Rights Card Generator
Pick your state and a topic and get a card you can keep in a wallet or post online: the rule in a few lines, the statute behind it, the date the source was last checked, and a QR code to the full page. Covers recording consent in all 50 states and DC and self-defense retreat and castle rules in 51 jurisdictions. English or Spanish. Everything is generated in your browser.
Recording a conversation in California
- Phone calls: everyone must consent
- In person: everyone must consent
- Statute: Cal. Penal Code §§ 632, 632.7
- Penalty: A wobbler: misdemeanor up to 1 year or felony 16 months to 3 years…
- Watch out: Kearney v. Salomon Smith Barney (2006): California’s all-party rule applies to an interstate call whenever a California…
Source checked 2026-08-26
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change. Confirm at the page below.
recordinglaw.com/party-two-party-consent-states/california-recording-laws/
What Is on the Card
A card carries at most six lines. For a recording card those are the consent rule for phone calls, in-person conversations and video meetings (collapsed to two lines when the state applies one rule everywhere), the controlling statute, the penalty, and one known trap where the state has a well-documented one, such as the interstate-call rule in California. For a self-defense card the lines are the duty-to-retreat rule, the castle-doctrine presumption, and the statute sections that set them.
Below the lines the card prints the date the source was last checked, a fixed caveat, and the address of the state page the card summarises. The QR code encodes that same address. The wallet PDF prints the lines on the front and the caveat, date and QR on the back, at 3.5 by 2 inches on a letter sheet.
Where the Facts Come From
The card does not have its own facts. Recording lines are read from the state table behind the US Recording Consent Checker, which names the statute, the consent level per medium and the penalty for every state. Self-defense lines are read from the verified fact rows that also drive the self-defense state pages and the stand-your-ground and castle-doctrine comparison lists; each row records the statute, the primary-source URL that was opened, and the date it was verified. How those rows are checked is described on the editorial standards page.
When a state page is refreshed, the data file behind this tool is regenerated from the same rows, so the card and the page cannot disagree for long. If you ever see a card that says something the linked page does not, the page is right and the card is stale.
What This Card Does Not Do
- It is general legal information, not legal advice, and it does not know the facts of your situation.
- It does not cover police stops, searches, identification demands, or immigration enforcement. There is no verified per-state row for those yet, so there is no card for them.
- It does not replace reading the statute. The recording penalty line is shortened to fit; the full penalty structure, exceptions and defenses are on the state page.
- It does not record audio, ask for a location permission, or store anything. You choose the state yourself.
Disclaimer: The card summarises statutes as they were last checked on the date printed on it. Laws change, and some rules turn on facts a summary cannot capture. Confirm on the linked page and, for a real dispute, consult a lawyer licensed in your state.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do the facts on the card come from?
From the same verified data the site renders elsewhere. Recording lines use the state rows behind the US Recording Consent Checker (statute, consent level per medium, penalty, and one known trap). Self-defense lines use the fact rows behind the self-defense state pages (duty to retreat and castle-doctrine presumption), each with its statute citation and the primary-source URL that was opened when it was verified. The card never contains a line that is not on the linked page.
What does "Source checked" mean on the card?
It is the date the underlying page or fact row was last reviewed against its primary source, not the date you generated the card. If that date is old, treat the card as a starting point and open the linked page, which shows the current review status.
Is this a card I can show to a police officer?
No. It summarises a statute; it is not a script for a police encounter and it does not cover stop-and-identify laws, searches, or immigration enforcement. Those rules vary by state and by circuit and are not on the card by design. Keep the card as a reminder of the rule and the citation, not as something that changes how an officer must act.
Why is there no card for recording the police or ICE?
Because the site does not yet hold a per-state, source-verified row for the right-to-record precedent in each federal circuit combined with that state's audio-consent rule. Publishing a card from prose rather than a verified data row would break the rule that every line traces to a checked source. It is planned once that row set exists.
Does the generator store or send anything?
No. The state and scenario you pick, the preview, the PNG, and the PDF are all produced in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, logged, or emailed.
Can I share the card publicly?
Yes. It is designed to be screenshotted or posted. The QR code and the printed URL point to the full state page so anyone who sees the card can check the source and the current review date.
Know someone who could use this? Share this free tool: