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Text message compliance: Quiet hours

Understand the sending-time restrictions that apply to text messages (SMS/MMS), and how to time your campaigns for both compliance and engagement.

In this article:

  1. TCPA quiet hours
  2. Recommendations on best times to send
  3. Things to consider when timing your messages

TCPA quiet hours (United States)

The TCPA guidelines (United States) state that you may not text or call a contact before 8 AM or after 9 PM in their local time. Different regions and states have their own restrictions, so be sure to check the rules that apply in your area.

Florida's "mini-TCPA"

On July 1, 2021, Florida enacted a stricter version of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The law — CS/SB 1120, known as Florida's "mini-TCPA" — sets tighter limits on who you can message and when, as well as how many messages a recipient can receive within a given timeframe.

It differs from the federal TCPA in a few important ways. Most notably, it only allows calling or texting between 8 AM and 8 PM in the recipient's time zone (narrower than the federal 8 AM to 9 PM). Keep in mind that Florida spans two time zones: Eastern and Central.

Recommendations on best times to send

There may be no single perfect time to send an SMS campaign, but these windows have proven successful for our clients, based on high mobile engagement and typical working hours:

  • Weekdays: 9 AM – 12 PM and 5 PM – 8 PM
  • Weekends: 10 AM – 12 PM, plus 4 PM – 7 PM on Sundays

Pro tip: Weekday sends between 9 AM and 12 PM tend to perform best — though this depends heavily on your audience, business, and industry.

Send time allowance

Because of how SMS senders and carriers work, a campaign can take some time to finish sending.

How does it work? Once you click Send, your campaign enters a queue. How quickly it goes out depends on a few factors, including your audience size and the carriers' current traffic.

Things to consider when timing your messages

Time-based offers

Think about how quickly your campaign needs to reach your audience. For example, if you run a restaurant with a happy hour from 5 PM – 6 PM, send your campaign at least a few hours beforehand. Allow time both for the send itself and for recipients to plan around your offer.

Your business goal

Keep your objective in mind. A coffee shop promoting a next-day special has different goals — and therefore different ideal send times — than a holiday resort taking bookings for next season.

The customer's actions

If you're running a promotional campaign for your loyalty program, give customers enough time to act. But if you're sending an informational campaign that must be completed or submitted by a specific time, you may not have the luxury of sending only within the high-engagement windows.

Note: This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. We strongly encourage all clients to familiarize themselves with the relevant TCPA, CTIA, and MMA guidelines, laws, and regulations in their territories and industries.