Recording Client Conversations: A State-by-State Consent Overview
This is general reference information, not legal advice. Recording consent laws vary by state, can change, and sometimes carry court-interpreted nuances. Confirm your obligations with an attorney licensed in your state before relying on this for your practice.
Tools like VetDiff's Dictation feature work best when you can record the conversation with a client rather than typing while you talk. Before you do, it's worth understanding the legal baseline in your state — U.S. wiretapping and eavesdropping laws generally fall into two categories.
One-party consent
In one-party consent states, only one person in the conversation needs to agree to being recorded — which means you, as a participant in the visit, can generally record it yourself without asking. Most U.S. states fall into this category.
All-party ("two-party") consent
A smaller group of states requires every participant in the conversation to consent before it can be recorded. In these states, you should let the client know — verbally or via a posted/written notice — before recording, and it's good practice to get an affirmative yes.
States commonly cited as requiring all-party consent
California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Washington are the states most often cited as all-party consent jurisdictions — though several have case law or statutory nuances (for example, Nevada's courts have interpreted its statute closer to one-party in some circumstances). If your practice operates in one of these states, treat this as a starting point for a conversation with your own attorney, not a final answer.
A simple habit that works everywhere
Regardless of which category your state falls into, a brief "I'm going to record our conversation today so I can focus on you instead of typing — is that alright?" takes five seconds, builds trust, and satisfies the strictest version of the law. Many practices post a small sign in the exam room as an added layer of notice.