Recording law · United States
Can I record a call in Pennsylvania?
Not without everyone agreeing. Pennsylvania requires the consent of all parties to record a call or a private conversation.
All-party consent Everyone in the conversation has to agree before it is recorded.
General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed October 2026. Laws change and facts differ; check before you rely on any line here, and ask a lawyer licensed where you record for anything that matters.
Is Pennsylvania a one-party or all-party consent state?
All-party consent. Everyone in the conversation has to agree before it is recorded.
- The Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act covers wire, electronic and oral communications, so phone and video calls are included.
- Consent has to come from every party before recording starts. An announcement at the start that nobody objects to is the usual method.
- Using or sharing a recording made without consent is a separate violation.
Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d)) allows a participant to record unless the recording is made to commit a crime or a tort. State law can ask for more.
The law
- 18 Pa.C.S. § 5703 (interception, disclosure or use)
- 18 Pa.C.S. § 5704 (exceptions)
- 18 Pa.C.S. § 5725 (civil action)
A violation is a felony, and the person recorded can bring a civil claim.
When the others are somewhere else
Treat any call with a participant in Pennsylvania as an all-party call. Video meetings are treated like phone calls, and the strictest rule that applies to anyone on the call is the one to follow.
Do I have to tell people I'm recording a call in Pennsylvania?
Yes, and everyone has to agree. Say it at the start, before anything else, wait for agreement, and say it again when someone joins late.
“Quick note before we start: I’m recording and transcribing this meeting on my own machine for my notes. It isn’t shared with anyone unless I send it to you. Let me know if you’d rather I didn’t.”
How Recordist fits
- One-party consent covers only conversations you take part in. Recordist records whatever your microphone picks up and whatever plays through your computer's sound output, so it can also record a call or a room you aren't part of, and that needs the consent the law sets for it. No bot joins the call.
- By default it asks before it records a call. A detected call is recorded only after you click Record, unless you add that app to Record without asking for in Settings → Detection or allow agents to start recordings in Settings → Integrations; both are off by default. The confirm card shows a one-line reminder that consent is your responsibility, so keep the sentence above to hand.
- The notice is still yours to give. Software cannot give consent for the other people. In Pennsylvania, tell them and get their agreement first.