Compliance for sales teams, agencies and clinics
Business texting compliance, explained before you send
Texting compliance comes down to three questions: did this person agree to hear from you, can they stop you instantly, and is your number registered for the traffic you send. Beam enforces opt outs and pacing on every line and supports HIPAA compliant texting through compliant carrier infrastructure. Consent, content and registration paperwork stay with your business, and this page shows where each piece lives.
This page explains rules and how Beam behaves. It is not legal advice; have counsel review your consent language and campaigns.
What does Beam handle, and what stays with your business?
Most compliance problems start when a team assumes the platform covers everything. It does not, on any platform. Here is the split on Beam, taken from Beam's compliance documentation.
| Area | Beam handles | Your business handles |
|---|---|---|
| Opt outs | STOP, unsubscribe, quit, cancel or end blocks every future send to that contact, including automated replies and scheduled follow ups | Keeping your CRM and other tools in sync with the suppression |
| Pacing | Gradual warm up on new lines and no overnight bursts | Sending volume that matches what your recipients expect |
| Sender identity | One permanent number per contact so the whole history stays in one thread | Saying who you are early in any new conversation |
| Consent | A default consent line on the Beam text widget you can replace | Collecting and recording consent, including written consent for marketing |
| Registration | Number types matched to the traffic you plan to send | Accurate brand and campaign details when a number type requires registration or verification |
| Healthcare | Supports HIPAA compliant texting through compliant carrier infrastructure | Your own safeguards: minimum necessary information, staff access and patient preferences |
Treat the right column as your checklist. If a row has no owner on your team, that is the gap to close before launch.
What do TCPA consent and opt out rules require for texting?
Federal rules treat a text much like a call. Under 47 CFR 64.1200, marketing texts sent with automated tools need prior express written consent, and a person can revoke consent by any reasonable means. Replies such as stop, quit, end, revoke, opt out, cancel or unsubscribe count automatically, and revocations must be honored within ten business days of receipt (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(10)).
The distinction that saves teams money
When a lead texts you first, you may answer what they asked about. That does not put them on a promotional list. Campaign messages later need their own express written consent. Beam's consent guide walks through what to place near your text button: who you are, what texting is for, message and data rates, how to reply STOP or HELP, and links to your privacy policy and terms.
How Beam behaves when someone opts out
Beam blocks the contact the moment they opt out, across inbox replies, AI assistant replies, workflows and the API. An API send to an opted out contact is refused. The details, including ordinary language opt outs, are in our STOP and opt out handling guide.
What hours can a business send marketing texts?
The federal rule bars telephone solicitations to residential subscribers before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., local time at the recipient's location (47 CFR 64.1200(c)(1)). Some states are stricter. Florida's telemarketing law limits commercial solicitation calls to 8 a.m. through 8 p.m. in the recipient's time zone (Florida Statutes 501.616(6)), and many teams apply the same window to marketing texts.
A practical rule for sales teams: schedule marketing sends inside the narrowest window that applies to any state on your list, and base the window on the contact's time zone, not your office. Beam's pacing already avoids overnight sends; your workflow schedule should still follow the state windows that apply to your audience. Teams that also call leads can compare the calling side in RizzDial's guide to TCPA calling hours and consent.
Which registration does each number type need?
Carriers decide what paperwork a number needs based on its type. Pick the number type first, and the registration path follows.
| Number type | What carriers expect for business SMS | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|
| Local ten digit number (10DLC) | A2P 10DLC brand and campaign registration before campaign traffic is delivered | T-Mobile guidance, The Campaign Registry, Beam's A2P 10DLC guide |
| Toll free number | Toll free messaging verification of the business and use case; new submissions from September 15, 2026 also need public privacy policy and terms links | Toll free verification update |
| Short code | Carrier approval of the program, plus a short code lease | US Short Code Directory |
| iMessage line | No A2P registration for iMessage conversations; any SMS fallback from that line follows the SMS rules for its number type | How Beam routing works |
Registration identifies your business and campaign. It does not prove consent, and it does not make a weak list safe. Carriers still filter traffic that draws complaints, whatever the paperwork says.
Does Beam support HIPAA compliant texting for clinics?
Beam supports HIPAA compliant texting through compliant carrier infrastructure, so practices can confirm appointments, send prep instructions and answer patient questions from a dedicated business line. HIPAA compliance is shared work, though. Your practice still decides what goes into a message and who on staff can see it.
- Send the minimum necessary information. A reminder can confirm a time and place without naming a procedure.
- Ask patients how they prefer to be contacted and record it. HHS guidance on patient messages permits communication with reasonable safeguards.
- Limit inbox access to staff who need it, and review access when roles change.
- Review whether your arrangement needs a written business associate agreement under HHS business associate guidance, and talk to Beam before sending protected health information.
Healthcare reminders that rely on the federal exemption for exempt healthcare messages to wireless numbers carry their own limits: one message per day and three per week per patient, an opt out in every message and no marketing content (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(9)(iv)). For a front desk workflow, see dental text messaging.
What should a compliant texting launch checklist include?
- Map your audience. List who you will text, how each group opted in and which messages are marketing.
- Choose the number type. Use the number types guide to match volume and use case.
- Finish registration or verification for that number type before campaign traffic.
- Publish your consent language near every text button and form.
- Test an opt out on a contact you control and confirm it suppresses workflows and the CRM.
- Set send windows by contact time zone and the strictest state on your list.
- Watch replies. Falling reply rates and complaints are the early warning; slow down before carriers do it for you.
Before you connect
Which compliance questions do buyers ask first?
Is Beam HIPAA compliant?
Beam supports HIPAA compliant texting through compliant carrier infrastructure. Your practice still controls what each message says and who can read it, so keep messages to the minimum necessary and talk with Beam before sending protected health information.
Do I need A2P 10DLC registration to text from Beam?
Not for iMessage conversations. SMS sent from a local ten digit number needs A2P 10DLC registration, a toll free number needs toll free verification and a short code needs carrier approval.
What happens when a contact replies STOP?
Beam blocks every future send to that contact right away, including automated replies, workflows and API sends. Ordinary language opt outs are handled too.
What hours can I send marketing texts?
Federal rules bar telephone solicitations before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. in the recipient's local time, and some states set narrower windows. Use the narrowest window that applies to your list.
Does registration prove I have consent?
No. Registration and verification identify your business and campaign. Consent is a separate record your business collects and keeps.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a practical summary of the rules and of how Beam behaves. Have counsel review your consent language and campaigns.
Sources
Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 47 CFR 64.1200, TCPA delivery restrictions (Cornell LII) · Accessed October 9, 2026.
- Telgorithm: toll free verification privacy policy and terms requirement · Accessed October 9, 2026.
- The Campaign Registry resources · Accessed October 9, 2026.
- T-Mobile consumer and non-consumer messaging · Accessed October 9, 2026.
- US Short Code Directory · Accessed October 9, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 501.616, commercial telephone solicitation · Accessed October 9, 2026.
- HHS: may health care providers leave messages for patients · Accessed October 9, 2026.
- HHS business associate guidance · Accessed October 9, 2026.
Start with a conversation
Want to walk through your compliance setup with our team?
Tell us who you text, how they opted in and which number type you plan to use. We will show how Beam handles opt outs, pacing and one thread per contact on a test contact you control. Prefer a call? Reach Beam at (480) 486-1869.
Live sending requires a plan and an assigned dedicated line. Carrier registration and verification timelines are set by carriers, not by Beam.
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