Is Pennsylvania a one-party consent state?
No. Pennsylvania is an all-party consent state for recording calls, under 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. §§ 5703, 5704.
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 Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania asks for the consent of everyone on a call before it is recorded. If the agent records the calls it answers, the usual practice is to tell each caller at the start.
§ 5703 makes intercepting a wire, electronic or oral communication a felony. § 5704(4) allows it when all parties have given prior consent.
Reporters Committee summary for PennsylvaniaSince 2024, a person who receives a telemarketing call or robocall may record it with only their own consent, to enforce telemarketing laws (§ 5704(19)).
Intercepting a phone call without the prior consent of all parties is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 7 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000 (§§ 5703, 1103, 1101). The person recorded can sue for actual damages or $100 per day of violation with a $1,000 minimum, whichever is higher, plus punitive damages and attorney fees (§ 5725).
General information, not legal advice. Citations checked October 2026. Ask a Pennsylvania lawyer about your own calls.
Using an AI agent to answer your Pennsylvania line
Pennsylvania needs everyone's consent, so the recording notice goes in the agent's first sentence, before the caller says anything. Ask your lawyer whether the notice plus the caller staying on the line meets Pennsylvania's standard for your industry.
“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 Pennsylvania
An answering service mostly takes calls. Callbacks and reminders are outbound, and outbound calls follow the federal rules plus Pennsylvania'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)Since October 2026, Pennsylvania bars telephone sales calls on Sundays and legal holidays and outside 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sales robocalls that use a prerecorded or artificial voice need the called party's prior express written consent. The law also bars using synthetic or computer-generated messages to deceive the person called, and sellers must register with the Attorney General.
Statute textWhere Pennsylvania callers are
Time zone: Eastern. You set your business hours in your own time zone, and the agent takes messages outside them.
215
Philadelphia
267
Philadelphia, with 215
412
Pittsburgh
484
Allentown and the Philadelphia suburbs, with 610
570
Scranton
610
Allentown and the Philadelphia suburbs
717
Harrisburg
724
Western Pennsylvania outside Pittsburgh
814
Erie
States near Pennsylvania
Enterprise-grade security
HIPAA compliant
SOC 2 Type 2
GDPR
Pennsylvania call recording law FAQs
Is Pennsylvania a one-party or all-party consent state for recording calls?
Pennsylvania is an all-party consent state for recording calls, under 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. §§ 5703, 5704. Since 2024, a person who receives a telemarketing call or robocall may record it with only their own consent, to enforce telemarketing laws (§ 5704(19)). 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 Pennsylvania?
Plan on yes. Pennsylvania asks for every party's consent, so the agent should say the call is recorded at the start. The sample agent opens with "Thanks for calling. This is an AI assistant, and this call is recorded. How can I help?" and you can change the rest of the line. This is general information, not legal advice.
What if the caller is in a different state than my Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?
Managed Agents cost $0.03/min, plus telephony and LLM usage. See pricing.
Which time zone and area codes cover Pennsylvania?
Time zone: Eastern. Main area codes: 215, 267, 412, 484, 570, 610, 717, 724, 814. The agent answers calls from any number, and you set your business hours in your own time zone.
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