[header] How to record a phone conversation [title] Be sure you're staying legal. [step] The united states federal government places no restrictions on private citizens recording their phone conversations, but many states require consent from all involved parties. Without such consent, your records will be legally useless in those states, and could even get you in trouble. 
[substeps] There are 11 states that require consent from all parties: california, connecticut, florida, illinois, maryland, massachusetts, montana, nevada, new hampshire, pennsylvania and washington. In addition, the state of hawaii requires full consent any time a recording is made inside a private residence.