Is Missouri a one-party consent state?
Yes. Missouri is a one-party consent state for recording calls, under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 542.402.
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 Missouri
Missouri 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.
§ 542.402.1 makes it a class E felony to knowingly intercept a wire communication. § 542.402.2(3) allows a person to intercept a wire communication when they are a party to it or one party has consented, unless the purpose is to commit a criminal or tortious act.
Reporters Committee summary for MissouriMissouri 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 (§ 542.402.2(3)). Interception is a class E felony (§ 542.402.1), punishable by up to 4 years in prison (§ 558.011) and a fine of up to $10,000 (§ 558.002). The person recorded can sue for actual damages of at least $100 a day or $10,000, whichever is higher, plus attorney fees, and punitive damages on a showing of a willful or intentional violation (§ 542.418).
General information, not legal advice. Citations checked October 2026. Ask a Missouri lawyer about your own calls.
Using an AI agent to answer your Missouri line
Missouri 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 Missouri
An answering service mostly takes calls. Callbacks and reminders are outbound, and outbound calls follow the federal rules plus Missouri'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)Missouri bars telemarketing to a consumer's home outside 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the called consumer's location, calls to someone who asked the seller not to call again, and blocking caller ID (§ 407.1076). Willful violations of the hours rule are a class A misdemeanor (§ 407.1082).
Statute textNo one may make a telephone solicitation, including a text, to a residential subscriber on the Attorney General's no-call list (§ 407.1098). The caller must state who is calling at the start and may not block caller ID (§ 407.1104). A person who gets more than one such call in 12 months can sue for actual loss or up to $5,000 per knowing violation (§ 407.1107).
Statute textWhere Missouri callers are
Time zone: Central. You set your business hours in your own time zone, and the agent takes messages outside them.
235
Columbia and Jefferson City, with 573
314
St. Louis
417
Springfield
557
St. Louis, with 314
573
Columbia and Jefferson City
636
St. Charles
660
North-central Missouri
816
Kansas City
Enterprise-grade security
HIPAA compliant
SOC 2 Type 2
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Missouri call recording law FAQs
Is Missouri a one-party or all-party consent state for recording calls?
Missouri is a one-party consent state for recording calls, under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 542.402. 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 Missouri?
Missouri 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 Missouri 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 Missouri?
Managed Agents cost $0.03/min, plus telephony and LLM usage. See pricing.
Which time zone and area codes cover Missouri?
Time zone: Central. Main area codes: 235, 314, 417, 557, 573, 636, 660, 816. The agent answers calls from any number, and you set your business hours in your own time zone.
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