Numbers, Porting & Regulatory
Kari's Law
By Myroslav Orshak · operates licensed carrier infrastructure · Updated September 2026
Kari's Law is a federal law requiring multi-line business phone systems to let anyone dial 911 directly, without first pressing 9 or any other prefix. The system must also notify someone on site when a 911 call is made.
How it works
The law came from a 2013 tragedy. Kari Hunt was killed in a Texas motel room while her nine-year-old daughter tried four times to call 911. None of the calls connected, because the motel's phone system required dialing 9 for an outside line first. Her father campaigned for years, and Congress passed the law in his daughter's name in 2018; it took effect in February 2020.
Compliance has two parts. First, 911 must work as dialed from every phone on the system — no prefix, no exceptions, including phones in guest rooms and lobbies. Second, when someone dials 911, the system must notify a person likely to respond on site: a front desk, a manager's email, a text to the owner. Both are configuration settings in any modern business phone platform, not extra hardware.
Why it matters
It applies to any business operating a multi-line phone system — offices, hotels, restaurants, medical practices, schools. The requirement attaches to systems installed, upgraded, or manufactured after February 16, 2020, which in practice means anything a business buys today.
The practical takeaway for an owner: if your phones require pressing 9 to reach an outside line, dial 911 from one right now and confirm it connects. That single test is most of your compliance check — and if it fails, it's a dashboard setting away from being fixed.
Kari's Law took effect February 16, 2020, and requires direct 911 dialing (no prefix) plus on-site notification for multi-line telephone systems manufactured, imported, sold, or installed after that date.
Related terms
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Compare compliant business phone systems →Frequently asked questions
Does Kari's Law apply to my small business?
If you run a multi-line phone system — more than one line sharing a system, which describes almost any office with a phone platform — yes. The obligations attach to systems installed or upgraded after February 16, 2020. Cloud phone services handle both requirements out of the box, so for most small businesses compliance is a matter of confirming the settings, not buying anything.
How do I test compliance?
Pick up a desk phone and dial 911 without any prefix. Tell the dispatcher immediately that you're testing your business phone system's 911 configuration and confirming your registered address — they handle these calls routinely, and it's better to do this deliberately than to discover a problem during an emergency. Then confirm the notification actually arrived where it should.
What is the notification requirement?
When someone dials 911, your system must alert a person likely to be on site — typically a screen at the front desk, an email, or a text to a manager. The point is that someone in the building knows help is coming and can meet responders at the door, which in a large building saves critical minutes.
What about Kari's Law and remote employees?
The direct-dialing requirement applies to your system wherever its phones are, so remote users must be able to dial 911 without a prefix as well. The related concern for remote staff is the registered address — each home-based worker's phone needs their own address on file, which is the RAY BAUM'S Act side of the same coin.