10DLC registration: How to get a local number for your business

Getting a local phone number only takes a few minutes, and services like Google Voice will give you a free number for personal use.

But if you’re a business owner who wants to text from a 10DLC number — also known as a 10-digit local number or just a local number — you’ll need to register your number and follow compliance rules. Not registering your number can lead to blocked text messages and carrier filtering. 

Let’s look at what exactly 10DLC is, how to get and register a number, and which compliance rules apply to local numbers.

Table of contents

• What is 10DLC?
• How to get a 10DLC number
• Why do you need to register your 10DLC number?
• How to register your 10DLC number
• What to expect after registering your 10DLC number
• 10DLC rules and guidelines
• Common 10DLC compliance questions

What is 10DLC?

10DLC refers to a 10-digit long code that’s approved for sending business texts from a local number. 

For instance, a number like 404-206-6179 (which has an Atlanta area code) could be registered with wireless carriers as a 10DLC number.

You may also hear people refer to 10DLC as A2P 10DLC messaging. A2P comes from the phrase “application to person,” which is a fancy way to describe businesses sending and receiving texts from messaging software.

If 10DLC isn’t what you’re looking for, we can help you get a toll-free number or dedicated short code as well.

But if you’re ready to get your own 10DLC number, I’ll show you how in the next section.

2 ways to get a 10DLC number

During your 14-day free trial of SimpleTexting, you’ll receive a temporary 10DLC number to try out the platform.

When you upgrade to a paid SimpleTexting plan, you’ll see two options for 10DLC:

1. Select a new 10DLC number.

Enter a local area code, and select a number from our pool of 10-digit long codes. Once you’ve chosen your number, you’ll need to register it with wireless carriers. 

Our customer support team makes the process super easy and can get you up and running in a day or less.

I’ll give you a breakdown of the process in the section “How to register your 10DLC number.” 

2. Text-enable your existing 10DLC number with SimpleTexting.

Already have a number that you want to use in SimpleTexting? 

Start the process of text-enabling your number by chatting with our support team or adding a new number in your Settings panel. Text-enabling a number often only takes a day, but the process can take 3–5 business days if you’re transferring the number from another SMS provider.

We can also help you text-enable an existing Canadian number. Just reach out to our support team via chat or email. Canadian numbers typically take 7–10 days to transfer to SimpleTexting.

📚 Learn how to switch from a toll-free number to a local number.

Why do you need to register your 10DLC number?

Until a few years ago, wireless carriers didn’t allow businesses to text from local numbers. You could only text from shared short codes (5- or 6-digit numbers used by multiple organizations), but these numbers became a target for SMS spammers.

In 2019, wireless carriers began rolling out 10-digit local code (10DLC) services to allow businesses to send messages from approved local numbers through an SMS platform. Because 10DLC numbers are regulated by wireless carriers, consumers receive fewer spam messages. It’s a win-win.

At SimpleTexting, we welcomed the launch of 10DLC compliance with open arms. It was the dawn of a new era, and that era is marked by less spam. 

Spam in text message marketing degrades consumers’ trust in SMS, and they may come to resent it (like robocalls or junk email). That would mean our customers’ SMS marketing campaigns would be less successful in the future. We’re committed to making sure that doesn’t happen.

How to register your 10DLC number

To help prevent spammers from using 10DLC, all numbers must be registered with The Campaign Registry (TCR) — the organization that handles 10DLC registration for wireless carriers. 

Unlike some other leading SMS services, SimpleTexting can often get customers up and running with their new 10DLC in a day or less. 

After you upgrade to a paid SimpleTexting plan and select a local number, we’ll provide you with a 10DLC registration form in the app. Once you submit your information, we’ll work with TCR to get your business registered.

The 10DLC registration form will ask you for:

1. Your messaging use case

Your messaging use case is what you’ll be using your 10DLC number for. Most often, use cases fall under these categories:

• 2FA: any authentication, verification, or one-time passcode
• Account notifications: messages sent to contacts about their account
• Customer care: messages related to customer support 
• Delivery notifications: information about orders and deliveries
• Fraud alert messaging: alerting customers to potential fraud 
• Higher education: campaign sent by universities or colleges, can also include school districts and other education institutions
• Marketing: any messaging that promotes your products or services
• Polling and voting: non-political voting and surveys
• Public service announcement: mass messaging to alert contacts to information that is of importance

There are two other categories, known as Special Use Cases, that have additional requirements and fees for 10DLC registration. These include:

• Charity: messages that come from a charity aimed at providing help and raising money for those in need. You must be a registered 501c3 charity, and this doesn’t include religious organizations.
• Emergency services: notifications during emergency situations that support public safety. This use case is restricted to government and healthcare organizations and requires a special business review from T-Mobile.

2. Two sample text messages

We’ll ask you for two example text messages you plan to send. This gives TCR an idea of what your contacts can expect to receive from you. 

You can write an example message from scratch, or you can provide a message you’ve already sent to your contacts. If you’re stumped on an example text, check out our SMS templates for inspiration.

3. Your opt-in method

Because businesses and organizations need to have permission to text people, you’ll need to share your opt-in method. An opt-in method is the way you invite people to consent to receive your text messages.

💡 To find out what TCR’s opt-in requirements are, check out our opt-in methods guide.

The registration form also asks:

• How many messages you expect to send each month
• Whether you’ll send messages about direct lending or loan arrangements
• If you’ll send messages with age-gated content (like alcohol promotions)

3. Business contact information

Next, you’ll provide your business’ primary contact and support details:

• Business contact’s first and last name
• Customer support email and number
• Website

4. Organization name, industry, and EIN

The last page of the registration form will ask you to share your:

• Organization or brand name
• Legal company name (The business name registered with the IRS)
• Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Mobile carriers use your EIN to identify and verify your organizations. Contact the IRS if you have one but can’t find it, or apply for one online.

💁 If you have any questions about the registration form, our customer support team is available seven days a week to assist you.

Now, all you have to do is verify your information on the form summary page and hit Submit.

What to expect after submitting your 10DLC registration form

You’ve submitted your 10DLC registration form — now what? 

Our customer support team picks things up from here and works with TCR to register your business.  

1. SimpleTexting sends your application to TCR

After we receive your business information, use case, and example text messages, we send it to TCR to process your 10DLC registration.

2. TCR reviews your registration request

If TCR accepts your registration request and doesn’t need additional information, it generally takes only a few minutes to have your number activated.

Registration approval will be delayed if your business information and use case don’t match. Our team will reach out to you to work out any issues before submitting the case to TCR.

3. You’ll receive your 10DLC status

In the Numbers settings panel in your SimpleTexting dashboard, you’ll see whether your new number is:

• Verified — your registration has been accepted, and your number is ready to use.
• Needs Review — TCR wasn’t able to confirm your business details. Our customer support team will reach out to make sure your information is correct.

10DLC rules and guidelines

Industry organizations, mobile carriers, and U.S. governing bodies create rules and guidelines about what business texts should or shouldn’t include. This is to keep consumers safe and to prevent spammers and scammers from using the channel to harass or defraud people.

No matter what number type you choose for SMS, it’s critical that you abide by the regulations and laws to prevent your messages from being blocked and to avoid fines.

💡 We have an entire guide dedicated to text messaging compliance and the groups who oversee and enforce it. 

Common 10DLC registration questions

Have more questions about 10DLC compliance and registration? Click on the chat box in the bottom right corner to reach a member of our customer support team, or email us at [email protected].

This article was published on January 11, 2023 by Dani Henion and updated on September 13, 2023. Nathan Ellering contributed to this piece.