--- title: "Cold Calling Laws Checker: Hours, DNC, Consent | Skipcall" description: "Is your sales call legal? Calling hours, public holidays, consent, do-not-call lists and call limits by country, B2B or consumer. Every rule sourced. Free." url: https://skipcall.io/en/tools/cold-calling-compliance-checker language: en --- [Free tools](https://skipcall.io/en/tools) # Can you legally make this call? Country, consumer or business, date and time: the tool checks legal calling hours, public holidays, consent, do-not-call lists and call limits. Every rule with its source. The law, call by call ## Your call The verdict updates with every answer Country of the person called Who are you calling? Date of the call Time of the call Called party’s local time (“Now” uses Paris time). Did they consent to your calls beforehand? A clear positive act, naming your company and what you sell, less than a year old, with proof kept. Calls or attempts to this contact in the last 30 days Including unanswered ones. Not counting this call. Ongoing contract with them, and the call is about it They agreed to be called on this exact date and time You sell energy renovation or home adaptation They said no or asked not to be called again ## The verdict Not allowed France At least one rule stands in the way of this call. Changing the day or time is not enough: clear the blocking points first. - Blocking : Consent not proven Since 11 August 2026, calling a consumer who has not consented beforehand is prohibited. The burden of proof is on the business; checking Bloctel is no longer enough (the list is gone). Fine up to €375,000 for a company, and any resulting contract is void. Sources : [French Consumer Code, art. L. 223-1 (as rewritten by Law No. 2025-594 of 30 June 2025, art. 13)](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000051830285) · [French Consumer Code, art. R. 223-1 to R. 223-3 (Decree No. 2026-662 of 23 July 2026)](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000054491464) · [French Consumer Code, art. L. 242-16 (fine up to €375,000 for a company)](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/texte_lc/LEGITEXT000006069565/) - Check : Enter the date and time of the call Without them, the tool cannot check days and hours. - Compliant : Attempt 1 of 4 allowed in 30 days Unanswered calls count: the limit covers calling or trying to call. Source : [French Consumer Code, art. D. 223-9 (Decree No. 2026-662 of 23 July 2026, art. 4)](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000054483939) Rules checked in October 2026 against official texts. Information, not legal advice The tool applies the texts cited to your description of the call. It knows nothing about your list, your industry or case law. When in doubt, have your practice reviewed by a lawyer. **Call at the right time.** Call your B2B prospects from Skipcall, with a power or parallel dialer. [Create an account](https://app.skipcall.io/signup) Your answers never leave your browser. Nothing is sent or stored. How to check ## Cold calling hours by law Few countries set calling hours in law. In the United States, the FCC’s TCPA rules and the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule allow sales calls to residential numbers between 8am and 9pm, the called party’s local time, every day of the week (47 CFR § 64.1200(c)(1), 16 CFR § 310.4(c)). Some states are stricter: Florida, Oklahoma, Maryland and Washington stop at 8pm, Connecticut allows 9am to 8pm, Texas 9am to 9pm and only from noon on Sundays. In Canada, the CRTC’s Telemarketing Rules allow calls from 9am to 9:30pm on weekdays and from 10am to 6pm at weekends, in the called person’s time zone, and these hours also apply to business-to-business calls. In France, calls to consumers are limited to Monday to Friday, 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 8pm, never on a public holiday; Spain allows Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm. The United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal set no hours in law. ## Do-not-call lists and consent Two systems coexist. Under opt-out, you may call until the number is registered on the national list, which you must check recently: the National Do Not Call Registry in the US and the National DNCL in Canada (versions no older than 31 days), the TPS and CTPS in the UK, the Registro pubblico delle opposizioni in Italy (a check is valid 15 days), the “Do Not Call Me” list in Belgium. Under opt-in, you need the person’s prior consent: Germany for consumers, the Netherlands for all individuals (including your own customers since 1 July 2026), Portugal for individuals, and France since 11 August 2026, which abolished its Bloctel opt-out list. Spain sits in between: consent or a strictly assessed legitimate interest, plus a Lista Robinson check without consent. ## Do B2B cold calls follow the same rules? Often not. In the US, calls to businesses are exempt from the Telemarketing Sales Rule (except misrepresentation) and business numbers are not on the national registry, though Maryland’s hours and call limit appear to cover them. Canada exempts business calls from the national list but not from calling hours or the internal do-not-call list. In France and Spain, hours and consent rules protect consumers only, and the GDPR applies to business contacts. Sole traders are the grey area: in the UK, the Netherlands and Portugal they are treated as individuals, and elsewhere a self-employed person called on a personal phone, or about something unrelated to their trade, is usually protected as a consumer. The tool asks the question and applies the consumer rules when in doubt. ## How many times can you call the same prospect? France caps calls to a consumer at four attempts per 30 calendar days, unanswered calls included. Florida, Oklahoma and Maryland cap calls at three per 24 hours on the same subject, whatever number is used. Most other countries set no figure, but a refusal or do-not-call request applies at once: the US gives you at most 10 business days to honor it and keeps it for 5 years, Canada 14 days and 3 years. ## Cold calling rules by country Sales calls made by a person to a consumer, except for the B2B column. Checked October 2026. | Country | Regime | Opt-out list | Legal hours | Frequency | B2B | | - | - | - | - | - | - | | France | Prior consent (opt-in) since 11 August 2026 | Bloctel abolished: checking it is no longer enough | Mon-Fri 10am-1pm and 2pm-8pm, never on a public holiday | Max. 4 attempts per 30 days | Outside the Consumer Code; GDPR (legitimate interest, right to object) | | Belgium | Opt-out | “Do Not Call Me” list, check before calling | No hours set by law | No numeric limit found | The text does not separate consumers and businesses (inferred) | | Spain | Consent or strict legitimate interest (since 29 June 2023) | Lista Robinson, check it without consent | Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, never at weekends or on public holidays | No numeric limit; refusals apply immediately | Hours apply to consumers only; business contacts: legitimate interest presumed | | Portugal | Prior consent for individuals | DGC list for companies, updated monthly | No hours set by law | No numeric limit found | Companies opt-out; sole traders opt-in | | Italy | Opt-out | Public Opt-out Register, a check is valid 15 days | None in law; members’ code of conduct: 9am-8pm on weekdays | No numeric limit found | The register also covers business numbers | | Germany | Prior express consent (opt-in) | No list: consent is what counts | No hours set by law | No numeric limit found | At least presumed consent (mutmaßliche Einwilligung) | | Netherlands | Prior consent; no customer exception since 1 July 2026 | Bel-me-niet register abolished in 2021 | None in law; industry code: 9am-10pm on weekdays | No numeric limit; opt-out offered on every call | Companies outside the text (inferred); sole traders opt-in | | United Kingdom | Opt-out | TPS (individuals) and CTPS (companies) | No hours set by law | No numeric limit; unanswered attempts count since February 2026 | CTPS; sole traders treated as individuals | | United States | Opt-out, federal and state rules | National Do Not Call Registry, version no older than 31 days | 8am-9pm local time (federal), stricter in some states | No federal limit; 3 calls per 24h in Florida, Oklahoma, Maryland | Exempt from the TSR; business numbers outside the national registry | | Canada | Opt-out | National DNCL, version no older than 31 days | Mon-Fri 9am-9:30pm, weekends 10am-6pm | No numeric limit; internal list within 14 days | Exempt from the DNCL, but hours and internal list still apply | Simplified summary: details, exceptions and texts appear in the tool, country by country. ## Go further Tools and guides that complement this checker. - [When to call your prospects Paste your numbers: each prospect’s local time and legal calling hours, in your own time zone.](https://skipcall.io/en/tools/when-to-call) - [Call recording notice generator Recording your calls? Generate the opening announcement and the GDPR notices.](https://skipcall.io/en/tools/call-recording-notice-generator) - [Cold calling cell phones in B2B TCPA rules for mobiles, and what you can actually do in B2B.](https://skipcall.io/en/blog/cold-calling-cell-phones) - [Best time to cold call B2B Within the legal hours, the slots that work best by hour, day and industry.](https://skipcall.io/en/blog/best-time-to-cold-call-b2b) ## How to check that your answers never leave your browser The verdict is computed by code running in your browser: your answers are sent neither to Skipcall nor to anyone else, and nothing is stored. The share link is only built when you click “copy”; it holds your answers to the tool, never a phone number or a name. The simplest test: once the page has loaded, go offline and change your answers. The verdict keeps updating. The site’s analytics tools do not receive what you type: the tool area is excluded from session recording. ## A calendar full of meetings starts with a call. [Get started now](https://app.skipcall.io/signup) [Book a demo](https://skipcall.io/en/demo) **No commitment** · Number live in 2 minutes ## Cold calling law FAQ **What are the legal cold calling hours in the US?** Federal rules allow telephone solicitations to residential and mobile numbers between 8am and 9pm, the called party’s local time, any day of the week (47 CFR § 64.1200(c)(1)). Some states are stricter: 8am to 8pm in Florida, Oklahoma, Maryland and Washington, 9am to 8pm in Connecticut, and only noon to 9pm on Sundays in Texas. **Do I need to check the Do Not Call Registry for B2B calls?** Under federal rules, generally no: the FCC does not include business numbers in the national registry and the FTC exempts calls to businesses from the Telemarketing Sales Rule. A mobile used for both work and personal life is a grey area, and a business that asks you to stop calling must be put on your internal do-not-call list. **Is cold calling legal in the UK?** Yes, under opt-out: you may not call a number registered with the TPS (individuals and sole traders) or the CTPS (companies), nor someone who asked you to stop. Show a number you can be called back on and give your name. There are no legal calling hours, but claims management and pension calls need consent. **Is cold calling consumers still allowed in France?** Only with their prior consent since 11 August 2026 (art. L. 223-1 of the Consumer Code, as rewritten by Law No. 2025-594). Allowed calls must also fall Monday to Friday, 10am to 1pm or 2pm to 8pm, outside public holidays, with at most four attempts per 30 days. Calls between businesses are not covered by these rules. **Can you cold call businesses in Germany?** Only with at least presumed consent (UWG s. 7(2) no. 1): you need concrete signs that the company is interested in your offer. Calling a consumer requires prior express consent, documented and kept for 5 years, with fines up to €300,000. **How many times can I call the same prospect?** France allows four attempts per 30 days to a consumer. Florida, Oklahoma and Maryland allow three calls per 24 hours on the same subject. Most other countries set no number, but any do-not-call request must be honored: within 10 business days in the US, 14 days in Canada. **Is this tool legal advice?** No. It applies the texts cited to your description of the call and shows every source with the date it was checked. It knows nothing about your list, your industry or case law: have your practice reviewed by a lawyer when in doubt.