Texas licensing and marketing rules for home-service companies
Before you let a system answer calls and send texts under your business name, it needs to carry the same licence number your truck does and follow the same hours the law sets. Here are the rules, by trade, in one place.
What rules apply to a Texas home-service company’s calls, texts and ads?
Four sets. Licensing: HVAC (TDLR), electrical (TDLR) and plumbing (TSBPE) are state-licensed and must put the licence number in advertising and on both sides of every vehicle; irrigation needs a TCEQ licensed irrigator and pest control a TDA licence; roofing, landscaping, cleaning and handyman work have no state licence. Texting: since 1 September 2025 marketing texts are telephone solicitations under SB 140, consent-based programmes are exempt from registration, hours are 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Recording: Texas is one-party consent. Reviews: no incentives, no gating, per Google and the FTC. Anything that answers or texts for you has to follow all four.
| Trade | State licence | Board | Number on ads and vehicles? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC / air conditioning and refrigeration | Yes: ACR contractor (Class A or B) | TDLR | Yes. 16 TAC §75.71(h): all advertising designed to solicit AC business “must include the affiliated licensee’s license number”; §75.71(g): number and company name on both sides of vehicles in letters at least two inches high |
| Electrical | Yes: electrical contractor (TECL) with a master electrician | TDLR | Yes. 16 TAC §73.51: name and licence number preceded by “TECL” on both sides of each vehicle, and in all advertising that solicits electrical business, including business cards |
| Plumbing | Yes: responsible master plumber behind the company | TSBPE | Yes; TSBPE requires the licence number on vehicles and in advertising |
| Irrigation | Yes: licensed irrigator | TCEQ | Yes; licence number required on advertising and vehicles |
| Pest control | Yes: structural pest control licence | Texas Department of Agriculture (SPCS) | Yes; business licence number on vehicles and advertising |
| Roofing | No state licence | None; voluntary RCAT registration | No requirement; put insurance and references in ads instead |
| Landscaping, lawn care, cleaning, handyman, pressure washing | No state licence | Local permits where applicable | No requirement |
| Garage doors, fencing, painting | No state licence | Local | No requirement |
Why does a licence number belong in an automated text?
Because a text that offers your services is advertising. A missed-call text-back that says “it’s Dave at Comfort Air, what’s going on?” is a reply, but a seasonal tune-up text is advertising designed to solicit air-conditioning business, and §75.71(h) wants the licence number in it. The cheap fix: put the number in the signature of every text your system sends, and in the AI receptionist’s opening or closing line. Then the system can never create a violation your truck doesn’t have.
What are the Texas texting rules?
- SB 140, effective 1 September 2025, added texts to the definition of telephone solicitation in Chapter 302 of the Business and Commerce Code, bringing marketing texts under the registration framework, the quiet-hours rules in Chapter 305, and the private right of action.
- The November 2025 settlement (Ecommerce Innovation Alliance et al. v. Texas) and the Secretary of State’s updated guidance: businesses texting with prior consumer consent are not required to file the Telephone Solicitation Registration Statement. Texting without consent brings registration, the $10,000 security, and liability back.
- Hours: 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday–Saturday, noon–9 p.m. Sunday, in the recipient’s time zone.
- Replies vs marketing: a text answering someone who called or wrote to you about a job is not a solicitation. A text offering a service to past customers is; it needs consent on file and an opt-out line.
- Federal layer: the TCPA still requires prior express written consent for automated marketing texts, and carriers require A2P 10DLC registration for business texting.
Full detail on the Texas texting rules page.
Can I record calls, and can an AI answer them?
Texas is a one-party consent state (Penal Code §16.02), so a call can be recorded when one party to it consents; your business, including an AI acting for it, is a party. Most owners still open with “this call may be recorded” because some callers are in two-party states and because it costs nothing. An AI answering calls is legal; 85% of consumers want to be told it’s AI, so say so in the first sentence. Telephone solicitations (outbound sales calls) fall under Chapter 302 and the Texas No-Call list; inbound answering does not.
What are the review rules?
Ask everyone, pay no one, gate nothing. Google’s Business Profile policy and the FTC’s 2024 rule on fake reviews both bar incentives, insider reviews and routing unhappy customers away from public review sites, with FTC civil penalties per violation. Reply to every review within a week. The review rules page has the table.
What applies to roofers after a storm?
- Contractors may not pay, waive or rebate the homeowner’s insurance deductible, and contracts must state the homeowner is responsible for it.
- Storm-related roofing contracts signed after a disaster can be cancelled by the homeowner within three business days.
- Price-gouging rules apply after a declared disaster.
- No state roofing licence exists; local permits and registration (Dallas, Fort Worth and others require contractor registration) still apply.
An AI taking storm calls should ask about claims and adjusters and never discuss the deductible or price.
What should an AI tell customers about permits?
That the permit adds time, and nothing more specific than you’ve told it. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits are pulled by the licensed contractor through the city (Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio each run their own portals), and utility steps (Oncor, CenterPoint, Austin Energy, CPS Energy) add days to panel and service work. The expectation line that prevents the angry day-three callback: “panels and chargers need a permit and a utility step, which usually adds about a week.”
Questions owners ask
Does my AI receptionist need to say my licence number?
If it offers services, yes; put it in the closing line and in every text signature. If it only takes bookings, it’s still good practice.
Where does the number go on a text?
In the signature: “Comfort Air · TACLA012345C.” Every text your system sends carries it.
I’m a roofer with no licence number. What goes in the ads?
Insurance, local references and years in business. Many Texas cities require contractor registration; put that number if you have one.
Does a subcontractor’s truck need my number?
For AC work, §75.71(g) requires the licensee’s number and name on vehicles used for the work, or a temporary sign at the job site.
Can I text past customers a seasonal offer?
Only with consent on file, 9 a.m.–9 p.m., with an opt-out. No consent, no text; call or email instead.
Do I have to register with the Texas Secretary of State to text?
Not for consent-based texting, per the November 2025 settlement and SOS guidance. Cold texting brings registration and the $10,000 security back.
Can I record my AI’s calls to tune it?
Yes; one-party consent. Say “this call may be recorded” anyway.
What are the quiet hours?
9 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday–Saturday, noon–9 p.m. Sunday, recipient’s time zone.
What about Spanish-language ads and texts?
Same rules; the licence number and opt-out line go in the Spanish version too.
Who enforces this?
TDLR, TSBPE, TCEQ and TDA for licensing; the Texas Attorney General and private plaintiffs for texting; the FTC and Google for reviews.
Next pages
Sources
- 16 Tex. Admin. Code §75.71, Responsibilities of the Contracting Company (air conditioning and refrigeration): regulations.justia.com
- 16 Tex. Admin. Code §73.51, Electrical Contractors’ Responsibilities: law.cornell.edu
- TDLR Electricians compliance guide: tdlr.texas.gov
- Nixon Peabody, “Texas Telemarketing Update: No Registration for Consent-Based Text Messages,” 10 Dec 2025: nixonpeabody.com
- FTC, Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, 16 CFR Part 465: ftc.gov
Want the rules built into the system instead of remembered?
Thirty minutes on Central Time. We put your licence number in every script and signature, set the texting hours and consent checks, and configure recording and review requests to the rules on this page.