Calling hours and time zones

Calling hours are set in the person’s local time, not yours. So VoDialer first works out where the person is, then checks the clock there.

Where the zone comes from

It reads every clue it has: the area code of the phone number, the ZIP code, and the state. Area code and ZIP are both used because neither is always right. People keep their number when they move.

Each clue gives one or more zones, and every one of them must be inside the calling hours. So when two clues disagree, the result can only get stricter, never looser.

• A split area code (such as 850) counts every zone it covers.
• A state on its own counts every zone the state has. Texas counts as Central and Mountain.
• A ZIP code (or its first three digits, when the full ZIP is not in the table) that crosses a zone boundary lists both zones.
• A 4-digit ZIP is not guessed. A lost leading zero would point to the wrong place.
• If nothing can be read, the call is held back as “No time zone”.
• Only numbers starting with +1 are understood. Any other country code is held back as “No time zone”.

The window

Place	Calling hours (local time)
Everywhere in the US (starting value)	08:00 to 21:00
Florida	08:00 to 20:00
Oklahoma	08:00 to 20:00

No new call starts in the last 60 seconds of the window.

Holidays can block calls too. US federal holidays for 2026 and 2027, with observed dates, are loaded. The rule holidays_blocked is off by default, so holidays block nothing until you turn it on. Rules that are stricter in your own company are on rules and counsel review.

All values are starting values for counsel to review.

Campaign hours sit on top

A campaign can have its own hours, for example 10:00 to 18:00. A person is called only when the campaign’s hours and the legal window are both open in every possible zone for that person. The campaign’s check uses the area code and the state; it does not use the ZIP. See calling hours and retries.

Do this

To see how one person resolves:

1. Open Safety, then Rules.
2. Under Which time zone is this person in?, enter a phone number, a ZIP code, a state, or any of them.
3. Select Work it out.
4. Read the answer. It lists each clue, the zone it points to, the local time now, and any warning such as a state mismatch.

To test a full call, use Can I call this number right now? on the Safety overview. It does not call.

Not yet

The area-code and ZIP tables are built from public data: the NANPA area-code report, Census ZIP boundaries and the Department of Transportation time-zone map (see docs/REFERENCE_DATA.md). A code or ZIP that crosses zones lists all of them. Have counsel review them before real calls depend on them.

Not yet

The platform operator can upload replacement tables, which switch the safety checks to the new data. The dialer and the phone service still use the built-in tables for their own early checks, so they can disagree with the safety service about a number’s zone. The safety service’s answer is the one that decides.