The Do Not Call Registry: what it does, and what it does not

By MercPrivacy · Published 2026-07-29 · Updated 2026-08-02

Registering is free, permanent and worth doing — but the registry is only half the protection, and the half most people never use is stronger.

## Register first — it is free and it matters later

The national Do Not Call registry at **donotcall.gov** costs nothing, does not expire, and takes about a minute. Do it even if you doubt it will help, because the registration itself becomes evidence: a number generally needs to be listed **31 days** before liability attaches to a telemarketing call, and the registration date is provable.

## What the registry does not cover

The registry targets *telemarketing* calls to residential subscribers. Several categories sit outside it, and this is where most of the disappointment comes from:

- Companies you have an existing business relationship with, for a limited period - Certain calls on behalf of tax-exempt non-profits - Purely informational calls that are not selling anything - Outright criminal operations, which were never going to check a list

## The obligation almost nobody knows about

Separate from the national registry, a company making telemarketing calls must maintain its **own internal do-not-call list**, keep a written policy, and train its staff on it.

This obligation is independent of the registry. It applies whether or not your number is registered. And it is triggered the moment you say stop.

That makes it the most useful protection available to you:

1. **You control the trigger.** No registration required, no 31-day wait. 2. **It is the obligation most often broken.** Many operations have no written policy, no training records and no functioning internal list. 3. **It ends the prior-relationship exception.** A company that could otherwise call you because you once bought something loses that footing the instant you ask it to stop.

## What to actually do

Say stop — clearly, and in a way you can prove. In writing where possible. Then **record the date, the method and the exact words**, and log every call that arrives afterwards.

That log is the difference between being annoyed and having something worth acting on. Calls continuing after a documented opt-out are the strongest fact pattern in this area.