Area code 978 calling hours: can you call now?
Area code 978 serves Lawrence, Lowell, and Billerica in Massachusetts. It is on Eastern time. Clocks move for daylight saving time in March and November.
- Debt collection: federal — Presumed convenient 8 a.m.-9 p.m. local time at the consumer's location, any day. Massachusetts: Unless the debtor's normal waking hours are known, calls are allowed only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., any day.
- Telemarketing: federal — 8 a.m.-9 p.m. local time at the called party's location, any day. Massachusetts: Unsolicited sales calls are allowed only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time at the consumer's location, any day.
Live check: area code 978
Turn on JavaScript for the live check. The rules table below lists every window that applies to 978.
| Zone | Local time | Rule | Window |
|---|
Not checked here: consent, Do-Not-Call lists, Reg F call frequency (7 calls in 7 days), cease-communication requests or attorney representation, reassigned numbers, and whether the consumer has told you a time is inconvenient.
Calling-hour rules for 978
Hours are local time at the person you are calling. When federal and Massachusetts rules differ, the narrower window governs; the live check applies every row at once.
| Rule set | Debt collection | Telemarketing |
|---|---|---|
| Federal | Presumed convenient 8 a.m.-9 p.m. local time at the consumer's location, any day. Every day 8:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. 15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a)(1) · 12 CFR § 1006.6(b)(1)(i) (Regulation F) · Reg F Official Interpretation, comment 6(b)(1)(i)-2 (consumer's location) · 12 CFR § 1006.14(b)(2)
No federal Sunday or holiday ban, but a consumer's statement that a day or time is inconvenient makes calls then unlawful. The 8-9 window is a default presumption that the consumer's prior consent (given directly to the collector) or a court can override. | 8 a.m.-9 p.m. local time at the called party's location, any day. Every day 8:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. 47 CFR § 64.1200(c)(1) (TCPA rules) · 16 CFR § 310.4(c) (Telemarketing Sales Rule)
TSR § 310.4(c) allows calls outside 8-9 with the person's prior consent; the TCPA time rule in § 64.1200(c)(1) has no consent exception for telephone solicitations as defined. |
| Massachusetts | Unless the debtor's normal waking hours are known, calls are allowed only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., any day. Every day 8:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. 940 CMR 7.04(1)(f)-(h) · 940 CMR 7.00 (official text) · 209 CMR 18.00
If the debtor's normal waking hours are known, calls outside those hours are barred even within 8 a.m.-9 p.m.; the regulation states the default window in 'eastern time'. Massachusetts courts have held that unanswered call attempts can count toward the 2-in-7 limit. | Unsolicited sales calls are allowed only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time at the consumer's location, any day. Every day 8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. M.G.L. c. 159C, § 3 · 201 CMR 12.00
|
Exchanges and time zones
Every assigned exchange in 978 sits in Eastern time, so the area code alone settles the zone for a landline. The 25 largest rate centers by exchange count:
| Rate center | Exchanges |
|---|---|
| Lawrence, MA | 81 |
| Lowell, MA | 81 |
| Billerica, MA | 38 |
| Concord, MA | 30 |
| Peabody, MA | 30 |
| Andover, MA | 26 |
| Danvers, MA | 26 |
| Haverhill, MA | 26 |
| Salem, MA | 25 |
| Wilmington, MA | 25 |
| Beverly, MA | 24 |
| Fitchburg, MA | 24 |
| Acton, MA | 22 |
| Leominster, MA | 21 |
| Maynard, MA | 18 |
| Newburyport, MA | 16 |
| Westford, MA | 16 |
| Sudbury, MA | 14 |
| Gloucester, MA | 13 |
| Littleton, MA | 13 |
| Hudson, MA | 12 |
| Ayer, MA | 10 |
| Gardner, MA | 10 |
| North Reading, MA | 10 |
| Groton, MA | 8 |
Related area codes
Overlay codes — same territory as 978, same rules: 351
Other area codes in Massachusetts:
Why area code alone is not enough
- Mobile numbers travel with their owners, and a ported number keeps its original 978 area code and exchange. A 978 number tells you where the line was assigned, not where the person is today.
- Under Regulation F, when you know of more than one location for a consumer — a mailing address in one zone, an area code in another — the time must be convenient in every one of them. Use the address-state field above to add the zones you know about.
- Call only when the window is open in every location you know about, and stop calling at times the consumer tells you are inconvenient, whatever the clock says.
Questions
What time can you call area code 978?
Area code 978 is in Massachusetts, on Eastern time. Debt collection: federal — Presumed convenient 8 a.m.-9 p.m. local time at the consumer's location, any day. Massachusetts: Unless the debtor's normal waking hours are known, calls are allowed only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., any day. Telemarketing: federal — 8 a.m.-9 p.m. local time at the called party's location, any day. Massachusetts: Unsolicited sales calls are allowed only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time at the consumer's location, any day.
What time zone is area code 978?
Area code 978 is entirely in Eastern time. Clocks move for daylight saving time in March and November.
Can a debt collector call a 978 number on Sunday?
Sunday is not singled out: Massachusetts's debt-collection hours are every day 8:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m., and the federal 8 a.m.–9 p.m. window also applies. A consumer can still tell a collector that Sunday is inconvenient.
Is the 978 area code enough to know the person's local time?
No. Mobile numbers move with their owners and ported numbers keep their area code, so a 978 number may belong to someone in another time zone. If you know other locations for the person, the call should fit the window in all of them.
Sources
Exchange and rate-center data: NANPA CO Code Assignments (utilized, all states) (retrieved 2026-10-07); NANPA NPA listing (area code information) (retrieved 2026-10-07); NANPA rate centers by state (retrieved 2026-10-07); U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (places) (retrieved 2026-10-07); U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (county subdivisions) (retrieved 2026-10-07); U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic boundary file (counties, 1:500k) (retrieved 2026-10-07); USGS GNIS Domestic Names (split-zone states only) (retrieved 2026-10-07); 49 CFR Part 71 - Standard Time Zone Boundaries (retrieved 2026-10-07). Statutes and regulations: 15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a)(1), 12 CFR § 1006.6(b)(1)(i) (Regulation F), Reg F Official Interpretation, comment 6(b)(1)(i)-2 (consumer's location), 12 CFR § 1006.14(b)(2), 47 CFR § 64.1200(c)(1) (TCPA rules), 16 CFR § 310.4(c) (Telemarketing Sales Rule), and the state citations in the rules table.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws change and some rules depend on who is calling and why; confirm with counsel. Rules last reviewed 2026-10-07.