EZ Texting

SMS Compliance Guide

Sending SMS messages comes with important legal and regulatory requirements. The good news: understanding and following these rules is straightforward, and EZ Texting provides the tools to help you stay compliant. This guide covers the essentials so you can confidently send messages while respecting your recipients and the law.

Legal Disclaimer: This guide is informational only and does not constitute legal advice. SMS compliance rules vary by region and use case. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring your messaging complies with all applicable laws and regulations. For specific legal questions about your business, consult your own legal counsel or compliance team.

TCPA Basics

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is the primary U.S. federal law governing SMS messaging. Key requirements:

  • You must have prior express written consent before sending marketing or promotional messages
  • Recipients must be able to opt out at any time, and opt-outs must be honored immediately
  • Messages must identify the sender — use the companyName field
  • You must respect quiet hours — generally no messages before 8 AM or after 9 PM in the recipient's time zone
  • Violations can result in $500–$1,500 per message in statutory damages
  • Consent cannot be a condition of purchase — recipients must be able to buy from you without opting in to SMS
Tip: When in doubt, treat a message as marketing and ensure you have explicit opt-in consent.

10DLC Registration

10DLC stands for "10-Digit Long Code" — a standard 10-digit phone number used for Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging. Major U.S. carriers now require 10DLC registration for all business SMS to ensure that high-volume messages come from verified senders.

Why it matters:Without proper 10DLC registration, your messages may be blocked, throttled, or flagged as spam by carrier networks. Registration tells carriers that you're a legitimate business sender, which improves delivery rates.

EZ Texting handles the heavy lifting: We guide you through the registration process, which requires you to verify your business information and use case. During registration, carriers may ask about your messaging category, expected volume, and opt-out procedures — all important for compliance and deliverability.

Consent and Opt-In Best Practices

Getting and managing consent is the foundation of SMS compliance. Here are practical steps to follow:

  • Get clear, explicit consent: Before adding someone to a marketing list, have them actively opt in — a checkbox they check, a text keyword they reply to, or a form they submit. Passive consent (pre-checked boxes, assumed agreement) is not sufficient.
  • Document your consent: Keep records of when and how you obtained consent (date, method, form URL, or keyword used). These records protect you if questions arise about compliance.
  • Honor opt-outs immediately: When someone texts STOP to unsubscribe, or marks themselves as opted out through your platform, honor that request right away. EZ Texting automatically processes opt-outs through the Blocks and Opt-Out API endpoints, which means opted-out numbers are blocked from receiving future messages.

Required Message Content

To stay compliant, every marketing message should include three key pieces of information:

  • Company name: Recipients need to know who the message is from. Use thecompanyName field in the API to clearly identify your business. This is displayed in message headers and helps recipients recognize legitimate messages.
  • Opt-out instructions: Every marketing message must include clear instructions on how to unsubscribe. The standard is "Reply STOP to unsubscribe". This is a legal requirement and a good customer service practice.
  • Message frequency (optional but recommended):If you send recurring marketing messages, consider disclosing frequency in your opt-in — for example, "Receive weekly deals" — so recipients know what they're signing up for.
Pro tip:Include opt-out instructions in your message text. Don't rely solely on headers. This makes it impossible for a recipient to miss the unsubscribe option.

Opt-Out Handling & SafeSTOP

EZ Texting's SafeSTOPfeature automatically processes opt-outs so you stay compliant without manual contact management. Here's how it works:

  • When a recipient replies STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, QUIT, END, CANCEL, or REMOVE, EZ Texting automatically adds them to your opt-out list.
  • Any future message attempts to that number are blocked by the API — you won't be able to send to them.
  • EZ Texting maintains a global opt-out list that prevents you from re-adding a number that has previously opted out.
  • You can also manually manage opt-outs via the POST /v1/blocks endpoint or through the EZ Texting dashboard.

Prohibited Content (CTIA Guidelines)

The CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association) prohibits certain categories of content in business messaging. Violating these rules can result in losing your messaging privileges. Do not send content involving:

  • Spam or unsolicited messages
  • Fraudulent or misleading content
  • Depictions or endorsements of violence
  • Adult content or material inappropriate for the intended audience
  • Profanity or hate speech
  • Endorsement of illegal drugs or controlled substances

Anti-Spam Policy

EZ Texting is a 100% opt-in service. Third-party lists without appropriate opt-in consent are not allowed. Any unsolicited, unexpected, or unwanted text message is considered spam.

  • All contacts must have explicitly opted in before receiving messages
  • All messages sent through EZ Texting are tracked and can be audited
  • Suspected violations may result in a warning or termination of service
  • Report abuse to abuse@eztexting.com

See the full Anti-Spam Policy for details.

Record Keeping

Keeping good records is one of the simplest ways to demonstrate compliance. Here's what you should track:

  • Consent records: Save evidence of when and how you obtained opt-in consent. This might be a screenshot of a form, a log of keyword responses, or records from your sign-up page.
  • Message logs: The EZ Texting API provides message history and reporting endpoints. Use these to maintain records of messages sent, delivery status, and recipient responses. This creates an audit trail if you need to demonstrate compliance.
  • Opt-out records: The API tracks all opt-outs automatically. Review these regularly to ensure opted-out numbers are not receiving messages.

If a recipient or regulator ever asks whether you have proper consent for a particular number, your records tell the story. Without them, you're at a disadvantage.

CTIA Messaging Principles

Beyond TCPA, the CTIA(the wireless industry trade association) publishes Messaging Principles & Best Practices that all U.S. carriers enforce. Registering for 10DLC means you've agreed to follow them. The short version: don't send anything a reasonable recipient would find harmful, deceptive, or off-limits.

Certain content categories are restricted or outright prohibited on carrier networks — commonly summarized as SHAFT: Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco (alcohol and tobacco can sometimes be allowed with age-gating; the others generally can't). The full list includes:

  • Sexually explicit or adult content, and content that promotes it
  • Hate speech, harassment, or content promoting violence or discrimination
  • Alcohol promotions without age verification
  • Firearms, ammunition, explosives, and related items
  • Tobacco, vaping, and related products without age verification
  • Cannabis and CBD messaging (restricted in most U.S. jurisdictions)
  • Illegal substances and paraphernalia
  • Gambling, lotteries, and sweepstakes without proper licensing
  • Pyramid or multi-level-marketing recruitment
  • Phishing, deceptive claims, or content designed to mislead
Rule of thumb:If a carrier's filter would flag it as spam, scam, or adult content, don't send it. When in doubt, check with your 10DLC campaign approver or EZ Texting support before launching.

Summary

SMS compliance boils down to a few core practices:

  • Get clear, explicit consent before sending marketing messages.
  • Identify your company and include opt-out instructions in every message.
  • Register for 10DLC to ensure carrier acceptance and delivery.
  • Honor opt-outs immediately and automatically via the API.
  • Keep records of consent and message activity.

Follow these practices, use EZ Texting's built-in compliance features (automatic opt-out handling, message logging, company identification), and you'll be well-positioned to send messages with confidence. Your recipients will appreciate the transparency, and you'll build a stronger sender reputation.

Learn More

Have compliance questions? Reach out to EZ Texting Support or consult your legal team for guidance specific to your use case.