# TCPA text message rules for sales start with written consent

TCPA text message rules for sales do not treat a spoken yes at the door as written consent. Knockdesk is field sales software for teams that sell in person. The FCC consumer guide says commercial texts require written consent, and informational texts may rest on oral consent. This page is general information, not legal advice. The table is that guide and the consent definition, not a script to send.

## A spoken yes is not the writing

The rep hears yes, puts the number in a note, and texts the offer from the porch. TCPA text message rules for sales still ask whether that text is commercial and whether an autodialer sent it. The FCC guide does not say a spoken yes is enough for a commercial text. Informational texts are the oral path on that guide. A pitch for the product is not that path.

**Commercial.** Written consent. The guide states that in one line. A checkbox spoken aloud on the step is not the signed agreement in 47 CFR 64.1200(f)(9).

**Informational.** The guide says consent for an informational text may be oral. Appointment details are not the same sentence as a discount pitch. If you are unsure which one you sent, do not guess.

**Autodialer.** A blast from a dialing system is the ban in the guide unless consent was already given or the text is an emergency. Opening one conversation on the phone is a different motion. It still does not create the writing.

## Opt out does not wait for a second pitch

The FCC guide says a person may opt out of a robotext at any time and in any reasonable manner, even after an earlier consent. The guide also says the text rules apply even when the number is not on the National Do Not Call Registry. A stop reply is a reason to leave the number alone, not a reason to try a new offer from another rep on the same turf.

1. Read the text as commercial or informational before anyone hits send.
2. Keep the signed agreement if the text is a sales pitch sent with an autodialer or a prerecorded voice.
3. Honor a stop, in whatever reasonable way the person sent it.
4. Leave a Do Not Contact pin off the knock list so the next rep does not treat that door as open territory.

## The text app is not the visit

Knockdesk opens the phone's text app from the lead. It does not send an automated blast, and it does not store a consent form for you. The visit still has to be logged on the turf, including Not Home. Do Not Contact stays off the knock list and does not count toward coverage. Skip a recording and the outcome still logs. None of that is written consent for a commercial text.

## Keep going from the text

- [Door to door sales laws hub](/laws): The hub for permits, consent, and the state pages.

- [Employee GPS notice](/laws/employee-gps-tracking-laws): Notice statutes for monitoring, separate from a text.

- [Recording consent by state](/laws/recording-consent-by-state): Consent to record the talk is not consent to text later.

- [Compliance checklist](/checklists/door-to-door-compliance-checklist): Permit, no-knock, cooling-off, and the recording step on one list.

- [Door knocking tracker](/features/door-knocking-tracker): The visit on the address, including Not Home.

- [Knockdesk pricing](/pricing): Full desk is on the pricing page.

## FAQ

### What are TCPA text message rules for sales?

TCPA text message rules for sales, on the FCC guide, say commercial texts require written consent and autodialed texts to a mobile phone need prior consent unless the message is an emergency. A spoken yes at the door is not that writing. This is general information, not legal advice.

### Is a verbal yes at the door enough for a sales text?

No. The FCC guide allows oral consent for informational texts. Commercial texts require written consent. This page does not treat a spoken yes as the signed agreement in the reinstated consent definition.

### Did the one-seller consent rule take effect?

The FCC order says the Eleventh Circuit vacated the revised consent paragraph and that revised rule had not taken effect. The definition now in the rule is the signed agreement described on this page.

### Does Knockdesk send the text?

No. Knockdesk opens the phone's text app from the lead. It does not send an automated blast and it does not file the consent for you.

### What if the person says stop?

The FCC guide says a person may opt out of a robotext at any time and in any reasonable manner. Put Do Not Contact on the address so it stays off the knock list and off coverage.

### Is this legal advice?

No. This page is general information, not legal advice. Read the FCC guide and 47 U.S.C. 227, then talk to counsel before the crew texts.

### How much does Knockdesk cost?

Full desk is on the pricing page. A free trial is not open.