# CAN-SPAM Compliance in AcelleMail: The 7-Point Checklist > CAN-SPAM applies to every commercial email you send to a US recipient — fines reach $51,744 per violating message. This checklist walks the 7 rules, marks the ones AcelleMail enforces for you, and tells you exactly where to set the rest. - Canonical URL: https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/can-spam-compliance-checklist - Author: Daniel Reyes, Technical Editor - Category: Security & Compliance — GDPR, CAN-SPAM, CASL, SSL/TLS, encryption, data privacy, audit - Content type: guide · Difficulty: beginner - Tags: Acellemail - Published: 2026-02-05 · Last updated: 2026-08-15 - Reading time: 4 min - Publisher: AcelleMail Knowledge Base, https://acellesend.com/kb --- ## What this is for The CAN-SPAM Act (US, 2003) applies to every commercial email you send to a recipient in the United States — regardless of where you or your server is located. The Federal Trade Commission can fine you **up to $51,744 per non-compliant message**, and that ceiling is adjusted upward for inflation each January. The good news: AcelleMail handles the technical half of compliance for you. The other half is editorial — honest subject lines, correct from-name, an accurate physical address on file. This is the buyer-side checklist. ## The 7 requirements, mapped to AcelleMail | # | Rule | Who handles it | Where in AcelleMail | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Don't use false or misleading header info | **You** | **Lists → [list] → Edit** — your `From name` and `From email` must accurately identify your business | | 2 | Don't use deceptive subject lines | **You** | Subject is what you type in the **Campaigns** wizard — never use "Re:" / "Fwd:" / fake urgency | | 3 | Identify the message as an advertisement | **You** | If you don't have express consent (e.g. cold outreach), say "Advertisement" in the body or footer | | 4 | Tell recipients where you're located | **AcelleMail (after you fill it in)** | **Account → Contact** — fill in *Company info* + *Address* once; AcelleMail injects it into every campaign footer | | 5 | Tell recipients how to opt out | **AcelleMail** | Every campaign automatically gets an unsubscribe link — you cannot turn it off | | 6 | Honor opt-out requests within 10 business days | **AcelleMail** | Unsubscribed subscribers are suppressed immediately — they cannot be re-imported into the same list | | 7 | Monitor what others do on your behalf | **You** | If you give an agency access to your AcelleMail account, you're still liable for their sends | ## Where to fill in your physical address Go to **Account → Contact**. The page has two cards: **Company info** (legal name + display name) and **Address** (Address 1, Address 2, City, State, ZIP, Country). Save once — AcelleMail uses these values in the campaign footer for every list. If the address card is empty, the footer will fall back to your account email, which is **not** CAN-SPAM compliant. A valid address is a **street address, PO Box, or commercial mailbox registered with the USPS**. A residential apartment is fine. A virtual mailbox (e.g. iPostal1, Earth Class Mail) is fine. A "we have offices in San Francisco" tagline is *not* — you need a specific deliverable address. ## What AcelleMail enforces automatically - **Unsubscribe link** in every campaign footer. The template language `{UNSUBSCRIBE_URL}` resolves to a per-subscriber one-click link. - **Suppression after unsubscribe.** Once a subscriber clicks unsubscribe, they're flagged `unsubscribed` on that list and excluded from all future sends. They can re-subscribe via your signup form if they choose, but you cannot re-import them. - **List unsubscribe headers (`List-Unsubscribe` and `List-Unsubscribe-Post`).** AcelleMail adds the RFC 8058 one-click headers Gmail and Yahoo now require. Most modern clients render an "Unsubscribe" button in the message header from these. ## What you still need to watch | Issue | Fix | |---|---| | Your **From name** is your CEO's first name only ("Sarah") | Change it to a business identifier — "Sarah at Awesome Solutions". From-line must identify the sender. | | You're sending to people who never asked — and your footer doesn't say "Advertisement" | Add an "Advertisement" or "Promotional message" line in the footer area of your template, OR get explicit opt-in first. | | You bought a list and want to email it | CAN-SPAM allows it (it's "opt-out" not "opt-in"), but Gmail/Yahoo deliverability will tank. Don't. See [Email List Hygiene](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/email-list-hygiene-clean-your-list-for-better-deliverability). | | You set up a different unsubscribe page in your template | Don't — AcelleMail's built-in `{UNSUBSCRIBE_URL}` is the only one that triggers automatic suppression. | ## Common issues | What you see | What to do | |---|---| | Campaign footer shows your account email instead of an address | Go to **Account → Contact**, fill in **Address 1 / City / Country**, save. The next send will use it. | | Subscriber complains they unsubscribed but got another email | Verify they clicked the link in the footer (not a custom "stop" link in your body). If they did, check **Lists → [list] → Subscribers** and confirm their status is `unsubscribed`. If not, contact support — auto-suppression should be instant. | | You want to re-import someone who previously unsubscribed | Don't. CAN-SPAM forbids it without fresh consent. Have them sign up again via your form. | ## What to do after 1. Open **Account → Contact** and confirm both **Company info** and **Address** cards are filled in. 2. Open one of your last sent campaigns and scroll to the footer — confirm the address renders, and the unsubscribe link works. 3. Read [Double Opt-In vs Single Opt-In](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/double-opt-in-vs-single-opt-in-which-to-choose) — double opt-in dramatically reduces CAN-SPAM exposure even though it isn't legally required. ## Related articles - [CASL: Canadian Anti-Spam Requirements](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/casl-canadian-anti-spam-requirements) - [GDPR Compliance for Email Marketing](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/gdpr-compliance-guide-for-email-marketing) - [Double Opt-In vs Single Opt-In: Which to Choose](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/double-opt-in-vs-single-opt-in-which-to-choose) - [Email List Hygiene](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/email-list-hygiene-clean-your-list-for-better-deliverability) --- ## Related articles - [GDPR Compliance for Email Marketing with AcelleMail](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/gdpr-compliance-guide-for-email-marketing): GDPR governs how you process EU residents' personal data — and email addresses are personal data. This guide walks the five obligations that touch email marketing (consent, access, erasure, portability, processor agreements) and shows the AcelleMail UI for each. - [CASL Compliance in AcelleMail: What Canadian Senders Need](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/casl-canadian-anti-spam-requirements): Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation is one of the strictest in the world — fines reach CAD $10 million per violation. This guide covers express vs implied consent, what every Canadian CEM must contain, and how to record consent inside AcelleMail. - [Data Encryption for Self-Hosted AcelleMail](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/data-encryption-for-self-hosted-platforms): Self-hosting means your subscribers' data lives on your server, not a third party's — which puts encryption in your hands. Here's what actually matters: protecting data in transit, at rest, and in your backups, in plain terms, without a sysadmin wall. - [BIMI with VMC — Cost, Process, and Whether It's Worth It](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/bimi-with-vmc-cost-walkthrough): VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) costs $1,500/yr per domain and takes 4-8 weeks to obtain. This guide walks the cost math, the trademark requirements, the alternative paths, and a decision framework for whether VMC is right for your sending program. - [Building Your Email Marketing SaaS](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/building-your-email-marketing-saas): The technology side of an AcelleMail SaaS is solved. The hard part is the business: who you sell to, how you price, how you reach them, and how you keep them. This guide is the GTM + pricing playbook — opinionated, market-tested patterns for launching an email-marketing SaaS on the AcelleMail stack.