# Cold Calling Compliance & Do-Not-Call Checklist

> The operational checklist to run before your team dials a single number - covering the National DNC Registry, TCPA, call-recording consent, and international rules for UK and Canada.

Free checklist for sales leaders. Topic: [Cold Calling & Phone Skills](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/topic/cold-calling-phone-skills/). Published by PeerLab in the [Sales Enablement Resource Library](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/). Source: https://www.peerlab.ai/library/cold-calling-compliance-do-not-call-checklist/

## How to use it

Run this checklist with your sales ops and legal/compliance contact before any new calling campaign launches, and re-run the record-keeping and training sections quarterly.

## What's inside

- Pre-campaign setup checklist (list scrubbing, internal DNC list, caller ID/registration)
- National Do-Not-Call Registry checklist - scrub cadence, EBR exceptions, retention
- TCPA / autodialer and prerecorded-message checklist
- Call recording consent checklist - one-party vs. all-party consent states
- Time-of-day and calling-frequency checklist
- Data and record-keeping checklist
- UK (PECR/TPS) and Canada (CRTC/DNCL) add-on checklist for cross-border teams
- Team training and sign-off checklist
- A plain-language disclaimer on where this checklist ends and legal counsel begins

**This is an operational checklist, not legal advice.** Telemarketing law varies by state and country and changes over time. Have counsel review your specific program, scripts, and list sources before launch - use this to make sure the right questions get asked.

## 1. Pre-Campaign Setup

- [ ] Company is registered with the National Do-Not-Call Registry (if calling US consumers) and has paid the applicable access fee
- [ ] Calling list has been scrubbed against the National DNC Registry within the last 31 days
- [ ] Internal, company-specific Do-Not-Call list exists and is checked before every dial
- [ ] Caller ID transmits the company's real name and a working callback number
- [ ] Any third-party list source has provided written confirmation of how consent/opt-in was obtained

## 2. National DNC Registry

- [ ] Existing Business Relationship (EBR) exceptions are understood and time-boxed (commonly 18 months from last purchase/transaction, 3 months from an inquiry - confirm current thresholds with counsel)
- [ ] Scrub cycle is on a recurring calendar (every 31 days) with an owner and a completion log
- [ ] Numbers added to the internal DNC list are suppressed immediately, not on the next scrub cycle
- [ ] DNC suppression records are retained per your counsel's guidance (commonly several years)

## 3. TCPA / Autodialer & Prerecorded Message Rules

- [ ] Confirmed whether your dialer technology qualifies as an Automatic Telephone Dialing System (ATDS) under current TCPA interpretation
- [ ] Prior express written consent is on file before any autodialed or prerecorded call/text to a mobile number for marketing purposes
- [ ] Manual, human-initiated calls (no autodialer, no prerecorded message) are documented as such if relying on the manual-dial exception
- [ ] Legal has reviewed any AI-assisted or predictive dialing technology against current ATDS guidance before rollout

## 4. Call Recording Consent

- [ ] Confirmed whether each state you call into requires one-party or all-party (two-party) consent to record
- [ ] All-party consent states are flagged in the dialer/CRM so reps get a disclosure prompt automatically
- [ ] Verbal recording disclosure is scripted at the top of the call before recording begins ("This call may be recorded for quality and training purposes")
- [ ] Recording disclosure is logged as part of the call record, not just spoken
- [ ] Commonly-cited all-party consent states are documented on your internal reference (e.g., California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Washington) - **confirm current statute text with counsel, as lists shift**

## 5. Time-of-Day & Frequency

- [ ] Calling window is restricted to 8:00am-9:00pm in the **recipient's** local time zone, not the caller's
- [ ] Dialer/CRM enforces the time-zone restriction automatically rather than relying on rep judgment
- [ ] Call frequency caps exist so the same number isn't dialed an excessive number of times per day/week
- [ ] Opt-out requests ("please don't call again," "take me off your list") are honored immediately and logged the same day

## 6. Data & Record-Keeping

- [ ] Call disposition, consent status, and opt-out requests are logged in the CRM, not just in a rep's notes
- [ ] List source, acquisition date, and consent basis are documented for every list loaded into the dialer
- [ ] Records are retained per counsel's guidance in case of a complaint or audit
- [ ] A named compliance owner reviews the DNC/TCPA checklist at least quarterly

## 7. International Add-On (UK & Canada)

- [ ] **UK**: numbers screened against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) unless a documented soft opt-in applies; calls comply with PECR marketing-call rules
- [ ] **UK**: abandoned/silent call rate is monitored and kept under Ofcom's permitted threshold
- [ ] **Canada**: numbers screened against the National Do Not Call List (DNCL); CRTC unsolicited telecommunications rules reviewed for autodialer/recorded-message calls
- [ ] Cross-border calling campaigns have a named owner for each jurisdiction's rules, not a single US-only compliance owner

## 8. Team Training & Sign-Off

- [ ] Every rep completes DNC/TCPA/recording-consent training before their first live dial
- [ ] Training completion is logged with date and rep name
- [ ] Script includes the required disclosures (company name, purpose, recording notice) as a non-editable opening block
- [ ] New reps' first 2 weeks of calls are spot-reviewed for compliance disclosures, not just talk-track quality
- [ ] Compliance checklist owner re-certifies the program after any material change to dialer technology, list source, or calling geography

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*Disclaimer: This checklist is an operational aid for sales and revenue leaders, not a substitute for legal review. TCPA, state consent laws, and international telemarketing regulations change and carry real financial exposure per violation - have qualified counsel review your specific program before launch.*