Kari's Law and RAY BAUM's Act: What Every Hotel Owner Must Know

If you own or manage a hotel, there are two federal laws you absolutely must know about: Kari's Law and the RAY BAUM's Act. These laws govern how your phone system handles 911 calls, and non-compliance can result in fines and serious legal liability. Many hotel owners are not aware of these requirements, and many older phone systems do not meet them. Here is what you need to know.

Kari's Law is named after Kari Hunt, who was tragically killed in a hotel room in Marshall, Texas in 2013. Her 9-year-old daughter tried to call 911 four times from the hotel room phone, but the phone system required dialing 9 for an outside line before dialing 911. The little girl did not know to dial 9 first, and the calls never went through. Kari's Law, signed in 2018, requires all multi-line telephone systems including hotel PBX systems to allow users to dial 911 directly without any prefix or access code. The law also requires the system to send a notification to a designated on-site person, such as the front desk, whenever a 911 call is made.

The RAY BAUM's Act goes further. Signed in 2020, it requires that when a 911 call is made from a hotel room, the phone system must send dispatchable location information to the 911 center. This means not just the hotel address but the specific room number. When a paramedic arrives at a 200-room hotel, they need to know the caller is in Room 412, not just at 123 Main Street. Without this information, precious minutes are wasted finding the right room.

What does this mean for your hotel phone system? Your PBX must allow guests to dial 911 directly — no dialing 9 first. Your system must also handle 9-1-1 after dialing 9, since guests may try this out of habit. A notification must be sent to the front desk or security when any room dials 911. Your system must send room-level location data to the 911 center through your carrier's E911 service. Each room extension must be registered with its own E911 address including the room number.

Is your current system compliant? If your hotel phone system was installed before 2020, it very likely does not meet RAY BAUM's Act requirements. Many older PBX systems support direct 911 dialing — satisfying Kari's Law — but do not send room-level location data. To check, try dialing 933, which is the E911 test number, from a guest room phone and verify that the room number is included in the location data received by the test center. If it is not, your system needs an upgrade.

DiaVoice builds hotel phone systems with full Kari's Law and RAY BAUM's Act compliance built in. Every room supports direct 911 dialing. The front desk and admin phones receive an immediate alert with the room number when 911 is dialed. Room-level E911 data is registered with the carrier. We even handle 9-1-1 dialing by redirecting it to 911 automatically. If your hotel needs a compliant phone system, contact DiaVoice at 256-724-3100 or visit diavoice.net.