Can I record this call?
Choose where you are and where the other person is. See the rule, the law behind it, and what to say at the start of the call.
- 51 US jurisdictions and 33 countries
- Sources linked
- Checked October 2026
Choose both places to see whether you can record the call, or open any place on the map below.
Consent rules at a glance
A dark tile means everyone on the call must agree. A light tile means your own consent is enough. Open any place for the details and the law.
- Everyone must agree
- Your consent is enough
One-party and all-party consent
Recording laws ask one question: who has to agree? Under one-party consent, one person on the call is enough, and that person can be you. Under all-party consent, everyone on the call must agree before you record.
When the two of you are in different places, follow the stricter rule. A call from Texas (one-party) to California (all-party) needs everyone's agreement, and so does a call from Estonia to Germany.
A business has more to do. In the EU, the UK and Switzerland, data protection law applies to every recording a business makes: tell people that you record and why, keep recordings only as long as you need them, and let people ask for theirs. The simplest habit works everywhere: say it at the start of the call.
Every place
United States
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Europe
More free tools
Questions
What is one-party consent?
It means one person on the call may record it without asking the others, and that person can be you. All-party consent (also called two-party consent) means everyone on the call must agree before it is recorded.
Which US states require everyone to agree?
California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington. In the other states, and under federal law, your own consent is enough for a call you take part in.
What if the other person is in another state or country?
Follow the stricter rule. If either place requires everyone to agree, tell the other person at the start and ask whether they are fine with it. The checker above does this for you.
Is it enough to say that the call is recorded?
In most places, telling everyone at the start and carrying on with the call counts as consent. Some places want a clear yes. Asking "Is that OK with you?" covers both.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a plain summary of each law with the sources linked, checked in October 2026. Laws change, and a court can read a law differently. If a call matters, read the law itself or ask a lawyer where you are.
Hang up. The notes are done.
Superscribe records your business calls on the number you already have and writes the note when you hang up. You say one line at the start, and it does the rest.
