Cold calling laws by country · Reviewed October 2026
Legal Calling Hours Checker
In the US, federal law allows telemarketing calls to homes from 8am to 9pm in the called person's local time, and Florida, Oklahoma, Maryland and Washington cut that to 8pm. Canada allows 9am to 9:30pm on weekdays and 10am to 6pm at weekends, for business numbers too. Australia allows 9am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, and the UAE 9am to 6pm. Most of the other countries we cover set no legal hours for B2B calls.
Legal calling hours for sales calls in 6 countries and 6 US states, each checked against the law or an official source. A plain summary, not legal advice.
Can I Call Now?
Choose where the person you're calling is based. The checker shows their local time and whether you can call.
Checking the time…
| Monday | 8am to 9pm |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 8am to 9pm |
| Wednesday | 8am to 9pm |
| Thursday | 8am to 9pm |
| Friday | 8am to 9pm |
| Saturday | 8am to 9pm |
| Sunday | 8am to 9pm |
Applies to: Calls to residential numbers. Some states set shorter hours. Pick the state if it's listed. Source: 47 CFR 64.1200(c)(1) · Full rules
Legal Calling Hours by Country
| Country | Monday to Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (federal rule) | 8am to 9pm | 8am to 9pm | 8am to 9pm | Calls to residential numbers |
| Canada | 9am to 9:30pm | 10am to 6pm | 10am to 6pm | All telemarketing calls, business numbers included |
| Australia | 9am to 8pm | 9am to 5pm | No calls | All telemarketing calls |
| United Arab Emirates | 9am to 6pm | 9am to 6pm | 9am to 6pm | Marketing calls (how far this reaches B2B calls isn't settled) |
| Norway | 9am to 9pm | No calls | No calls | Calls to consumers |
| South Africa | 8am to 8pm | 9am to 1pm | No calls | Direct marketing to consumers at home |
Telemarketing Calling Hours by US State
The federal 8am to 9pm rule applies in every state, and these states set stricter hours of their own. For their other rules, see cold calling laws by state.
| State | Monday to Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 8am to 8pm | 8am to 8pm | 8am to 8pm | Sales calls about consumer goods or services |
| Maryland | 8am to 8pm | 8am to 8pm | 8am to 8pm | Telephone solicitation, including most B2B calls |
| New York | 8am to 9pm | 8am to 9pm | 8am to 9pm | Telemarketing to people who live in New York |
| Oklahoma | 8am to 8pm | 8am to 8pm | 8am to 8pm | Commercial sales calls, including most B2B calls |
| Texas | 9am to 9pm | 9am to 9pm | noon to 9pm | Calls to consumers about consumer goods or services |
| Washington | 8am to 8pm | 8am to 8pm | 8am to 8pm | Unsolicited sales calls to any person |
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Do Calling Hours Apply to B2B Calls?
Only in some places. Most calling-hours rules protect people at home, but a few cover calls to businesses too:
- Canada and Australia: the hours cover every telemarketing call, business numbers included.
- Washington, Oklahoma and Maryland: the hours cover most B2B sales calls too.
- US federal rule: only calls to residential numbers.
- Florida and Texas: sales calls about consumer goods or services, so calls selling to businesses mostly fall outside.
- New York: telemarketing to people who live in New York.
- Norway and South Africa: calls to consumers. In the UAE, how far the hours reach B2B calls isn't settled.
In the UK, Ireland, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore and the other countries we cover, we haven't found legal hours for B2B calls. Calling in normal business hours is the safe choice there.
Whose Time Zone Counts?
The time zone of the person you're calling. The US federal rule uses the local time at the called person's location, and Canada's uses the local time of the person called. If your list spans several time zones, sort it by time zone and call each group inside its own window. When a state and the federal rule differ, follow the stricter one.
Calling across time zones?
Our callers work your prospects' business hours, wherever they are. See our B2B appointment setting services or hire a caller.
Legal Calling Hours: FAQs
The questions people ask most about when they can call.
What time can telemarketers call?
Can you cold call on a Sunday?
Do calling hours apply to business numbers?
Whose time zone counts for calling hours?
What about countries that aren't listed?
Sources
Checked October 2026. We review these rules every month. More rules for each place are on the cold calling laws by country page.
- United States (federal rule): 47 CFR 64.1200(c)(1)
- Canada: CRTC: Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules
- Australia: ACMA Do Not Call Register: Industry standards
- United Arab Emirates: Mondaq: New telemarketing regulations in the UAE
- Norway: Marketing Control Act, section 14 (Norwegian)
- South Africa: Consumer Protection Act: prohibited times for contacting consumers
- Florida: Florida Statutes s. 501.616
- Maryland: Maryland SB 90 (2023), bill text (PDF)
- New York: New York General Business Law § 399-z
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma HB 3168 (2022), enrolled text (PDF)
- Texas: Texas Business and Commerce Code s. 301.051
- Washington: RCW 80.36.390
Cite this page
Switchstack. “Legal Calling Hours by Country and State.” Reviewed October 2026. https://switchstack.io/legal-calling-hours
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