What North Carolina law means for your phones, texts and website

North Carolina regulates a service company's phones more closely than most states do, because its own telephone solicitation law reaches texts. A few other rules touch what you put on a website, vehicle or invoice. Below are the ones with state-specific text, as of October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice, and the agencies named can confirm how a rule applies to you.

Calls and texts: the Telephone Solicitations Act

The act sits in G.S. 75-101 and 75-102. It applies to anyone doing business in the state who makes or attempts a telephone solicitation to a North Carolina subscriber, wherever the call comes from. Two definitions matter to a small company. First, "telephone solicitation" includes a voice or text communication sent over a wireless network. Second, an "established business relationship" exists when the consumer made a purchase, rental, lease or financial transaction with the seller within the previous 18 months, or made an inquiry or application about the seller's service within the previous three months.

Under G.S. 75-102 a telephone solicitor must follow these rules:

• Registry. No solicitation to a number in the latest edition of the "Do Not Call" Registry, subject to exceptions in G.S. 75-103 (subsection a).
• Prior stop requests. No solicitation to a subscriber who already asked not to be called again, and removal requests must be honored within 30 business days (subsections b and c).
• Hours. No solicitation before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. (subsection f).
• Caller ID. No misleading caller identification, though using the name and number of the entity you call for is allowed (subsection i).
• Records. Keep records for 24 months that identify each caller, including any fictitious name, so the name can be traced to that individual (subsection j).
• Tone. No threats, intimidation, or profane or obscene language (subsection h).

The permission standard for texts is strict. The statute says an "express invitation or permission" must be on an independent form that carries the subscriber's phone number and signature, which can be signed electronically. A checkbox buried in a terms page is a weak foundation. Our TCPA guide covers the federal consent rules that run alongside this, and 10DLC registration covers carrier registration for business texting.

A contract made on a non-compliant call can be void

G.S. 75-102(o) goes further than most state laws. In telephone solicitation transactions with subscribers, a contract or purchase agreement entered into during a solicitation is not valid, and no money is due under it, unless three conditions are met. The sales statements and contract must not be deceptive or abusive under sections 310.3 and 310.4 of the federal Telemarketing Sales Rule, as far as the article requires. The solicitor must have complied with the recordkeeping rules in section 310.5. And the contract and sales statements must comply with all other applicable federal and state laws, including Article 1 of the same chapter. For a company that books jobs over the phone, this is a reason to keep call logs and scripts. It is also a reason to confirm every phone booking in writing, a step your CRM can automate.

Landscape license numbers on cards, contracts and vehicles

North Carolina licenses landscape contractors through the board created in G.S. Chapter 89D. Under G.S. 89D-12(e), a licensed contractor shall display the license number on all business cards, contracts and vehicles. The statute does not list websites or advertising generally. A cautious approach is to put the number in your site footer, quote template and invoice as well, since it costs nothing and matches the other places it is required. G.S. 89D-13 sets the exemptions and the dollar line for when a license is needed at all, so confirm whether the rule applies to you.

For other trades, the licensing boards publish their own rules on how a number must appear. General contractors, electrical contractors and plumbing and HVAC contractors each answer to a separate board, and we did not find a statute that sets one website rule for all of them. Check your board's rules before printing a van wrap. Our North Carolina contractor licenses guide lists each board.

Sales tax: repairs taxable, cleaning exempt

Since 2017 North Carolina has taxed repair, maintenance and installation services to real property at the 4.75% state rate plus local tax (G.S. 105-164.4). The Department of Revenue's Services to Real Property Taxability Chart lists HVAC component repair, plumbing fixture replacement and electrical repair as taxable. G.S. 105-164.13 exempts cleaning of real property, with examples that include window washing, carpet cleaning, gutter cleaning and power washing other than for a pool. The Department's chart lists mowing and similar lawn work in its capital improvement column rather than as taxable repair, but it prints no taxable or exempt label beside those rows, so confirm lawn work with the Department. A capital improvement, such as replacing a whole HVAC system, is a real property contract: you pay tax on materials and charge no tax on the job, and you keep Form E-589CI from the customer.

The effect on a website or invoice is direct. A job that mixes a deck wash with board replacement needs separate lines, because one is exempt and the other taxable. Registration is free: the Department says no fee applies for a certificate of registration, online or on Form NC-BR. Our sales tax on services guide compares this with other states.

Recording calls in North Carolina

G.S. 15A-287 makes interception a felony only when no party to the communication consented. As a participant, you may record the call. A short notice at the start covers callers in all-party states. See our guide to recording business calls.

Customer data and breach notices

G.S. 75-65 applies to any business that owns or licenses personal information of North Carolina residents and conducts business in the state. After a security breach, it must notify affected persons without unreasonable delay, in writing, electronically, by phone or in limited cases by substitute notice. It must also notify the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's office of the nature of the breach and the number of consumers affected. If more than 1,000 persons are notified at one time, it must notify the Division and the nationwide consumer reporting agencies about the timing and content of the notice. A business that only maintains data for someone else must tell the owner immediately after discovery. For a service company, that applies to a customer list with card or account details sitting in a CRM, spreadsheet or booking tool.

On card surcharges, we found no enacted North Carolina statute. A 2025 bill, House Bill 13, titled "Charges for Credit & Charge Cards," was re-referred to the House Rules committee on September 23, 2025, and the legislature's page shows no enactment. Check the bill page before you add a card fee, since the status may have moved.

What this means for your setup

Website. Collect text consent on a standalone signed form, not inside the terms page, and show license numbers where the statute requires them. Our website service builds consent forms that store the signature and timestamp. Business phone line. Stop sales outreach at 9 p.m., keep 24 months of caller records and scrub lists against the registry. AI receptionist. Inbound answering with a recording notice fits the law; outbound solicitation calls fall under G.S. 75-102 and the contract-validity rule. See the AI receptionist page. Email. The sources we read show no North Carolina commercial email statute beyond federal CAN-SPAM, so keep working unsubscribe links. For startup basics in the state, see starting a service business in North Carolina.

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