Callers in 35 states will need to dial area codes starting Sunday
Thirty-five states and one U.S. territory will be transitioning to 10-digit dialing on Sunday.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, callers in 82 area codes will have to punch in their recipient’s area code before dialing their phone number. Local phone calls made without the area code may not be connected.
The FCC is making the change to pave the way for a nationwide three-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Launching July 16, 2022, callers can be connected to suicide prevention and mental health counselors by dialing "988."
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A vintage rotary dial telephone for sale at a flea market in the Chelsea district of New York City. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
"To help facilitate the creation of "988", area codes that use "988" as a local exchange, or the first three digits of a seven-digit phone number, will need to use 10-digit dialing," the FCC said.
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The affected states and territory are as follows:
- Alaska: 907
- Alabama: 251
- Arkansas: 501
- Arizona: 480, 520, 928
- California: 209, 530, 562, 626, 650, 707, 925, 949, 951
- Colorado: 719, 970
- Delaware: 302
- Florida: 321 (Brevard County only), 352, 561, 941
- Georgia: 478, 912
- Guam: 671
- Hawaii: 808
- Illinois: 309, 618, 708
- Indiana: 219, 574
- Iowa: 319, 515
- Kansas: 620, 785
- Kentucky: 859
- Louisiana: 337, 504
- Michigan: 616, 810, 906, 989
- Minnesota: 218, 952
- Mississippi: 662
- Missouri: 314, 417, 660, 816
- Montana: 406
- Nevada: 775
- New Hampshire: 603
- New Jersey: 856, 908
- New Mexico: 505, 575
- New York: 516, 607, 716, 845, 914
- North Carolina: 910
- Ohio: 440, 513
- South Dakota: 605
- Tennessee: 731, 865
- Texas: 254, 361, 409, 806, 830, 915, 940
- Vermont: 802
- Virginia: 276, 804
- Washington: 509
- Wisconsin: 262, 414, 608, 920
Requiring 10 digits for local calls is not a new strategy. Some areas have required callers to use the area codes since the early 1990s to accommodate the growing need for more phone numbers.
Many municipalities have multiple local area codes.
This story was reported from Atlanta.