GOHIGHLEVEL AGENCY FOR NEW YORK
GoHighLevel Agency for New York Businesses: 399-z-Ready Texting
GoHighLevel USA is a remote GoHighLevel agency New York businesses hire to build GHL texting, calling and CRM follow-up that fits General Business Law 399-z. That law reaches texts as well as calls, limits sales contact to 8 a.m. through 9 p.m.
New York Counts Texts as Telemarketing Under GBL 399-z
New York's main telemarketing statute is section 399-z of the General Business Law. It defines telemarketing as a campaign that uses more than one telephone call or electronic messaging text by a telemarketer. The statute then defines an electronic messaging text as a real-time or near real-time non-voice message sent over communications networks.
That pulls SMS and similar instant messages into the same rules as a live sales call. You can read the current text of section 399-z on the New York State Senate's website.
After a hearing, the Secretary of State can fine a telemarketer up to $20,000 for each violation. For any GoHighLevel agency New York companies bring in, that makes 399-z a design input for the whole account. It is not a footnote in the terms.
Side by side
Section 399-z Requirements Mapped to GHL Settings
Most of 399-z translates into a handful of concrete account settings. This is the checklist our GoHighLevel agency New York team works through before a sub-account sends its first campaign. It covers calling hours, opening disclosures, the seller's do-not-call list and the national registry.
399-z requirement
In plain terms
How it shows up in GHL
Calling hours
Telemarketing only from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the customer's location, unless the customer expressly agrees to another time
A workflow time window of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., with sends timed by each contact's own timezone
Opening disclosures
Within 30 seconds: the telemarketer's name, the seller if different, a do-not-call list option, whether the call is recorded, and the call's purpose
Call scripts and Voice AI greetings written so the required details come first
Seller do-not-call list
When a customer asks to be added, the telemarketer ends the call immediately and adds the number
Removal requests applied to calls, SMS and email on the contact, not just the channel used
National registry
No unsolicited sales calls to a number that has been on the national registry for 31 days before the call
Imported or bought lists held back from sales campaigns until your team confirms a registry check
The hours rule follows the customer, not your office. A Manhattan firm texting a lead who now lives in Phoenix has to respect Phoenix time. That is why contact-level timezones matter even for a single-zone state.
What you get
Inside Every GoHighLevel Agency New York Setup
Each GoHighLevel agency New York sub-account gets the telemarketing and data basics first, then the sales system on top. That means text-aware consent, 8-to-9 sending and 30-second disclosures. A seller do-not-call list, SHIELD Act hygiene and pipelines by sector complete the setup.
Text-Aware Consent
Forms, calendars and chat widgets capture SMS consent, because 399-z counts electronic messaging text as telemarketing, not only voice calls.
8-to-9 Sending
Marketing texts and calls pause outside the 399-z window and go out at the next open slot, timed to each contact's location.
30-Second Disclosures
Call scripts and AI voice greetings name the caller and seller and offer the company do-not-call list in the opening seconds.
Seller Do-Not-Call List
A request to stop is applied across SMS, calls and email on the contact, so your own removal list stays complete.
SHIELD Act Hygiene
We trim user access to the roles that need it, review connected apps and keep sensitive identifiers out of open form fields.
Pipelines by Sector
Pipelines for professional services, healthcare, restaurants and real estate, each shaped around how New York buyers book and pay.
A closer look
Inside a GoHighLevel Agency New York Account
The settings below are outcome-level descriptions of what we build. Your own wording, offers and pipelines sit on top of them. They cover consent wording on every entry point, contact-level clocks, a 399-z sending window, stop requests that stick and carrier approval.
✓ Consent wording on every entry point. Forms, surveys, calendar bookings and chat widgets carry SMS consent language that names your business. The date and source of each opt-in stay on the contact.
✓ A clock that follows the contact. GoHighLevel can run workflow actions on the contact's timezone and falls back to the account timezone when none is stored. We capture timezone at intake so the fallback rarely fires.
✓ A 399-z sending window. GHL's time window holds texts, emails and calls that land outside the allowed hours and releases them at the next open slot. One window covers every selected day, so we set it to the stricter hours you choose.
✓ Stop requests that stick. Replies such as STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE switch on Do Not Disturb for SMS automatically. We extend spoken removal requests to the other channels so the seller's list stays complete.
✓ Carrier approval. A2P 10DLC brand and campaign registration with sample messages that match your real forms. If a campaign was already rejected, our GoHighLevel A2P help page covers how we fix it.
The SHIELD Act and the Customer Data in Your CRM
New York's SHIELD Act was signed on July 25, 2019 and updated the state's 2005 data breach law. The Attorney General's SHIELD Act page says its safeguard duty applies to any person or business that maintains private information. The Act widened what counts as private information to include biometric data and a username or email address combined with a password.
It also treats unauthorized access to that data, not only theft of it, as a possible breach.
Businesses must keep administrative, technical and physical safeguards. The Attorney General lists failure to keep reasonable safeguards at up to $5,000 per violation. In a GoHighLevel agency New York build, that guidance turns into a few habits we set up with you:
✓ User access limited to the people and permissions each role needs.
✓ Connected apps and integrations reviewed, with unused ones removed.
✓ No Social Security numbers, card numbers or passwords collected in open custom fields or form answers.
✓ A named person on your team who owns account security and staff training.
NYC Local Law 144 and AI-Assisted Hiring
Local Law 144 matters only if you hire in New York City with automated tools. It bars employers and employment agencies from using an automated employment decision tool without two safeguards. The tool needs a bias audit within the past year, and a summary of the results must be public.
Candidates and employees must also get notice before the tool is used. The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection began enforcing the law on July 5, 2023.
A GHL hiring funnel that collects applications and books interviews is not, on its own, a scoring tool. If you plan to let AI rank or screen applicants, talk to counsel first. Our recruiting snapshot page shows the hiring builds we do.
New York Industries, Metros and Remote Support
All of New York runs on Eastern time, so a single account timezone fits most local work. Empire State Development lists target industries that include financial services and insurance, biotech and life sciences, software and digital media, and television and film.
Bureau of Labor Statistics data puts education and health services first among the state's job sectors, ahead of government and trade, transportation and utilities. Census Bureau estimates for 2025 rank Kings County, Brooklyn, as the ninth most populous county in the nation.
Our New York builds lean toward professional services, restaurants, real estate and healthcare, including the patient follow-up in our industry snapshots. The upstate cities from Albany to Buffalo get the same setup as New York City.
GoHighLevel USA has no New York office and does not list one. We are a remote GoHighLevel agency New York clients reach by video call in Eastern time.
See every state we cover on our locations page, or compare the neighboring Connecticut setup, whose consent rules are stricter.
This is general information, not legal advice; confirm with counsel how 399-z, the SHIELD Act and Local Law 144 apply to your business.
Working in the five boroughs? Our New York City GoHighLevel guide covers city-level rules such as automated hiring-tool audits and the local industry mix.
Is this for you?
Who Our New York GHL Builds Serve Best
Our remote GoHighLevel agency New York service fits businesses that sell to New Yorkers by phone, text and online booking. It suits teams texting leads under GBL 399-z, running outbound calls or AI voice, or storing client data in GHL. New York City employers weighing AI screening tools fit too.
✓
You text leads and want GBL 399-z handled from day one
✓
You run outbound calls or AI voice and need compliant openings
✓
You store client data in GHL and want SHIELD Act basics covered
✓
You hire in New York City and are weighing AI screening tools
✓
Video-call collaboration with an out-of-state team suits you
Questions and answers
GoHighLevel in New York: Questions, Answered
Straight answers before you book a call. Have a question that is not covered here? Ask us directly.
Does New York's telemarketing law apply to text messages?
Yes. GBL 399-z defines telemarketing as a campaign using more than one telephone call or electronic messaging text, and it defines that text as a real-time or near real-time non-voice message. Marketing texts to New Yorkers fall under the same hours, disclosure and do-not-call rules as calls.
What hours can businesses call or text customers in New York?
Section 399-z limits telemarketing to 8 a.m. through 9 p.m. at the customer's location, unless the customer expressly consents to a different time. We set GoHighLevel's time window to match and time sends by each contact's own timezone, so out-of-state leads are covered too.
What must a telemarketer say at the start of a call in New York?
Within 30 seconds, the caller gives their name, the seller's name if different, and the option to join the seller's do-not-call list. The law also calls for disclosing whether the call is recorded and its purpose. We write GHL scripts and AI voice greetings around that order.
Does the SHIELD Act apply to a small business using GoHighLevel?
The Attorney General describes the safeguard duty as applying to any person or business that maintains private information, such as usernames with passwords or account numbers with their access codes. If your GHL account holds that kind of data, plan for reasonable safeguards and ask your attorney how the Act fits your size.
Do I need a bias audit to use AI in a New York City hiring funnel?
Only if the tool is an automated employment decision tool under Local Law 144. Collecting applications and booking interviews in GHL is not automatically covered, but AI that scores or ranks candidates may be. The law requires a yearly bias audit, a public summary and advance notice.
Do you have an office in New York?
No. As a remote GoHighLevel agency New York clients meet on video calls in Eastern time, we publish no New York street address. Everything is built in the GHL account you own and keep. See our done-for-you GoHighLevel setup for what is included.
Ready when you are
Start Your GoHighLevel Agency New York Build
On a free strategy call, we will look at your New York texting hours, disclosures and consent records in GHL. You can also WhatsApp us at +1 (681) 276-7045.
or call (681) 276-7045