Is Kentucky a one-party consent state?
Yes. Kentucky is a one-party consent state for recording calls, under Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 526.020.
General information, not legal advice. Laws change and we can get things wrong, so check with a lawyer before relying on any of this. Citations checked October 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us.
Recording calls in Kentucky
Kentucky lets a call be recorded when one person on it agrees. The business is a party to every call its agent answers, so its own consent is generally enough under the statute.
§ 526.020 makes it a crime to use a device to eavesdrop. § 526.010 defines eavesdropping as overhearing, recording or transmitting a wire or oral communication of others without the consent of at least one party to it.
Reporters Committee summary for KentuckyKentucky is a one-party consent state, so the penalty applies to recording a call you are not a party to when no party has consented (§ 526.010). Eavesdropping is a Class D felony (§ 526.020), punishable by 1 to 5 years in prison (§ 532.060) and a fine of $1,000 to $10,000, or double the gain if that is more (§ 534.030). Chapter 526 does not give the person recorded a right to sue, though federal law does for this kind of interception (18 U.S.C. § 2520).
General information, not legal advice. Citations checked October 2026. Ask a Kentucky lawyer about your own calls.
Using an AI agent to answer your Kentucky line
Kentucky only needs one party's consent, but a caller from California or Florida brings their state's stricter rule onto the call. So the agent opens every call by saying it is recorded.
“Thanks for calling. This is an AI assistant, and this call is recorded. How can I help?”
A Cartesia voice agent answers your business line, says this on every call, then takes messages or transfers the caller to your team.
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If the agent also calls out from Kentucky
An answering service mostly takes calls. Callbacks and reminders are outbound, and outbound calls follow the federal rules plus Kentucky's own.
Outbound calls that use an AI voice need the called party's prior express consent, unless the call is for an emergency or fits an FCC exemption. AI-voice calls that include telemarketing need prior express written consent. The FCC ruled in February 2024 (FCC 24-17) that an AI-generated voice is an artificial voice under the TCPA, so these calls must also identify the caller and, for telemarketing, offer a way to opt out.
47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(1)(B)47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(a)(2) and (a)(3)FCC ruling on AI voices, February 2024Federal rules allow telemarketing calls from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the called party's local time. Some states set a shorter window, listed below when they do.
16 C.F.R. § 310.4(c)Kentucky bars telephone solicitations to a residence outside 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the called person's location, calls to numbers on the national Do Not Call Registry, and misleading caller ID (§ 367.46955). A solicitation to a residential phone that uses an artificial or prerecorded voice needs the called party's prior express consent. The caller must give their name, the merchant's legal name, a contact number or address and the city and state they are calling from (§ 367.46953).
Statute textAutomated calling equipment that dials numbers and plays recorded messages for ads, polls or soliciting information may run only with the called person's consent, only from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and must state the caller's name and phone number in the first 25 seconds and at the end (§ 367.461(2)). Calls a business makes to another business's public number for reservations, purchases, hours or similar requests are exempt (§ 367.461(3)(f)).
Statute textA telemarketing company, meaning one whose primary business is telephone solicitation (§ 367.46951(13)), must register with the Attorney General at least 10 days before soliciting people in Kentucky (§ 367.46971).
Statute textWhere Kentucky callers are
Time zone: Eastern in the east, Central in the west. You set your business hours in your own time zone, and the agent takes messages outside them.
270
Western Kentucky
502
Louisville
606
Eastern Kentucky
859
Lexington
States near Kentucky
Enterprise-grade security
HIPAA compliant
SOC 2 Type 2
GDPR
Kentucky call recording law FAQs
Is Kentucky a one-party or all-party consent state for recording calls?
Kentucky is a one-party consent state for recording calls, under Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 526.020. This is general information, not legal advice. Ask a lawyer about your own calls.
Do I have to tell callers an AI agent is recording in Kentucky?
Kentucky needs one party's consent, and the business is a party. Most businesses announce recording anyway, because a caller in an all-party state such as California or Florida can bring that state's rule into the call. The sample agent opens with "Thanks for calling. This is an AI assistant, and this call is recorded. How can I help?" This is general information, not legal advice.
What if the caller is in a different state than my Kentucky business?
The stricter state's rule can apply. In Kearney v. Salomon Smith Barney (2006), the California Supreme Court held that California's all-party rule governs, going forward, calls a Georgia office records with clients in California. A business that takes calls from other states usually announces recording on every call.
How much does a Cartesia agent cost to answer calls in Kentucky?
Managed Agents cost $0.03/min, plus telephony and LLM usage. See pricing.
Which time zone and area codes cover Kentucky?
Time zone: Eastern in the east, Central in the west. Main area codes: 270, 502, 606, 859. The agent answers calls from any number, and you set your business hours in your own time zone.
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