One-party
consent states
In 37 of the 51 US jurisdictions you can record a call you're part of, because your own consent is the consent the law needs. 10 require everyone on the line to agree, and 4 are split or unsettled. Find yours below.
Find your state
Pick a state to read the rule that governs your calls, or search by name.
Select a group to isolate it on the map.
What “one-party consent” actually means
18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d)
the federal floor
Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d)) sets the floor: a call may be recorded when at least one party consents. You are a party to your own call, so in a one-party state you can record a debt collector without telling them. States are free to demand more, and 14 of them do.
The other end of the call matters too.
A collector calling you from an all-party state, or calling you in one, can put the stricter rule in play — and which state's law governs an interstate call is exactly the kind of question that gets litigated. When the two ends disagree, follow the stricter rule.
Logging a call is different. Who rang, when, and what was said is lawful everywhere, and it is what actually builds a timeline you can use. You never need a recording to start one.
Split or unsettled
The rule changes with the medium, or courts read the statute more strictly than it reads. Treat these as all-party.All-party consent
Everyone on the call must agree before you record. Recording without that agreement can itself be a crime.One-party consent
You can record a call you are part of, because your own consent is the consent the law requires.These jurisdictions don't depart from 18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d), so the federal rule stated above is the rule — there is no separate state carve-out to read.
Recording rules cover the recording. What a collector may say, when they may call, and who else they may contact are separate questions — see your state's collection protections.
Informational only
This page summarises public law and is not legal advice. Citations are public record and the summaries are deliberately conservative, but statutes change and courts reinterpret them — Illinois and Nevada both reached their current positions through litigation rather than amendment. Confirm anything you intend to rely on, and talk to a consumer attorney before recording a call you expect to use as evidence. The underlying statute table was last reviewed August 8, 2026.
Or let us send the cease & desist for you.
Once a collector has written notice to stop contacting you, every call after it is a violation on the record. We draft the letter from your logged contacts, mail it certified, and file the delivery date as evidence.
- Drafted from your logged contacts
- Printed and mailed certified, with tracking
- Delivery date filed to your evidence vault
- You approve the wording before it goes
Logging a call is free. You only pay when a letter leaves.