CASL Checker: Is Your Marketing Email Legal in Canada?
Paste a commercial email or enter your website. We check it against Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation — sender ID, mailing address, unsubscribe link, consent — and tell you exactly what to fix.
CASL Checker Add-on
Scan every signup form you're responsible for
One flat price per website. Ideal for agencies checking client sites before a campaign goes out.
Finds pre-ticked consent boxes — an automatic CASL fail
Flags forms with no consent ask or no “unsubscribe at any time” wording
Sees popups and embedded forms from Mailchimp, Klaviyo and HubSpot — loaded in a real browser
Homepage plus up to 3 newsletter, signup and contact pages per scan
Re-scan your sites as often as you like; add or remove sites any time
$45/month · $9 per site
Your CASL add-on is active on this browser. Scan a site above.
Add-on for existing TransCanada Digital customers, billed monthly, cancel any time. New here? Start with a $27 Prospect Audit. The email check above stays free for everyone.
What CASL Requires in Every Commercial Email
If a message encourages someone to buy, book or do business with you, it is a commercial electronic message (CEM). Each one sent to or from a Canadian computer needs all four of these.
Consent
Express opt-in, or implied consent from a purchase in the last 2 years or an inquiry in the last 6 months.
Who you are
The name you do business under, and the client's name if you send on someone else's behalf.
How to reach you
A mailing address plus a phone number, email or website that works for 60 days.
A way out
A free unsubscribe that takes a click or two, honoured within 10 business days.
CASL Consent Explained: The Ways You're Allowed to Send
Under CASL, you need permission before you send a commercial email or text. That permission is called consent, and it comes in a few forms — some last forever, some expire, and some only let you send a single message.
1. Express consent Low risk · best
The person clearly says, “Yes, you may send me marketing emails.” For example, they tick a newsletter box, agree to promotions on a form, or sign up for updates on your website.
Yes, send me product updates and promotions from Acme Plumbing. I can unsubscribe at any time.
No expiry date — it lasts until the person unsubscribes.
The box must start unticked. A pre-checked box is not consent.
Keep proof: when, where, and the exact wording they agreed to.
2. Implied consent: existing customer Medium risk
CASL assumes permission when you already do business together: a purchase, a contract, a paid service, or a customer account.
Jane buys software from you. You may send her marketing about your business for 2 years from that purchase (or from when her contract ends).
3. Implied consent: inquiry or quote request Medium risk
Someone contacts you first — “Can you tell me more about your services?” or a website quote request.
A visitor asks for a website development quote. You may follow up with marketing for 6 months from that inquiry.
4. Conspicuous publication Higher risk
A person's business email is published — on their company website, in a professional directory, or on a business card they handed you. You may contact them if all of these are true:
They haven't said they don't want marketing messages.
Your message is relevant to their role or job.
You find john@abcconstruction.ca on a construction company's website. If you sell a service built for construction businesses, that first contact may be allowed. Selling him vacation packages is not.
5. Referral Higher risk
Someone who knows both of you makes the introduction — “You should talk to Mike about your software.”
You get one message to Mike, and it must name the person who referred him.
After that, you need Mike's own consent to keep emailing.
CASL consent at a glance
Type
Risk
How long it lasts
Best for
Express consent
Low
Until they unsubscribe
Email marketing lists
Existing customer (implied)
Medium
2 years from purchase
Customer follow-ups
Inquiry / quote request (implied)
Medium
6 months from inquiry
Sales leads
Public business email
Higher
While relevant and not opted out
B2B outreach
Referral
Higher
One message
Introductions
How the CASL Checker judges consent
Pick how you got permission in the email check above. The checker applies the rule for that consent type, then checks the message itself: is the sender named, is there a mailing address and contact method, and does the unsubscribe link work?
🟢 Express consent = Pass
As long as you can show when and how they opted in.
🟡 Implied consent = Check dates
Enter the purchase or inquiry date and we flag consent that has expired or is about to.
🔴 No consent = Fail
Don't send. Collect opt-in consent first — even an email asking for consent counts as a commercial message.
If you send commercial emails or texts to people in Canada, or send them from Canada, yes — regardless of where your business is based.
Is a pre-checked "subscribe me" box okay?
No. The CRTC says express consent needs a positive action from the person, so the box must start unticked.
What are the penalties?
Administrative monetary penalties reach $1 million per violation for individuals and $10 million for businesses.
How long does implied consent last?
Two years from a purchase or the end of a contract, and six months from an inquiry or quote request. Express consent has no expiry until the person unsubscribes.
What does the CASL Checker cost?
Checking an email is free for everyone. Scanning website signup forms is an add-on for existing customers at $9 per site per month — re-scan your sites as often as you like, and add or remove sites any time.
Do you store what I paste?
No. The email is checked in memory and discarded; nothing is saved to our database.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is an automated check that flags common CASL gaps. Confirm anything material with a lawyer.
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