Is it legal to record a conversation in Missouri?

Answer 1

There are 12 States in the U.S. That requires ALL parties involved in the conversation (All Party Consent) to be made aware that the conversation is being recorded. These States are:

California

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Illinois

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Montana

New Hampshire

Pennsylvania

Washington

The following 38 States require that at least ONE person (One Party Consent) involved in the conversation has given permission for the conversation to be recorded including the person doing the recording:

Alaska

Arkansas

Colorado

District of Columbia

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Nebraska

Nevada

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

This falls under the United States Code: Title 18.2511. As long as you actually take part in the conversation and are doing so in a State that allows "One Party Consent", it is quite legal to record the conversation without another party in the conversation giving permission or even being told that they are being recorded.

The answer with the States provided is exactly correct and the actual US code was provided to prove its validity. No one needs to be "Notified" in "One Party Consent" States which Missouri is indeed one of. It is true that you cannot ever record another person or persons conversation without one of the parties consent or all parties consent in the 12 named States if you're not part of the conversation, but as long as you yourself are a part of that conversation, you are permitted under that US code to record the conversation as you are that "One Party" and it is a little silly to notify yourself, don't you think? To use as an example, if I were to receive a call from a debt collector and I answered the phone while in the State of Missouri, I can start recording the conversation as soon as I answer the phone without telling the caller that I am doing so. It is what is considered "Black letter law" and can't be disputed in a Court of Law.

Not without at least one party to the call or conversation being notified that recording is occurring. It is illegal in ALL states to intercept and record conversations to which you are not a party.