Can I record my co-parent? State-by-state guide
Recording law changes with the state, the people in the conversation, and sometimes the purpose of the recording. Each state page quotes the relevant statute and explains what to write down instead.
Click your state on the map, or pick it from the list.
- ALAlabama
- AKAlaska
- AZArizona
- ARArkansas
- CACalifornia
- COColorado
- CTConnecticut
- DEDelaware
- DCDistrict of Columbia
- FLFlorida
- GAGeorgia
- HIHawaii
- IDIdaho
- ILIllinois
- INIndiana
- IAIowa
- KSKansas
- KYKentucky
- LALouisiana
- MEMaine
- MDMaryland
- MAMassachusetts
- MIMichigan
- MNMinnesota
- MSMississippi
- MOMissouri
- MTMontana
- NENebraska
- NVNevada
- NHNew Hampshire
- NJNew Jersey
- NMNew Mexico
- NYNew York
- NCNorth Carolina
- NDNorth Dakota
- OHOhio
- OKOklahoma
- OROregon
- PAPennsylvania
- RIRhode Island
- SCSouth Carolina
- SDSouth Dakota
- TNTennessee
- TXTexas
- UTUtah
- VTVermont
- VAVirginia
- WAWashington
- WVWest Virginia
- WIWisconsin
- WYWyoming
- No state matches that search
Consent rules are not interchangeable
The labels below are a map, not legal advice. A participant rule may not cover a conversation you are not part of, a child's call, or a recording made for an unlawful purpose. Open the state page for the statute, exceptions, and current caveats.
| State | Headline rule | Main statute | Main caution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama recording law | Ala. Code § 13A-11-30 | Installing a hidden device on private property is a felony | |
| Alaska recording law | AS § 42.20.310 | Statute targets third-party eavesdropping | |
| Arizona recording law | A.R.S. § 13-3012(9) | Class 5 felony to record a conversation you are not present at | |
| Arkansas recording law | Ark. Code § 5-60-120 | Class A misdemeanor; no express privacy requirement | |
| California recording law | Cal. Penal Code § 632 | $2,500 first-offence fine; $5,000 civil damages per violation | |
| Colorado recording law | C.R.S. § 18-9-304 | Eavesdropping covers anyone not visibly present | |
| Connecticut recording law | C.G.S. § 52-570d | Civil liability for recording a call without notice | |
| Delaware recording law | 11 Del. C. §§ 1335, 2402 | Statutes conflict; get consent to be safe | |
| District of Columbia recording law | D.C. Code § 23-542 | Neighbouring Maryland needs everyone's consent | |
| Florida recording law | Fla. Stat. § 934.03 | Third-degree felony; civil claim may also apply | |
| Georgia recording law | O.C.G.A. § 16-11-66 | Child monitoring has separate, narrow conditions | |
| Hawaii recording law | HRS § 803-42; § 711-1111 | Devices in a private place need consent of those entitled to privacy | |
| Idaho recording law | Idaho Code § 18-6702 | Felony; a recording involving a child was excluded | |
| Illinois recording law | 720 ILCS 5/14-2, 14-4 | Class 4 felony first offence; Class 3 after that | |
| Indiana recording law | Ind. Code § 35-33.5-5-5 | Level 5 felony; unattended recording devices are a separate offence | |
| Iowa recording law | Iowa Code § 808B.2 | Class D felony; outdoor monitoring devices have a narrow exception | |
| Kansas recording law | K.S.A. § 21-6101 | Entering a private place to listen is a separate offence | |
| Kentucky recording law | KRS 526.010 | Class D felony; placing the device is a separate felony | |
| Louisiana recording law | La. R.S. 15:1303 | Two to ten years at hard labor | |
| Maine recording law | 15 M.R.S. § 710 | Class C crime to present an edited recording in court without disclosure | |
| Maryland recording law | Md. Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 10-402 | Felony; unlawful recordings inadmissible, with no spouse exception | |
| Massachusetts recording law | G.L. c. 272, § 99 | Up to five years in state prison, even in a public place | |
| Michigan recording law | MCL 750.539c; Sullivan v. Gray | Felony exposure; current participant rule is unsettled | |
| Minnesota recording law | Minn. Stat. § 626A.02 | Up to five years and $20,000; $10,000 civil minimum | |
| Mississippi recording law | Miss. Code § 41-29-531 | Felony provision tied to authorized disclosure; unlawful contents may be excluded | |
| Missouri recording law | RSMo § 542.402 | Class E felony; $10,000 civil minimum | |
| Montana recording law | MCA § 45-8-213 | A warning lets either party record | |
| Nebraska recording law | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 86-290 | Felony; $10,000 civil minimum | |
| Nevada recording law | NRS 200.620; 200.650 | Felony; the Ninth Circuit allowed claims over a child's-backpack recorder to proceed | |
| New Hampshire recording law | RSA 570-A:2 | Misdemeanor for a participant, felony for anyone else | |
| New Jersey recording law | N.J.S.A. 2A:156A-4(d) | Third-degree crime; exemption ends for an injurious purpose | |
| New Mexico recording law | NMSA § 30-12-1 | Misdemeanor; federal law covers in-person talk | |
| New York recording law | N.Y. Penal Law §§ 250.00, 250.05 | Class E felony for recording a conversation you are not part of | |
| North Carolina recording law | N.C.G.S. § 15A-287 | Class H felony if no party consents | |
| North Dakota recording law | NDCC § 12.1-15-02 | Class C felony; owning a spy recorder can be a felony too | |
| Ohio recording law | Ohio Rev. Code § 2933.52 | The unlawful-purpose exception remains important | |
| Oklahoma recording law | 13 O.S. § 176.4 | Felony; secret loitering to overhear is a separate offence | |
| Oregon recording law | ORS 165.540 | In-person rule upheld by the Ninth Circuit in 2025 | |
| Pennsylvania recording law | 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 5703, 5704 | Third-degree felony for unlawful interception | |
| Rhode Island recording law | R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-35-21 | Up to five years; disclosure is a separate offence | |
| South Carolina recording law | S.C. Code § 17-30-30 | Felony; $25,000 civil minimum | |
| South Dakota recording law | SDCL § 23A-35A-20 | Class 5 felony to record others by device | |
| Tennessee recording law | Tenn. Code § 39-13-601 | Class D felony; exemption ends for a criminal or tortious purpose | |
| Texas recording law | Tex. Penal Code § 16.02 | Second-degree felony if the exemption does not apply | |
| Utah recording law | Utah Code § 77-23a-4 | Felony; $10,000 civil minimum | |
| Vermont recording law | 18 U.S.C. § 2511 | No state recording statute; federal law applies | |
| Virginia recording law | Va. Code § 19.2-62 | Class 6 felony; civil minimum doubles between spouses | |
| Washington recording law | RCW 9.73.030 | Gross misdemeanor; unlawful recordings inadmissible in civil cases | |
| West Virginia recording law | W. Va. Code § 62-1D-3 | Felony; hidden recorder in a spouse's home held unlawful | |
| Wisconsin recording law | Wis. Stat. § 968.31(2)(c) | Recorded calls inadmissible in civil cases unless the person was told | |
| Wyoming recording law | Wyo. Stat. § 7-3-702 | Custody factors name the other parent's right to privacy |
When recording is uncertain, write the event down
A dated written record does not intercept a conversation. Keep the event, the time, the exact words you remember, the surrounding messages, and the child-related effect together.
Document calls and voicemail
Keep timing, participants, context and the original source together without relying on a hidden recording.
Read the call-log guideWrite a factual incident report
Separate direct observation, exact words, information supplied by others, response and supporting material.
Read the incident-report guideKeep a private custody journal
Build the dated record while details are still fresh, then select the relevant period for professional review.
See the custody journalCreate a focused PDF report
Choose the records that matter instead of handing a lawyer an unfiltered archive.
See court-ready reportsCasewell keeps each dated entry, its files and the finished PDF together in one private record on your phone. Start with a free trial on iPhone or Android.
