Is Minnesota a one-party consent state?
Yes. Minnesota is a one-party consent state for recording calls, under Minn. Stat. § 626A.02.
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 Minnesota
Minnesota 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.
§ 626A.02, subd. 1 makes it a crime to intentionally intercept a wire, electronic or oral communication. Subd. 2(d) allows a person to intercept a communication when they are a party to it or one party has given prior consent, unless the purpose is to commit a criminal or tortious act.
Reporters Committee summary for MinnesotaMinnesota 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, or recording to commit a criminal or tortious act (§ 626A.02, subd. 2(d)). Interception is punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $20,000, or both (§ 626A.02, subd. 4), which makes it a felony (§ 609.02). The person recorded can sue for the greater of three times actual damages plus the violator's profits, or $100 a day or $10,000, plus punitive damages and attorney fees (§ 626A.13).
General information, not legal advice. Citations checked October 2026. Ask a Minnesota lawyer about your own calls.
Using an AI agent to answer your Minnesota line
Minnesota 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 Minnesota
An answering service mostly takes calls. Callbacks and reminders are outbound, and outbound calls follow the federal rules plus Minnesota'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)A caller may not use an automatic dialing-announcing device, which plays a prerecorded or synthesized voice message, unless the subscriber consented to the message or a live operator gets consent first (§ 325E.27). The live operator must give the business name, the purpose and what is being sold (§ 325E.29). Messages to people with a current business or personal relationship are exempt.
Statute textAutomatic dialing-announcing devices and commercial telephone solicitations are barred before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m. (§ 325E.30).
Statute textWhere Minnesota callers are
Time zone: Central. You set your business hours in your own time zone, and the agent takes messages outside them.
218
Duluth and northern Minnesota
320
St. Cloud
507
Rochester and southern Minnesota
612
Minneapolis
651
St. Paul
763
Northwest Twin Cities suburbs
924
Southern Minnesota, with 507
952
Southwest Twin Cities suburbs
States near Minnesota
Enterprise-grade security
HIPAA compliant
SOC 2 Type 2
GDPR
Minnesota call recording law FAQs
Is Minnesota a one-party or all-party consent state for recording calls?
Minnesota is a one-party consent state for recording calls, under Minn. Stat. § 626A.02. 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 Minnesota?
Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota?
Managed Agents cost $0.03/min, plus telephony and LLM usage. See pricing.
Which time zone and area codes cover Minnesota?
Time zone: Central. Main area codes: 218, 320, 507, 612, 651, 763, 924, 952. The agent answers calls from any number, and you set your business hours in your own time zone.
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