Area codes 208 and 986 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan for all of Idaho. Area code 208 is one of the 86 original area codes created by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1947. It was Idaho's sole area code until 2017, when 986 was added as a second area code to the same numbering plan area by creating an overlay complex.
Because of its small population, Idaho was among a declining number of North American jurisdictions with only one area code. It is also one of the few whole-state area codes split between multiple LATAs—Southern Idaho (centered in Boise and spilling into Nevada, Wyoming and Malheur County, Oregon) and Coeur d'Alene (spilling into Montana and Washington). Additionally, the Spokane, Washington LATA spills into central Idaho.
In 2001, the Federal Communications Commission projected that demand would exhaust the numbering pool of area code 208 in 2003. The number shortage was a result of the proliferation of landlines, cellphones, and pagers, particularly in urban areas, in the 1990s. However, in 2002 the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (IPUC) successfully delayed a split by implementing number pooling in Boise; this was later applied in 2007 to the rest of Idaho to stave off projected exhaustion in 2010. [1]
In the summer of 2013, NANPA projections suggested exhaustion in 2018. By this time all conservation measures had been exhausted. With Idaho's population growing closer to two million, a second area code became necessary; eleven other states with single area codes all have populations of about one million each. Ultimately, a statewide overlay was recommended. [2] This would have had the effect of assigning 15.6 million numbers to a state of just over 1.7 million people. However, the Idaho PUC wanted to spare Idahoans, particularly in rural areas, the expense and burden of having to change their numbers. An area code split would have also required en masse reprogramming of cell phones. In the overlay plan, subscribers with numbers in the original area code can keep it.
On November 2, 2015, the Idaho PUC approved the addition of area code 986 as a statewide overlay. 986 officially entered service on November 5, 2016. On that date, a permissive dialing period began during which it was possible to make calls with either seven or ten digits (the latter with the area code first). Ten-digit dialing became mandatory across Idaho on August 5, 2017; failure to dial the area code caused an intercept message as reminder. [3] [4] [5] 986 is the second statewide overlay, following the example of area codes 304 and 681 in West Virginia.
| North: 250/778/236/672, 406 | ||
| West: 541, 509 | 208/986 | East: 307, 406 |
| South: 435, 775 | ||
| Montana area codes: 406 | ||
| Wyoming area codes: 307 | ||
| Utah area codes: 385/801, 435 | ||
| Nevada area codes: 702/725, 775 | ||
| Oregon area codes: 458/541, 503/971 | ||
| Washington area codes: 206, 253, 360, 425, 509, 564 | ||
| British Columbia area codes: 236/672/778, 250, 604 | ||
Area codes 905, 289, 365, and 742 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the Golden Horseshoe region that surrounds Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada. The numbering plan area (NPA) comprises (clockwise) the Niagara Peninsula, the city of Hamilton, the regional municipalities of Halton, Peel, York, Durham, and parts of Northumberland County, but excludes the City of Toronto.
Area codes 519, 226, 548, and 382 are overlay telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for most of southwestern Ontario.
Area codes 850 and 448 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan for the Florida Panhandle, including Pensacola, Tallahassee and Panama City. Area code 850 was created in 1997 in a split from 904, and area code 448 was assigned as a second code to the same area in an overlay plan in 2019, and mandatory ten-digit local calling began in May 2021.
In telecommunications, an area code overlay complex is a telephone numbering plan that assigns multiple area codes to a geographic numbering plan area (NPA). Area code overlays are implemented in territories of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) to mitigate exhaustion of central office codes in growth areas. The method has been in use since 1992, and has been the preferred and exclusive method of relief since 2007.
Area codes 920 and 274 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for a large area of eastern Wisconsin. Area code 920 was created on July 26, 1997, in a split of area code 414, one of the original North American area codes of 1947. 274 was added to the same numbering plan area (NPA) on May 5, 2023 to create an area code overlay.
Telephone number pooling, thousands-block number pooling, or just number pooling, is a method of allocating telephony numbering space of the North American Numbering Plan in the United States. The method allocates telephone numbers in blocks of one thousand consecutive numbers of a given central office code to telephony service providers. In the United States it replaced the practice of allocating all 10,000 numbers of a central office prefix at a time. Under number pooling, the entire prefix is assigned to a rate center, to be shared among all providers delivering services in that rate center. Number pooling reduced the quantity of unused telephone numbers in markets which have been fragmented between multiple service providers, avoided central office prefix exhaustion in high growth areas, and extended the lifetime of the North American telephone numbering plan without structure changes of telephone numbers. Telephone number pooling was first tested for area code 847 in Illinois in June 1998, and became national policy in a series of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) orders from 2000 to 2003.
Area codes 541 and 458 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for most of the U.S. state of Oregon, excluding only the northwestern corner of the state. The service area includes the cities of Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis, Albany, Medford, Bend, Ashland, Klamath Falls, The Dalles, Burns, Lakeview, and Pendleton, as well as the coastal region from Lincoln County to the California border. Area code 541 was created in an area code split from area code 503 on November 5, 1995. Area code 458 was added to the same service area on February 10, 2010 to form an overlay.
Area code 404 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for Atlanta, Georgia and its closest suburbs. This comprises roughly the area encircled by Interstate 285. It is an enclave area code, surrounded by area code 770, which serves most of Atlanta's suburbs. Both 404 and 770 are overlaid by area codes 678, 470, and 943.
Area codes 757 and 948 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the southeast corner of Virginia. Area code 757 was established July 1, 1996 in an area code split of area code 804. Area code 948 was established on February 5, 2020 forming an overlay complex with 757.
Area codes 778, 236, and 672 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the Canadian province of British Columbia. They form an overlay complex with area code 604, which serves only a small southwestern section, the Lower Mainland, of the province, and area code 250, which serves the rest of the province.
Area code 403 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the Canadian province of Alberta. The numbering plan area encompasses the southern third of the province, which includes the Calgary area. This numbering plan area is also served by area codes 587, 825, and 368, which form a complex overlay for all of Alberta.
Area code 780 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the Canadian province of Alberta. The numbering plan area comprises the northern two thirds of the province, including the Edmonton area. The area code was established in 1999 in a split of area code 403, which had served the entire province since the establishment of the original North American area codes in 1947. The numbering plan area is also served by area codes 587, 825, and 368, which form a complex overlay for all of Alberta.
Area codes 506 and 428 are the telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Area code 506 was created in 1955 in a split of numbering plan area (NPA) 902. Area code 428 was added to the same numbering plan area in 2023 to form an overlay plan of the area.
Area code 604 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan for southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The numbering plan area comprises the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, Howe Sound / Sea to Sky Corridor, Fraser Valley and the lower Fraser Canyon regions. The major city is Vancouver. The area code is one of the nine original North American area codes assigned to Canada in 1947.
Area codes 304 and 681 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the entirety of the U.S. state of West Virginia. The numbering plan area was established in October 1947 with area code 304, as one of the eighty-six original North American area codes. Area code 681 was added to the same area in an overlay plan that took effect on March 28, 2009.
Area codes 570 and 272 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the northeast quadrant of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The numbering plan area (NPA) includes the cities or towns of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg, Pittston, Carbondale, Hazleton, Clarks Summit, Towanda, Bloomsburg, Sayre, Tunkhannock, Berwick, Milford, Montrose, Honesdale, Pocono Pines, Nanticoke, Tamaqua, Shavertown, Dallas, Mahanoy City, Sunbury, Jim Thorpe, and extends as far south as Pottsville and as far west as Lock Haven. Area code 570 was created in 1998 in an split of area code 717, one of the original North American area codes. In 2013, the numbering plan area received a second area code, 272, creating an overlay plan, which required ten-digit dialing for the area.
Area codes 973 and 862 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in the northernmost part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The numbering plan area (NPA) comprises the counties, or parts, of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Union Counties. Cities in this service area include Newark, Paterson, Clifton, Passaic, Montclair, Morristown, Parsippany, Dover, Maplewood, and The Oranges.
Area code 406 is the telephone area code covering the entire state of Montana. It has been Montana's only area code since area codes were created in 1947.
Area code 870 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for southern, eastern, and most of northern Arkansas. It was created on April 14, 1997 in a split from area code 501, Arkansas's original area code of 1947.
Area codes 587, 825, and 368 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the entire Canadian province of Alberta. They form an overlay with both of the previously existing area code 403 of southern Alberta, and northern Alberta's 780. Telephone numbers in area code 587 were allocated starting in late 2008. The complex overlay involving a total of five area codes in Alberta mandated ten-digit dialing throughout Alberta.
