One-Party Consent States (2026): All 50 States and When You Must Tell People You're Recording
One-party consent states let you record a conversation you're in without asking. All 50 states plus DC, checked October 2026, and how Zoom, Meet and Teams fit.
Updated October 12, 2026
The short answer
Checked against each state's statute and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press state guides on October 12, 2026
36 states plus DC are one-party consent states: if you're in the conversation, your own consent is enough to record it.
- Everyone must agree
- California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington.
- Mixed or unsettled
- Connecticut and Nevada need everyone for calls. Oregon needs everyone told in person. Delaware and Michigan have laws that disagree, so ask everyone.
- People in different states
- Follow the stricter state. California's Supreme Court applied California's rule to calls recorded in Georgia.
- Zoom, Meet and Teams
- The same rules apply, and a video meeting usually mixes states. Say you're recording at the start.
- Recording your meetings
- Scribbl gives you the video, a transcript with speaker names and AI notes on Meet, Zoom and Teams. Nothing joins the call, so you tell people yourself.
36 states plus Washington DC are one-party consent states: if you're part of the conversation, you can record it without asking anyone else. Federal law works the same way, while nine states (California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington) need everyone's consent, and five more have mixed or unsettled rules.
Below is every state with its rule and statute, checked on October 12, 2026, plus the rule for calls across state lines and how it works in Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams meetings. This page is general information, not legal advice. If you record meetings with Scribbl, the steps are near the end: tell everyone you're recording, then let Scribbl give you the video, a transcript with speaker names, AI notes and action items.
What one-party consent means
Under one-party consent, only one person in a conversation has to agree to the recording. That person can be you. So if you're on the call or in the room, you can record without telling the others.
Under all-party consent, every person in the conversation has to agree. You'll often see it called two-party consent. That's an old name from two-person phone calls. It means everyone, so a call with six people needs all six.
- One person must agree, and it can be you.
- You can record a conversation you're part of without asking.
- The federal rule under 18 U.S.C. 2511(2)(d) and the rule in 36 states plus DC.
- It never covers a conversation you're not part of. Recording other people's conversation without one of them agreeing is illegal everywhere.
- Everyone in the conversation must agree, not just two people.
- The rule in California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington.
- In some of these states, a clear notice that you're recording counts. Washington's law says a recorded announcement is consent.
- When anyone might be in one of these states, tell everyone.
One-party consent states: all 50 states plus DC
Find your state with Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on a Mac). Bold rows need more than your own consent in at least some situations. Each rule was checked against the statute and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press state guide on October 12, 2026.
| State | Rule | What it means for you | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal law | One-party | You can record a conversation you're part of | 18 U.S.C. 2511(2)(d) |
| Alabama | One-party | Your consent is enough | Ala. Code 13A-11-30, 13A-11-31 |
| Alaska | One-party | Your consent is enough | Alaska Stat. 42.20.300, 42.20.310 |
| Arizona | One-party | Your consent is enough | Ariz. Rev. Stat. 13-3005, 13-3012 |
| Arkansas | One-party | Your consent is enough | Ark. Code 5-60-120 |
| California | All-party | Everyone must agree to record a confidential conversation. The person recorded can sue for $5,000 per violation | Cal. Penal Code 632, 637.2 |
| Colorado | One-party | Your consent is enough | Colo. Rev. Stat. 18-9-303, 18-9-304 |
| Connecticut | Mixed | Phone calls: everyone must agree, in writing, on the recording, or after a recorded warning. In person: one-party | Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-570d; 53a-187, 53a-189 |
| Delaware | Unsettled | The wiretap law is one-party but the privacy law says all parties. A federal court let a participant record. Get everyone's consent | Del. Code tit. 11, 2402(c)(4); 1335(a)(4) |
| Florida | All-party | Everyone must agree | Fla. Stat. 934.03 |
| Georgia | One-party | Your consent is enough | Ga. Code 16-11-62, 16-11-66 |
| Hawaii | One-party | Your consent is enough, except a device in a private place needs everyone entitled to privacy there | Haw. Rev. Stat. 803-42; 711-1111 |
| Idaho | One-party | Your consent is enough | Idaho Code 18-6702 |
| Illinois | All-party | Everyone must agree to record a private conversation, in person or electronic | 720 ILCS 5/14-2 |
| Indiana | One-party | Your consent is enough | Ind. Code 35-31.5-2-176 |
| Iowa | One-party | Your consent is enough | Iowa Code 808B.2, 727.8 |
| Kansas | One-party | Your consent is enough | Kan. Stat. 21-6101 |
| Kentucky | One-party | Your consent is enough | Ky. Rev. Stat. 526.010, 526.020 |
| Louisiana | One-party | Your consent is enough | La. Rev. Stat. 15:1303 |
| Maine | One-party | Your consent is enough, except in private places such as a bathroom | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 15, 709, 710; tit. 17-A, 511 |
| Maryland | All-party | Everyone must agree | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. 10-402 |
| Massachusetts | All-party | Secret recording is banned. If everyone knows, that's enough | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272, 99 |
| Michigan | Unsettled | The statute reads as everyone. Michigan's Court of Appeals lets a participant record, but the state Supreme Court hasn't ruled. Get everyone's consent | Mich. Comp. Laws 750.539c |
| Minnesota | One-party | Your consent is enough | Minn. Stat. 626A.02 |
| Mississippi | One-party | Your consent is enough | Miss. Code 41-29-531 |
| Missouri | One-party | Your consent is enough | Mo. Rev. Stat. 542.402 |
| Montana | All-party | Recording with a hidden device needs everyone's knowledge. A warning counts | Mont. Code 45-8-213 |
| Nebraska | One-party | Your consent is enough | Neb. Rev. Stat. 86-290 |
| Nevada | Mixed | Phone calls: everyone must agree. In person: one-party | Nev. Rev. Stat. 200.620; 200.650 |
| New Hampshire | All-party | Everyone must agree | N.H. Rev. Stat. 570-A:2 |
| New Jersey | One-party | Your consent is enough | N.J. Stat. 2A:156A-4 |
| New Mexico | One-party | Your consent is enough | N.M. Stat. 30-12-1 |
| New York | One-party | Your consent is enough. A bill to require everyone's consent (S5077) is in committee | N.Y. Penal Law 250.00, 250.05 |
| North Carolina | One-party | Your consent is enough | N.C. Gen. Stat. 15A-287 |
| North Dakota | One-party | Your consent is enough | N.D. Cent. Code 12.1-15-02 |
| Ohio | One-party | Your consent is enough | Ohio Rev. Code 2933.52 |
| Oklahoma | One-party | Your consent is enough | Okla. Stat. tit. 13, 176.4 |
| Oregon | Mixed | Phone calls: one-party. In person: everyone must be told. Upheld by the Ninth Circuit in 2025 | Or. Rev. Stat. 165.540 |
| Pennsylvania | All-party | Everyone must agree | 18 Pa. C.S. 5703, 5704 |
| Rhode Island | One-party | Your consent is enough | R.I. Gen. Laws 11-35-21 |
| South Carolina | One-party | Your consent is enough | S.C. Code 17-30-30 |
| South Dakota | One-party | Your consent is enough | S.D. Codified Laws 23A-35A-20 |
| Tennessee | One-party | Your consent is enough | Tenn. Code 39-13-601 |
| Texas | One-party | Your consent is enough | Tex. Penal Code 16.02 |
| Utah | One-party | Your consent is enough | Utah Code 77-23a-4 |
| Vermont | One-party | No state recording law, so federal one-party law applies | None; 18 U.S.C. 2511 |
| Virginia | One-party | Your consent is enough | Va. Code 19.2-62 |
| Washington | All-party | Everyone must agree. A recorded announcement that you're recording counts | Wash. Rev. Code 9.73.030 |
| Washington DC | One-party | Your consent is enough | D.C. Code 23-542(b)(3) |
| West Virginia | One-party | Your consent is enough | W. Va. Code 62-1D-3 |
| Wisconsin | One-party | Your consent is enough | Wis. Stat. 968.31 |
| Wyoming | One-party | Your consent is enough | Wyo. Stat. 7-3-702 |
Mixed and unsettled states, explained
These five states are where most published lists disagree, so here is what the law says in each.
- Connecticut. Connecticut's criminal law is one-party. Its civil law (Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-570d) says you can't record a phone call unless everyone agrees in writing, agrees on the recording, or hears a recorded warning. In-person conversations need only one person's consent.
- Nevada. Nevada's Supreme Court read the phone call statute (Nev. Rev. Stat. 200.620) to require everyone's consent in Lane v. Allstate (1998). In-person conversations need one person's consent under 200.650.
- Oregon. Phone calls need one person's consent. For in-person conversations, Or. Rev. Stat. 165.540(1)(c) says everyone must be told they're being recorded. A Ninth Circuit panel struck that part down in 2023, but the full court reversed and upheld it in January 2025, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined the case on October 6, 2025.
- Delaware. The wiretap law (tit. 11, 2402) lets a participant record. The privacy law (tit. 11, 1335) says all parties must agree. A federal court sided with one-party in United States v. Vespe (1975), but the conflict is still on the books.
- Michigan. The eavesdropping law (Mich. Comp. Laws 750.539c) reads as if everyone must agree. Michigan's Court of Appeals held in Sullivan v. Gray (1982) that a participant can record, and a federal court has followed it. Michigan's Supreme Court hasn't decided the question.
Recording across state lines
If the people in a conversation are in different states, follow the stricter state's rule. This is where one-party consent most often misleads people.
The best-known case is Kearney v. Salomon Smith Barney (2006). Brokers in Georgia, a one-party state, recorded calls with clients in California without telling them. California's Supreme Court held that California's all-party law applied to those calls and barred the company from recording calls with California clients without consent.
Courts don't all agree on which state's law controls a cross-state call. Some look at where the recording was made, others at where the person being recorded was. You usually can't know where everyone is, especially on a cell phone or a video meeting. So when anyone might be outside your state, tell everyone you're recording.
One-party consent on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams
A video meeting is a conversation, so the same state laws apply to Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls. What's different is that a meeting usually has people in several states, and you rarely know which. That pushes almost every meeting toward the stricter rule.
Each platform has its own recording notice, but it only appears when the platform's own recording starts.
| Platform | What people see when the platform records | Consent setting for admins |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom | A notice when recording starts or when they join a recorded meeting. They can stay or leave | Admins can customize the recording consent disclaimer and show it to all participants or guests only |
| Google Meet | A notice when recording starts or stops | Since May 2026, admins can require each person to agree before recording, transcripts or Take notes for me start. Off by default |
| Microsoft Teams | A notification that recording has started | "Require participant agreement for recording and transcription" mutes everyone until they say Yes. Anyone who says No can only watch |
Three things follow from this:
- A platform notice isn't the same as you telling people. It's a good start, and in states like Washington an announcement can count as consent. But the notice is written by the platform, not by you, and it doesn't explain who will see the notes.
- The notice isn't the same as consent. Whatever you record with, say "I'm recording" at the start and give people a chance to object.
- Bot note takers are visible but don't speak for you. A bot in the attendee list tells people something is recording. It doesn't tell them who is recording or why. A sentence from you does the job better.
How to record a meeting and tell everyone
The simplest way to stay inside the law in every state is the same for every meeting: tell everyone at the start, give them a chance to object, then record. Here's how that works with Scribbl on Google Meet, Zoom and Teams.
- 1
Set up Scribbl once
Add the Scribbl Chrome extension for Google Meet, or install Scribbl Desktop on a Mac (Apple silicon) or Windows PC for Zoom and Teams. The free plan includes Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
- 2
Put it in the invite
Add a line to the calendar invite: "This meeting will be recorded for notes. Let me know if you'd rather it wasn't."
- 3
Say it before anything else
"Quick heads-up, I'm recording this meeting for notes. Is everyone OK with that?" Pause and give people a real chance to answer.
- 4
Join the meeting as usual
Nothing joins the call. There's no bot in the attendee list for anyone to wonder about.
- 5
Get the notes after
Scribbl gives you the video recording, a transcript with speaker names, AI notes and action items. Recordings are private by default.
Once the meeting is recorded, Scribbl can do the follow-up too. Smart Collections sort meetings by themselves, and Automations can draft the follow-up email, log a note in HubSpot or Pipedrive, or post a summary to Slack or Teams when a meeting lands in a collection. They ask before they change anything by default. On Pro, you can connect Scribbl to ChatGPT or Claude and ask about past meetings.
Lines you can use to tell people
- Start of a call: "Before we start, I'm recording this for notes. Everyone OK with that?"
- External or sensitive meeting: "I'd like to record this meeting so I have accurate notes. Only the people on this call will see them. Does anyone object?"
- Meeting chat: "FYI, I'm recording today's call for notes. Say so if you'd prefer I didn't."
- Calendar invite: "This meeting will be recorded for notes and shared with attendees."
If someone says no, stop recording or leave them out. In an all-party state, recording after someone objects is exactly what the law forbids.
What happens if you record without the consent the law requires
The penalties stack up fast:
| Consequence | What the law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Federal crime | Fine, up to 5 years in prison, or both | 18 U.S.C. 2511(4)(a) |
| Federal lawsuit | Actual damages, or statutory damages of $100 a day or $10,000, whichever is greater | 18 U.S.C. 2520(c)(2) |
| California lawsuit | $5,000 per violation, or three times actual damages | Cal. Penal Code 637.2 |
| Other states | Criminal fines or jail for each offense in most states, and many allow lawsuits | RCFP Reporter's Recording Guide |
For the full picture on when recording is a crime, including phone calls, work and recording people who aren't in the conversation, see is it illegal to record a conversation.
One-party consent FAQ
What are the one-party consent states?
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming, plus Washington DC. Federal law is one-party too. Oregon is one-party for phone calls, and Connecticut and Nevada are one-party for in-person conversations.
What does one-party consent mean?
It means only one person in the conversation has to agree to the recording, and that person can be you. If you're part of the conversation, you can record it without asking the others. It never lets you record a conversation you're not part of.
Which states require everyone's consent to record?
California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington require everyone's consent or knowledge. Connecticut and Nevada require it for phone calls, and Oregon requires everyone to be told for in-person conversations. Delaware and Michigan have laws and court rulings that point both ways, so get everyone's consent there too.
Is it two-party or all-party consent?
They mean the same thing. Two-party consent is the older name, from two-person phone calls. The rule is that every person in the conversation must agree, so a call with six people needs all six.
What if the people on the call are in different states?
Follow the stricter state's rule. In 2006 California's Supreme Court held that a company recording calls in Georgia, a one-party state, had to follow California's all-party rule for calls with clients in California. You usually can't be sure where everyone is, so tell everyone you're recording.
Do one-party consent laws apply to Zoom, Google Meet and Teams meetings?
Yes. A video meeting is a conversation, so the same state laws apply, and most meetings have people in more than one state. Zoom, Google Meet and Teams show a notice when their own recording starts, but whatever tool you use, say at the start that you're recording.
Can I record my boss or a coworker in a one-party consent state?
The state law usually lets you record a conversation you're part of. Your employer can still ban recording at work, and breaking that rule can cost you your job even when the recording is legal. Check the company policy and tell people.
What happens if I record without the consent the law requires?
Under federal law, illegally intercepting a conversation can carry up to five years in prison, and the person recorded can sue for at least $10,000. California lets the person sue for $5,000 per violation.
Sources
All checked October 12, 2026.
- Federal law: 18 U.S.C. 2511 (one-party rule in (2)(d), up to five years in (4)(a)) and 18 U.S.C. 2520 (civil damages in (c)(2)), Cornell Legal Information Institute
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Introduction to the Reporter's Recording Guide and the state guides, including Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Washington
- Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, Laws on Recording Conversations in All 50 States (statute citations, checked against the state guides above)
- Missouri Revisor of Statutes, Section 542.402
- California Penal Code section 637.2 ($5,000 per violation)
- Davis Wright Tremaine, California Supreme Court applies electronic-recording statute to out-of-state calls, July 2006 (Kearney v. Salomon Smith Barney, 39 Cal. 4th 95)
- FIRE, Project Veritas v. Schmidt (Ninth Circuit en banc upheld Or. Rev. Stat. 165.540(1)(c), 125 F.4th 929, 2025), and U.S. Supreme Court docket No. 24-1061 (petition denied October 6, 2025)
- New York State Senate, Senate Bill S5077 (2025-2026) (referred to the Codes committee January 7, 2026)
- Zoom Support, Customizing the recording consent disclaimer
- Google Meet Help, Record a video meeting, and Google Workspace Updates, Require explicit consent for Take notes with Gemini, recordings and transcripts in Google Meet, April 2026
- Microsoft Support, Start, stop, and find meeting recordings in Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Learn, Manage participant agreement for recording and transcription
- Scribbl, Pricing (free plan and Pro)
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