notes that required STOP and HELP responses count as messages, so allow a few credits for them.

For a larger list, that record-keeping is harder to do by hand from a personal phone. Plans start at $24.95 month-to-month for 500 credits, as read on 3 October 2026. See how to send mass texts from a computer for the steps.