The FCC Reassigned Numbers Database: What It Is and Who Should Use It
The Reassigned Numbers Database (RND) answers one question: has this US phone number been permanently disconnected since the date I got consent? If yes, the number may now belong to a different person, and your consent came from the previous owner. The FCC set it up so callers can find that out before they dial. It's run by an administrator at reassigned.us, and access is paid.
This page explains how it works and how it differs from phone validation. It's general information, not legal advice.
The problem it solves
In the US, phone numbers are recycled. When someone cancels a line, the number goes back to the carrier and after an ageing period is given to a new customer. The new owner never agreed to hear from you.
Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), many automated calls and texts need the called party's prior consent. If you text a number using consent from its previous owner, you're texting someone who never gave it. That has been a large source of TCPA claims, which is why the FCC created the database.
How it works
- Phone companies report disconnections. Carriers report numbers they've permanently disconnected, with the date, to the database every month.
- You query a number and a date. The date is when you last had reason to believe the number belonged to your consenting customer, typically when they gave consent.
- The database answers yes (disconnected since that date), no (not disconnected since that date), or no data.
| Answer | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Yes | The number was disconnected after your date. Treat the consent as gone. |
| No | No permanent disconnection reported since your date. The FCC's safe harbor can apply if this answer turns out to be wrong. |
| No data | The database can't say. No safe harbor from this check. |
The safe harbor
If you check the database, it answers "no", and the number had in fact been reassigned, the FCC treats the resulting call as not violating the TCPA's consent rule. The protection depends on checking properly: using the right date and checking close enough to when you call. The FCC's rules set out the details, so read them or ask counsel before relying on it.
Checking is voluntary. Not checking isn't a violation in itself; it just means you don't have the safe harbor if a number turns out to be reassigned.
Who uses it
- Healthcare and pharmacies sending appointment and refill reminders.
- Banks, lenders and utilities sending account alerts and payment reminders.
- Retailers and subscription businesses texting opted-in customers.
- Debt collectors and anyone calling consumers on older consent.
If you only call businesses, or you collected consent recently and call once, the risk is lower, but the decision is yours and your lawyer's.
Reassigned check vs phone validation
They answer different questions, and neither replaces the other.
| Question | Phone validation | Carrier lookup | Reassigned Numbers Database |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is the number in a valid range for its country? | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mobile, landline or VoIP? | Outside North America, by prefix | Yes | No |
| Which carrier serves it now? | No | Yes | No |
| Disconnected since a given date? | No | No | Yes |
| Who owns it now? | No | No | No |
Validation and line type are the hygiene layer: they remove numbers that can't work and tell you which can take a text. The RND is a consent layer, for US numbers only.
A sensible order before a consent-based SMS campaign to US numbers:
- Validate and normalise every number to E.164.
- Find the mobiles, because most landlines can't receive SMS. See validating phone numbers for SMS.
- Check the RND for the numbers you'll contact on older consent.
- Suppress opt-outs and anything flagged.
What SimpleVerifier does and doesn't do here
We don't query the Reassigned Numbers Database, and we don't tell you who owns a number or whether it's in service. We cover steps 1 and 2.
Upload a CSV on the verifier and every phone gets a validity status, its E.164 form, country and numbering-plan line type on paid plans. Live carrier lookups, a paid extra (see pricing), add the real line type (mobile, landline or VoIP) and the carrier name. You can then take the cleaned mobile list to the RND.
Why line type matters for US calling rules is covered in TCPA: mobile vs landline.
Related: mobile vs landline lookup · why SMS delivery fails · phone validation for cold calling · phone carrier lookup
Common questions
What is the Reassigned Numbers Database?
A database set up by the FCC that lets callers check whether a US phone number has been permanently disconnected since a given date. If it has, the number may now belong to someone else, so earlier consent from the previous owner no longer applies.
Who needs to check the Reassigned Numbers Database?
Businesses that call or text US consumers on the basis of consent they collected earlier, for example appointment reminders, account alerts or marketing to opted-in customers. Checking is voluntary, but it is the route to the FCC's safe harbor for calls to reassigned numbers.
Is the Reassigned Numbers Database free?
No. Access is sold as subscriptions through the database administrator's website, priced by usage. Check reassigned.us for current terms.
Is a reassigned numbers check the same as phone validation?
No. Phone validation tells you whether a number is in a valid range and, with a carrier lookup, its line type and carrier. A reassigned numbers check tells you whether the number was disconnected after a date you supply. They answer different questions and many senders use both.
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