Answer
Is it legal to text past estimate customers?
Usually yes, if they gave you their number when they asked for the estimate, you text from a registered business number, you keep to 8am through 9pm in their local time, and you honor STOP. That existing relationship plus their consent is the legal basis. Cold or purchased numbers are a different story.
The nervous version of this question is fair. Text the wrong way and the penalties under the TCPA are steep, quoted per message. But following up with your own past customers, done right, is a normal and welcome thing. The difference is in four details.
What makes it clean
- Consent and relationship. The person requested an estimate and handed over their number for that purpose. That is your basis for contacting them about it. Keep the message about the thing they asked for.
- A registered business number. US carriers require business texting to be registered through A2P 10DLC. Register your brand and campaign, or your texts get filtered and never arrive.
- Quiet hours. Nothing before 8am or after 9pm in the customer's own time zone. This is a hard line, not a courtesy.
- A working opt-out. Every message needs an easy out. Anyone who replies STOP comes off the list immediately and stays off.
What crosses the line
Buying a list of numbers. Texting people who never contacted you. Blasting promotions with no opt-out. Messaging at all hours. Ignoring a STOP. Any one of those turns a warm follow-up into a violation, and the fines are per text, so they add up fast.
The short version
A follow-up to someone who raised their hand, sent from your own registered number, at a reasonable hour, with a way to opt out, is the safe path. That is exactly how a careful recovery process is built. Rules vary by state and change over time, so confirm your specifics, but the four details above are the spine of it.
Do I need written consent to text a past estimate customer?
For a plain follow-up to someone who gave you their number when requesting the estimate, the existing relationship generally supports contact. Promotional content is held to a higher bar, so stay relevant, honor opt-outs, and check your state.
What is A2P 10DLC and do I need it?
It's the US carrier registration for business texting over standard 10-digit numbers. Send business texts at any real volume and you register, or they get filtered and blocked.