Understanding the Reassigned Numbers Database.
Learn how the FCC’s Reassigned Numbers Database can help reduce calls and texts to people who inherited a phone number from a previous subscriber — and how qualifying database use can support TCPA risk management.
RND use does not replace consent, opt-out, Do Not Call, state-law or other TCPA requirements. Safe-harbor eligibility depends on the FCC’s specific conditions and the facts of the call.
What is the Reassigned Numbers Database?
The FCC created the database to help callers determine whether a phone number may have been permanently disconnected and reassigned after the caller obtained consent or last confirmed the person could be reached at that number.
A centralized reassignment check
The RND combines permanent-disconnection information reported by voice service providers so callers can query numbers before outreach.
Reduce wrong-party calls
A number may now belong to someone different from the person who originally provided consent. RND checks help identify that risk before a campaign is sent.
Support good-faith calling
The FCC created a limited TCPA safe harbor for qualifying callers who reasonably rely on an RND “no” response that later proves erroneous.
How the Reassigned Numbers Database works
The database compares a telephone number with a date tied to consent or another point when the caller could reasonably be certain the intended consumer was still associated with that number.
Prepare the number and reference date
Query using the phone number and the relevant date of consent or other valid date your compliance process uses.
Submit the query
The caller or an authorized agent can query the RND before placing the relevant call or sending the relevant message.
Interpret the response
A “yes” means the number was permanently disconnected on or after the supplied date; a “no” indicates it was not; “no data” means the database cannot make the determination for that query.
Apply the result before outreach
Use the result as one input in your contact-eligibility workflow, alongside consent, suppression, opt-out and other compliance checks.
Questions about RND integration?
Build number-screening and contact-eligibility checks into your outreach workflow before messages or calls are released.
Safe harbor requirements
The RND safe harbor is narrow. It is designed for callers who had consent, checked the database appropriately, and relied on an incorrect “no” response before contacting a reassigned number.
Consent from the intended recipient
The safe-harbor framework assumes the caller had the required consent from the person it intended to reach at the number.
Check the most recent database update
The caller must be able to show that the applicable number was checked against the most recent RND update before the call at issue.
Receive a “no” result
Safe-harbor eligibility is connected to an RND response of “no” that turns out to be wrong. “Yes” and “no data” responses do not provide the same safe-harbor protection.
Retain evidence of the query
The caller bears the burden of proving the required query and response, even when a duly authorized agent performs the database check.
Record-keeping best practices
If your compliance program relies on RND screening, preserve enough information to reconstruct why a number was considered eligible at the time of outreach.
Consent evidence
Keep the source, date, language and scope of the permission you relied on for the intended recipient.
Reference date
Record the date used in the query and why your compliance process considered it the appropriate reference point.
Query timestamp
Preserve when the RND was queried so your team can demonstrate the check preceded the outreach at issue.
Returned result
Save whether the result was “yes,” “no” or “no data,” along with any provider-side query identifier your workflow generates.
Agent authorization
When a third party queries on your behalf, keep evidence that the agent was authorized to perform the check before the call.
Audit trail
Link the screening record to the relevant contact, campaign and call or message record so later review is straightforward.
Ready to improve your compliance program?
Combine number-reassignment screening with contact management, consent records, suppression logic and campaign-level controls.
Important limitations
RND screening is useful, but it answers a narrow reassignment question. It does not determine whether every proposed call or text is legally permitted.
It does not create consent
A “no” response does not prove you have consent. It only addresses whether the number was permanently disconnected after the supplied reference date.
Safe harbor is not automatic
The caller still has to satisfy the FCC’s requirements and prove that an erroneous “no” response was reasonably relied on for the call at issue.
“No data” requires caution
A “no data” result means the RND does not contain enough relevant information to determine whether the number was disconnected during the queried period.
Other laws still apply
TCPA consent, revocation, Do Not Call, quiet-hour, state-law and industry-specific requirements remain separate from RND screening.
Support your compliance efforts with DropVM.
Build number-screening, consent, contact-management and suppression checks into a more consistent outreach workflow.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers for teams evaluating reassigned-number screening as part of a TCPA compliance workflow.
What is the Reassigned Numbers Database?
Why should a business query the RND?
What date is used in an RND query?
What does an RND “yes” response mean?
What does an RND “no” response mean?
What does “no data” mean?
Can a third party query the RND for us?
Does an RND check guarantee TCPA compliance?
Does DropVM guarantee the RND safe harbor?
What records should we preserve?
RND procedures and TCPA interpretations can change. Confirm the current FCC rules and technical requirements before relying on a database workflow for legal protection.
Ready to transform your outreach?
Use DropVM to organize number screening, contact eligibility, consent records and suppression-aware campaign workflows.