Telephone Sales Solicitation Act (telemarketer registration, do-not-call, robocalls and text advertising)

RI TSSA

Marketing · Communications

Requires covered telemarketers to register annually with the Attorney General and post a ,000 bond, identify themselves at the start of calls, and call only during set hours. It requires all telephone sellers to keep internal do-not-call lists, limits prerecorded messages to consenting subscribers, and broadly bans unsolicited text-message advertising to Rhode Island cell phones except from carriers and businesses with an existing relationship that offer an opt-out.

Where: Rhode Island
Citation: R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 5-61-1 to 5-61-6; 11-35-26
Status: In force
Last amended: 2021-07-13
Enforced by: Rhode Island Attorney General (Consumer Protection Unit); prosecutors; purchasers via civil action
People can sue: Limited
Penalties: Willful violations or fraud: fine up to ,000 per unlawful transaction and/or up to one year in prison (§ 5-61-5). Civil penalty up to ,000 per violation in an AG suit; purchasers may recover triple the amount paid plus fees for material violations (§ 5-61-5.1). Do-not-call, text-ad and calling-hours violations are misdemeanors with fines up to per violation (§§ 5-61-3.5(b), 5-61-3.6(b)). Autodialers that fail to disconnect within 5 seconds: misdemeanor, up to per occurrence (§ 11-35-26).
Applies to: Telephonic sellers and salespersons soliciting Rhode Island residents or calling from Rhode Island using the pitch types defined in § 5-61-2(9), with many exemptions (e.g., prior customers, supervised financial institutions, regulated utilities, cable, licensed securities and real estate sellers)
Do-not-call and calling-hours rules apply to any salesperson or telephonic seller making unsolicited sales calls
Text-message advertising ban applies to any person or entity doing business in Rhode Island sending text ads to Rhode Island residents' cellular numbers
Operators of automatic telephone dialing systems (§ 11-35-26)

What a privacy notice must say

Within the first 30 seconds of a call, state the caller's true name, the company and the goods or services; on a sale, disclose cancellation rights, registration numbers and the seller's street address.R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-61-3.3

Practices it requires

Automatic telephone dialing systems must release the called party's line within 5 seconds after hang-up.R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-35-26
Do not send text-message advertisements to Rhode Island residents' cellular or pager numbers, except carrier messages or messages from businesses (or consented affiliates) with an existing relationship that offer an opt-out.R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-61-3.5(a)(1)-(5)
Make unsolicited sales calls only Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., excluding holidays.R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 5-61-2(2), 5-61-3.6
Do not use automatic dialing-announcing devices unless the subscriber consented or a live operator first obtains consent.R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-61-3.4
Do not make unsolicited sales calls to residential, mobile or pager numbers without maintaining an internal do-not-call list compliant with 47 C.F.R. Part 64 or 16 C.F.R. Part 310.R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-61-3.5(a)

Registration

File a surety bond, letter of credit or certificate of deposit of at least ,000 before registration issues.R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-61-3.1 · Only if: Telephonic sellers
Register with the Attorney General's consumer protection unit at least 10 days before doing business, renew annually with a fee, update material changes within 10 days, and not begin calling until confirmation is received.R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 5-61-3, 5-61-4 · Only if: Telephonic sellers as defined in § 5-61-2(9)

Sources

Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.

Unverified: § 5-61-4 (filing contents) was fetched but not summarized. | last_amended reflects P.L. 2021, chs. 400 and 401 (amending § 5-61-3.2), effective July 13, 2021.

Research reference, not legal advice.