Tennessee businesses — and any company that places automated calls or text messages to Tennessee residents — are about to face a new set of state oversight rules.
The Tennessee General Assembly unanimously passed House Bill 2408 and its companion Senate Bill 2659, a measure that adds a new oversight mechanism to the state’s existing telephone and text-message solicitation framework. The vote was 94-0 in the House on April 6, 2026, and 33-0 in the Senate on April 21, 2026. The bill was signed by the Speaker on April 30 and transmitted to Governor Bill Lee on May 7. If signed by the Governor, it will apply to conduct occurring on or after July 1, 2026.
What the law does
HB 2408 / SB 2659 amends Tennessee Code to add new reporting obligations, recordkeeping requirements, and solicitation limits specifically targeted at automated telemarketing. The aim is to give state regulators visibility into businesses running large-scale automated outbound campaigns directed at Tennessee residential subscribers — visibility that the existing framework did not provide.
Tennessee already restricts unwanted telephone and text solicitations and operates its own no-call enforcement regime. The new law layers a transparency mechanism on top of that, so the state can identify and act against problematic automated callers more quickly.
Which businesses are affected
Any business that uses automated dialers, prerecorded voice messages, or mass-text platforms to contact Tennessee phone numbers is potentially in scope. That includes industries that rely heavily on outbound communications, such as financial services, insurance, home services, mortgage lending, retail and e-commerce, healthcare scheduling and reminders, and lead-generation businesses operating across multiple states.
Small operators may also be affected if they run automated campaigns at any meaningful volume. The law is structured around the use of automated technology, not the size of the business.
What businesses should do before July 1
Companies that may fall under the new law have roughly six weeks to prepare. A practical preparation list includes:
— Reviewing the volume and nature of automated calls and texts being sent to Tennessee numbers, and confirming whether the business falls within the new reporting scope.
— Auditing consent records to make sure every Tennessee contact has a documented, time-stamped basis for receiving automated communications.
— Examining vendor relationships with dialer providers, SMS platforms, and lead generators to confirm those vendors can support the new recordkeeping obligations.
— Updating internal do-not-call list management procedures to ensure opt-outs are honored quickly and consistently across all outbound systems.
For businesses that depend on phone or text outreach — from local service providers to national brands — basic list hygiene has become a core compliance step. TCPALitigatorList.com provides an industry database of known TCPA litigators and serial plaintiffs that companies can use to screen call and text lists before they dial. Catching a handful of high-risk numbers up front is a far cheaper alternative than defending a class action after the fact.
Part of a larger national trend
Tennessee’s move is part of a broader national pattern in which state legislatures and attorneys general are stepping in as the federal regulatory environment for telemarketing eases. The FCC has proposed scaling back several long-standing rules, including its controversial revoke-all consent rule, while states have moved the other way — raising penalties, expanding enforcement authority, and creating new oversight regimes.
New York recently raised its DNC fine ceiling to $20,000 per violation. Mississippi shifted no-call enforcement to its Attorney General. A 51-state Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force is coordinating multi-state actions against repeat violators. Tennessee’s new oversight law fits squarely within that trend.
For businesses that rely on phone and text outreach as part of their customer acquisition or retention programs, the message from states like Tennessee is clear: visibility, accountability, and documentation are no longer optional.
Sources
TCPAWorld: Tennessee’s New Solicitation Oversight Law
Receivables Info: Tennessee Legislature Approves New Automated Telemarketing Restrictions
National Law Review: Tennessee Adds Oversight Mechanism to Solicitation Framework