The Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act, or VTPPA, at Va. Code 59.1-510 to 59.1-518, has regulated telephone solicitation calls to Virginia residents since 2001. An amendment through SB 1339, effective July 1, 2025, cemented that text messaging is solicitation too.
How the Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act Covers Texts
Current definitions expressly cover text messages sent to any wireless phone with a Virginia area code or registered to a Virginia resident that advertise property, goods, or services. Alongside that, the Act requires identifying the caller and seller, honoring do-not-call requests and the national registry, observing calling-hour limits, and avoiding caller ID manipulation.
Damages and Practical Scope
Consumers have an individual action for damages of 500 dollars per violation, increasing for subsequent violations up to 5,000 dollars, plus attorney fees, and the attorney general can seek civil penalties. Because a Virginia area code alone can trigger the statute, national SMS programs should apply VTPPA controls to Virginia numbers rather than relying on billing addresses. That means consent capture, identification, and do-not-call handling keyed to the phone number itself.
Source: Code of Virginia: Va. Code 59.1-510 to 59.1-518 (SB 1339)
Report a violation: If you believe a business is violating this law, you can file a complaint with the Virginia Attorney General Consumer Protection Section.
