The SMS Coach, Justin H. Mueller

Maryland SMS Marketing and A2P Messaging Rules

A plain-language, source-linked guide to Maryland authorities relevant to SMS, MMS, telemarketing, privacy, consent, and do-not-call issues.

2reviewed source records
1express text-message source
0fact-dependent sources
1related or unresolved source

What the sources say

The Maryland sources reviewed for this page include 1 source that expressly cover text messaging. Other sources may apply only to particular activities or provide related context. Federal law, carrier policy, and sender-registration requirements may still apply alongside state law.

Authorities and official sources

Each entry explains what the source says, where its limits are, and what it does not establish.

State law · Current

Maryland Stop the Spam Calls Act amendments to the Commercial Law article

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How this authority relates to messaging

The reviewed source expressly includes text messaging within a broader legal or regulatory framework.

What the source establishes

  • Maryland’s current statute expressly uses “telephone call, text message, or voicemail transmission” in the telephonic-solicitation framework and ties covered automated solicitations to prior express written consent.

Limits and important context

  • Broad consumer telemarketing, automated solicitation, and consent statute.
  • Prior express written consent; sender identification; time-of-day and DNC-style controls under the amended framework.
  • Statutory exemptions remain for certain nonprofit, informational, and relationship-based communications.
  • Private action and enforcement risk are material.
  • State enforcement and private-claim exposure remain material.
  • Current codified section.
  • This definitions section alone does not resolve every exemption or which call-specific technical duties apply identically to texts.

Consent standard stated in the source

  • prior express written consent

Exceptions or special treatment

  • Nonprofit communication: Statutory exemptions remain for certain nonprofit, informational, and relationship-based communications.
  • Informational communication: Statutory exemptions remain for certain nonprofit, informational, and relationship-based communications.
  • Relationship-based communication: Statutory exemptions remain for certain nonprofit, informational, and relationship-based communications.

Official and supporting sources

  1. § 14-4501(d)(2), prior express written consent
Source and review details
Jurisdiction
Maryland
Source type
State law
Current status
Current

State law · Current

Maryland Online Data Privacy Act

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How this authority relates to messaging

This source is relevant to the broader program, but the reviewed text does not expressly establish general SMS or MMS coverage.

What the source establishes

  • Add Maryland to notice, rights, opt-out, profiling, processor, and assessment workflows now rather than waiting for a later privacy refresh.

Limits and important context

  • Maryland enacted a full controller/processor privacy law with consumer rights and Maryland Consumer Protection Act enforcement. Material because Maryland is now one of the stricter state privacy regimes for consumer-data use; messaging programs touching Maryland residents should not assume “standard state omnibus law” treatment. The surfaced official bill materials confirm the law, rights structure, and UDAP-style enforcement; implementation should still reference the chaptered text directly because Maryland diverges from lighter state models. Effective October 1, 2025. Strongest surfaced official source is the Maryland General Assembly bill page. Effective October 1, 2025, but does not apply to processing before April 1, 2026.

Official and supporting sources

  1. 2024 Md. Laws ch. 454
Source and review details
Jurisdiction
Maryland
Source type
State law
Current status
Current

Continue with the most useful next step

Move from a jurisdiction or authority layer to the sources and tools most likely to answer the next question.

Check this state in the SMS Compliance Preflight Use program details to identify the authority layers that may apply. Federal law The federal statutes and regulations that form the national legal baseline for U.S. A2P text messaging. FCC rules and orders FCC actions addressing consent revocation, opt-out handling, robotext blocking, and related operational controls. Carrier policy Carrier policies and public guidance concerning approved messaging paths, consent evidence, opt-out handling, filtering, and sender behavior. Sender registration 10DLC, short-code, toll-free, vetting, and monitoring requirements used to register or verify U.S. A2P senders. National Do Not Call The national registry and federal do-not-call framework relevant to covered U.S. telemarketing programs. Browse SMS marketing laws by state Return to the complete state and national authority index.

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Use an advisory review when the result depends on facts that a public authority index cannot resolve.

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