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Is it legal to record a call in North Carolina?

North Carolina is a one-party consent state for recording conversations. In a one-party consent state, a party to the conversation may record it.

The statute

Willfully intercepts, endeavors to intercept, or procures any other person to intercept or endeavor to intercept, any wire, oral, or electronic communication.

N.C. Gen. Stat. 15A-287. Last verified 2026-07-03.source

Penalties under the North Carolina statute

The operative penalty language, quoted from the same archived official source:

(a) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Article, a person is guilty of a Class H felony if, without the consent of at least one party to the communication, the person: (1) Willfully intercepts, endeavors to intercept, or procures any other person to intercept or endeavor to intercept, any wire, oral, or electronic communication.

N.C. Gen. Stat. 15A-287.source

Frequently asked questions

Can I record a phone call I am on in North Carolina?

North Carolina is a one-party consent state for recording conversations. In a one-party consent state, a party to the conversation may record it. See the statute quoted above and confirm at the official source linked below. This is general information, not legal advice.

What penalties does the North Carolina statute provide?

The archived statute text provides: "(a) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Article, a person is guilty of a Class H felony if, without the consent of at least one party to the communication, the person: (1) Willfully intercepts, endeavors to intercept, or procures any other person to intercept or endeavor to intercept, any wire, oral, or electronic communication." See the quoted provision above and the official source for full context. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

Important

This page is general information, not legal advice. Recording laws have edge cases that this summary does not cover, including in-person versus phone recording, calls that cross state lines, and law-enforcement exceptions. Laws change. Confirm the current statute at the official source linked below, and consult your own counsel before relying on it.