Virginia residents can now take legal action against marketers who won’t stop texting

New law backs up your opt-out requests

Virginia residents now have a state law on their side when marketing texts won’t stop.

The Telephone Privacy Protection Act took effect on July 1, 2025, and it gives anyone who gets a marketing text the right to tell the sender to stop.

If the sender keeps texting after that request, the recipient can take legal action. Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed the bill, HB 2453, into law back in March 2025.

The law targets sales texts specifically

This law covers texts sent to sell you goods or services. That’s an important detail, because it doesn’t apply to everything that lands in your inbox.

Political campaign texts, nonprofit outreach, and informational alerts all fall outside the law’s reach. And opting out doesn’t mean texting “STOP” to a shortcode.

It means making a clear request to the sender to quit contacting you. So don’t expect this to wipe out every annoying text you get.

How to use the new law

Using the law is simple. When a marketing text comes in, reply and ask the sender to stop.

Under the new law, the sender has to honor that request. But here’s the part most people miss: keep a record.

Save your opt-out message and screenshot any texts that keep coming after.

That paper trail could be the difference between having a case and having nothing if you need to take things further.

Enforcement falls on you, not the state

The law gives individuals what’s called a private right of action. That means you can sue a sender who ignores your opt-out request.

But no state agency is watching your phone or automatically fining companies that break the rules. You may be able to seek damages, but you’ll need to pursue that yourself.

It’s a real legal tool, but it takes effort to use it.

State law fills gaps in federal protections

The federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) already restricts robocalls and unsolicited marketing texts. But enforcement has lagged, and getting relief as an individual hasn’t been easy.

Virginia’s law creates a clearer, state-level path for residents to act against unwanted marketing texts. Several other states have passed similar laws to address the same problem.

The goal is to give people options closer to home when federal rules fall short.

Del. Delaney introduced the bill

Delegate Karrie Delaney introduced HB 2453 in the Virginia General Assembly. The bill passed both chambers before landing on the governor’s desk.

It went into effect under Virginia’s standard July 1 legislative cycle, which means it joined a batch of new laws that all started at the same time.

Delaney’s bill adds Virginia to a growing list of states giving residents more power over their phones.

Virginians get a stronger legal footing

Residents now have a specific state law behind their right to opt out of marketing texts. That matters because before this, a “STOP” reply carried weight only under industry guidelines, not state law.

The new law gives opt-out requests real legal teeth. It doesn’t replace federal protections but works alongside them.

For Virginians tired of marketing texts that ignore their wishes, this is a more direct path to doing something about it.

The law has clear limits

Don’t expect this law to do everything. It won’t block texts automatically or filter them from your phone.

It doesn’t cover political texts or messages from charities. And it doesn’t create a government agency to keep tabs on text marketers.

The law only kicks in when someone sends you a text trying to sell a product or service. Everything else stays outside its reach.

States step in where federal rules fall short

Federal enforcement of the TCPA hasn’t kept pace with the flood of unwanted texts Americans deal with every day. So states are stepping in.

Virginia joins a growing list of states with their own telemarketing text protections, and the trend shows no sign of slowing down.

The push reflects broad frustration with spam texts, and it puts pressure on senders to take opt-out requests seriously.

What to do if texts keep coming

If a sender ignores your request, start building your case. Write down the date you sent your opt-out message and save the content.

Screenshot every marketing text the sender delivers after that point. Then talk to a consumer protection attorney about your options under the new law.

You can also file a complaint under the federal TCPA if the texts break federal rules. The key is documentation, so start saving everything.

Billions of unwanted texts drive new laws

Americans get billions of unwanted marketing texts every year, and the problem keeps growing. Laws like Virginia’s aim to shift the burden onto senders to respect opt-out requests.

But how well they work depends on whether people actually follow through with legal action.

More states may follow Virginia’s lead in the coming years as frustration with spam texts continues to build across the country.

The bottom line for Virginia residents

If you live in Virginia and get a text trying to sell you something, you now have a clear legal right to tell the sender to stop. The law only covers sales texts, so political and nonprofit messages don’t count.

If the sender ignores your request, you can pursue legal action. Keep records of every opt-out request you send and every text that follows.

That documentation is your strongest tool under the new law.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• This TikToker found hundreds in overpriced Walmart meat in under 60 seconds
• ICE can now ID you by pointing a phone at your face — and you can’t say no
• Airlines were secretly selling your flight data to ICE, FBI, and IRS. That ends this year.