Glossary
The Reassigned Numbers Database (RND)
What is the Reassigned Numbers Database?
Short answerThe Reassigned Numbers Database (RND) is an FCC-mandated database, live since November 2021 at reassigned.us, that tells callers whether a phone number has been permanently disconnected since a given date. Querying it and receiving a “no” grants a safe harbor from TCPA liability if that answer turns out to be wrong.
On this page
Around 35 million US mobile numbers are disconnected and made available for reassignment each year, according to the FCC. A relinquished number must be aged for at least 45 days before it can be issued to someone new -- 45 to 90 days for a residential number, and up to a year for a business one, under 47 CFR 52.15(f)(1)(ii). It is a floor, not a fixed interval. Once the number does change hands, any consent you held for the previous subscriber becomes worthless.
This is one of the more unfair-feeling TCPA exposures, because a caller can do everything correctly at collection time and still end up liable. The RND exists to give those callers a defence.
How a query works
You submit two data points: the phone number, and the later of (a) the date you obtained consent or (b) the last date you verified the consumer was still on that number. You get one of three answers:
| Response | Meaning | Safe harbour? |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Permanently disconnected since your date -- likely reassigned | No. Do not call without fresh consent. |
| No | Not disconnected since your date | Yes, if the answer proves wrong. |
| No Data | Your consent date predates 27 Jan 2021, the database's data floor | No, either way. |
Queries can run individually through the web interface (batches of 50), or in bulk by SFTP or API for much larger volumes.
The four elements of the safe harbour
To rely on it, you must establish all four:
- You had prior express consent to call the number before it was reassigned;
- You called the number after reassignment;
- Before calling, you checked the number against the most recent RND data and received “no”;
- The call happened because the database erroneously returned that “no”.
Element one does the most work
The safe harbour cannot rescue a call you never had consent to make. It protects a caller whose valid consent was defeated by reassignment -- not one who lacked consent in the first place. If your consent records are weak, the RND does not help you.
One more thing the rule says plainly, and it is worth reading before you rely on any of this: the caller carries the burden of proof and persuasion on every element. This is an affirmative defence you have to evidence after the fact, not a status you hold. In practice that means keeping the query itself -- the number, the date submitted, the response, and when you got it -- because a “no” you cannot produce a record of is a “no” you cannot rely on.
Two things the RND will not do
It does not catch wrong numbers. The RND answers one question: has this number been permanently disconnected since your date? If a consumer gave you a mistyped or fabricated number, it was never theirs, nothing was disconnected, and the RND returns “no” while you call a stranger. The FCC has acknowledged this gap and pointed callers toward commercial databases, which carry broader identity data.
It does not identify litigators. A serial filer's number is active and has not been disconnected, so it returns a clean “no”. That check is entirely separate.
When it is worth the subscription
The RND earns its cost where consent is old -- debt servicing, renewals, long-cycle nurture, reactivation of dormant leads. The further a call sits from the consent date, the higher the chance of reassignment.
For fresh telemarketing leads called within days of opt-in, reassignment risk is low and the RND adds little. Those lists need validation, line type and a litigator check instead -- which is the gap NumberBroom fills at $0.20 per number ($5 minimum), no subscription.
Frequently asked questions
Why does consent die when a number is reassigned?
Because TCPA consent attaches to the person, not the digits. The FCC and most courts read "called party" as the current subscriber or regular user of the line. The moment a number changes hands, your consent no longer covers whoever answers.
How often should I query the RND?
The safe harbour requires checking against the most recent data. Carriers report permanent disconnections on the 15th of each month, so in practice that means re-querying monthly, and specifically after each mid-month update.
What does a 'No Data' response mean?
Almost always that your consent date falls before 27 January 2021, which is the earliest date the database holds data for. Ask it about anything older and it cannot answer. No Data carries no safe harbour in either direction, so it is a risk-tolerance decision. The conservative course is not to call; the alternative is to layer commercial phone-intelligence data on top.
Does the RND cost money?
Yes, and registration is required before you can query at all. It is subscription-based across ten tiers, priced by query volume. Under the pricing effective 28 April 2025 -- a roughly 20% cut that also added two lower tiers -- the entry tier is $8 per month for 1,000 queries, about $0.008 each, falling to roughly $0.00056 per query at the 50-million-query tier. Terms run 1, 3, 6 or 12 months, with annual discounts, and unused queries can roll over when you renew before your term ends.
- 47 CFR 64.1200 -- reassigned-number safe harbour at (m), carrier reporting at (l) (eCFR)
- FCC 18-177 -- Second Report and Order creating the database (CG Docket 17-59)
- 47 CFR 52.15(f)(1)(ii) -- minimum number aging periods (eCFR)
- FCC -- Reassigned Numbers Database
- Reassigned Numbers Database (reassigned.us)
- CompliancePoint -- Reassigned numbers and the spike in TCPA lawsuits
