The FCC's Reassigned Numbers Database: How Businesses Avoid Calling or Texting the Wrong Person
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How we wrote this: A summary of the FCC's Reassigned Numbers Database page and the official database site, reassigned.us (linked below), checked October 29, 2026. It is general information, not legal advice.
A customer gives you their cell number and agrees to get appointment texts. Two years later they switch numbers, the carrier hands the old one to a stranger, and your reminders now go to someone who never agreed to them. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), that can be a problem for the sender. The FCC's Reassigned Numbers Database (RND) exists to catch this.
How numbers get reassigned
According to the FCC's RND page, phone companies must:
- Keep a record of the most recent date each number was permanently disconnected.
- Wait at least 45 days after a permanent disconnection before giving the number to someone new.
- Report permanent disconnections to the database administrator every month, on the 15th.
The database itself went live for paid subscribers on November 1, 2021. As of February 2023, the FCC said it held over 305.9 million geographic and toll-free numbers.
How a lookup works
You enter the phone number and a date: either the date you got the customer's consent or the last date you confirmed they were at that number. The database answers one of three ways:
| Answer | What it means |
|---|---|
| Yes | The number was permanently disconnected (and possibly reassigned) after your date. Don't call or text it unless you have consent from the current holder. |
| No | The number hasn't been disconnected since your date. You can contact it, as long as you have any consent the TCPA requires. |
| No Data | The number isn't in the database, and your date is before the date providers had to start keeping disconnection records. |
The FCC says you can query individual numbers (up to 50 at a time) or upload groups of up to 250,000.
The safe harbor
The database also gives callers a limited legal shield. Per the FCC, to be protected from TCPA liability for reaching a reassigned number, a caller must show that:
- It had consent from the person it meant to reach.
- It (or its authorized agent) checked the database before the call to confirm the number hadn't been disconnected since consent was given.
- The database answered "No," and that answer was wrong.
The FCC also warns that callers may be liable if they call a reassigned number without checking, or if they check and then knowingly call a reassigned number without consent.
Does a small business need it?
It depends on what you send and how much. The database is mainly for businesses that make automated or prerecorded calls or send automated texts that require consent, such as reminder services, collections or marketing programs. A shop that only calls customers back by hand is in a different position.
The cost is a paid subscription. The official site, reassigned.us, lists one-month, three-month, six-month and annual plans in several tiers on its pricing page, and the FCC notes that new, lower interim pricing took effect April 28, 2025. You can also use an agent (for example, your texting platform) to query on your behalf; the FCC has said a caller may still qualify for the safe harbor when its authorized agent runs the check.
Good habits either way
- Record the date you got each customer's consent. Without it, a database check can't help you.
- Re-confirm numbers when customers come back after a long gap.
- When someone replies "wrong number," stop messaging that number right away and note it.
- Honor opt-outs quickly. The FCC's rules on this are changing on November 25, 2026; see robotext and robocall opt-out rules.
If you're on the receiving end
If you keep getting calls meant for your number's previous owner, the FCC says you can file a complaint with the FCC or the FTC, or pursue a private right of action under the TCPA.