Prohibited and Restricted SMS/MMS Message Categories in the US and Canada
HighLevel restricts or prohibits certain business types and message categories across SMS and MMS. Some categories are completely prohibited, while others are restricted and may be permitted only under specific conditions such as age gating, proper consent documentation, or use with particular number types.
This article explains which categories are prohibited, which are restricted, carrier-specific enforcement mechanisms including T-Mobile Severity-0 fines, and compliant alternatives when available.
Policy Overview
HighLevel restricts or prohibits certain business types and message categories across SMS and MMS communications. Messaging eligibility depends on content type, sender classification, destination country, carrier requirements, and whether additional safeguards such as age verification, consent documentation, or specific number types are required.
This article focuses on US and Canada messaging restrictions. These policies apply across long code (10DLC), toll-free, and short code number types unless otherwise specified. Carriers enforce these restrictions through filtering, suspension, or financial penalties.
Selecting an A2P Campaign use case does not automatically make restricted content eligible. Campaign approval and content compliance are separate evaluations. Review prohibited and restricted categories before configuring campaigns.
T-Mobile Severity-0 Fines
T-Mobile Severity-0 fines represent one carrier-specific enforcement mechanism within the broader messaging compliance framework. These fines apply when prohibited traffic is detected on T-Mobile networks. HighLevel policy may prohibit activity independently of whether a specific T-Mobile fine applies, and other carriers enforce their own rules.
T-Mobile categorizes violations into three tiers based on severity. Each tier carries a different fine amount per incident:
Fine amounts and tier classifications are subject to change by T-Mobile. These fines are in addition to potential number suspension, filtering, or account termination.
Prohibited Message Categories
The following message categories are prohibited for SMS and MMS across all number types in the US and Canada. These restrictions apply regardless of consent status, campaign use case, or other factors.
Any attempt to deceive recipients into providing sensitive information, credentials, or financial details through impersonation, misleading links, or false pretenses. This includes fake delivery notifications, account verification scams, prize claims, and urgent-action requests designed to exploit trust.
Promotional messaging for cannabis, CBD, prescription drugs, or other controlled substances is prohibited across SMS and MMS channels. This applies even when products are legal in specific jurisdictions.
Examples: Cannabis dispensary promotions, CBD product sales, prescription medication offers, controlled substance advertising.
Gambling traffic is prohibited in the US and Canada on all number types. This includes sports betting, online casinos, sweepstakes requiring payment, lottery-related promotional content, and fantasy sports platforms.
Examples: Casino app promotions, sports betting offers, online poker invitations, paid sweepstakes entries, daily fantasy sports advertising.
Sexually explicit content, adult services, and age-restricted sexual material are prohibited across all SMS and MMS messaging.
Examples: Adult entertainment services, explicit imagery, dating services with sexual focus, escort services.
Content promoting hate, discrimination, violence, or harassment based on protected characteristics including race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin.
Certain high-risk financial products and services are prohibited due to predatory lending concerns or regulatory restrictions.
Examples: Payday loan offers, short-term high-interest loan promotions, third-party auto loan solicitations, third-party mortgage loan marketing, student loan debt relief schemes, high-risk investment solicitations promising guaranteed or outsized returns, cryptocurrency investment promotions.
Third-party debt collection agencies contacting consumers about purchased or assigned debt are prohibited from using SMS and MMS.
Prohibited example: A third-party debt collector messaging purchased or assigned debtors about outstanding balances.
Potentially permitted example: A business communicating directly with its own customer about an existing account balance through a first-party relationship, assuming valid consent and compliance with applicable debt communication regulations.
Schemes promising unrealistic earnings, guaranteed income, or high returns with minimal effort or investment are prohibited.
Examples: Guaranteed-income schemes, pyramid or multi-level marketing centered on unrealistic earnings claims, high-risk investment solicitations promising guaranteed returns, "make money fast" programs.
Companies that buy, sell, or share consumer contact information for marketing purposes cannot use purchased or shared consent for SMS messaging. SMS consent generally cannot be transferred from one unrelated business to another simply because contact information was purchased or shared.
Examples: Purchasing consumer leads and messaging them about unrelated services, sharing opt-in lists between unrelated companies, selling consumer contact databases with claimed SMS permissions.
Restricted Message Categories
The following categories are restricted and may be permitted only under specific conditions. Restrictions vary by content type, number type, and whether additional requirements such as age verification are met.
Restricted categories require case-by-case evaluation during campaign registration. Meeting technical requirements does not guarantee approval. Verify current eligibility with HighLevel support before configuring campaigns involving restricted content.
Consent and Privacy Violations
Otherwise legal content can violate messaging policy when proper consent has not been obtained or privacy requirements are not met. The following consent and privacy violations are prohibited:
For detailed guidance on obtaining and documenting valid SMS consent, review HighLevel's A2P opt-in compliance documentation and best practices for consent collection.
Alternative Communication Channels
Depending on the business type, content, location, and applicable platform rules, another HighLevel communication channel may be available when SMS or MMS is restricted or prohibited.
HighLevel Email may be appropriate for some business types that are restricted on SMS channels. For example, cannabis or CBD businesses operating in jurisdictions where these products are legal may use email for promotional messaging, subject to age verification requirements and local regulations.
Using a different communication channel does not remove legal, platform, consent, or industry-specific requirements. Confirm that the content is permitted on the alternative channel and that you meet all compliance obligations before sending.
Frequently Asked Questions
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