TCPA compliance overview

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is a US law that regulates how businesses can contact customers via SMS. Compliance is mandatory before you can send SMS marketing messages through Firepush.

What does TCPA require?

Customers must provide prior express written consent before receiving marketing SMS messages. Simply having a customer's phone number is not consent.

Steps to become compliant

1. Add a consent checkbox to your Shopify checkout — with clear language about what the customer is subscribing to
2. Include opt-out instructions — every SMS must mention that customers can reply STOP to unsubscribe
3. Update your privacy policy — mention that you collect phone numbers for SMS marketing
4. Update your terms of service — include SMS marketing terms
5. Submit for review — contact Firepush support with screenshots and documentation to get SMS enabled

See our how to enable SMS article for detailed setup instructions.

Important rules

• Messages can only be sent between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM in the recipient's local time (Firepush enforces this automatically)
• Every message must include an unsubscribe option
• Age-restricted products (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, firearms, adult content) are not permitted

Why does it matter?

TCPA violations carry serious penalties:

• $500 per violation (statutory damages)
• $1,500 per willful violation
• Risk of class action lawsuits and carrier blocking

Firepush requires compliance verification before enabling SMS to protect both you and your customers.