Area codes 713, 281, 346, and 832

Area code 806Area code 940Area codes 682 and 817Area codes 682 and 817Area codes 214, 469, and 972Area codes 214, 469, and 972Area codes 430 and 903Area code 575Area code 915Area code 432Area codes 281, 346, 713, and 832Area codes 281, 713, and 832Area code 979Area code 936Area code 409Area code 361Area code 956Area code 210Area code 210Area code 830Area code 512Area code 254Area code 325Area code 318Area code 337Area code 870Area code 580
Map of Texas and adjacent regions, with numbering plan area 281/346/713/832 highlighted.

North American telephone area codes 281, 346, 713, and 832 serve Houston, Texas, and its environs. 713 is the main area code, while 281, 832 and 346 are overlay codes covering the same area.

Area code 713 was one of the original area codes established with the North American Numbering Plan in October 1947. It originally covered the entire southeastern quadrant of Texas, from the Sabine River to the Brazos Valley.

On March 19, 1983, the area was divided for the first time. The immediate Houston area retained area code 713, while the northern, eastern and western portions of the old 713 territory became area code 409.

On November 2, 1996, area 713 was split again, with most of Houston's suburbs switching to area code 281. The dividing line roughly followed Beltway 8. Generally, the majority of Houston itself and most of the suburbs inside the beltway kept area code 713, while 281 served everything outside the beltway. Area code 713 was retained by all cellphone customers in the Houston area.

This was intended as a long-term solution, but within two years both 713 and 281 were close to exhaustion due to Houston's rapid growth and the proliferation of cell phones and pagers. On January 16, 1999, area code 832 was created as an overlay for the entire Houston area. At the same time, the 713-281 boundary was merged and area code 281 was turned into an overlay for the entire region. The result was three area codes covering the Houston metro area, with ten-digit dialing required for all calls.

On May 9, 2013, the Texas Public Utility Commission announced that area code 346 would be added to the Houston area as an overlay. This new area code went into service on July 1, 2014.[1] This had the effect of allocating over 31 million numbers to a service territory of eight million people. However, under current projections, the Houston area will not need another area code until mid-2026.[2]

Service area

Counties served by these area codes:

Towns and cities served by these area codes:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hlavaty, Craig (May 9, 2013). "Houston gets new area code to keep from running out of phone numbers". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2013-05-09.
  2. ↑ https://www.nationalnanpa.com/pdf/NRUF/2017-2_NPA_Exhaust_Projections_Final.pdf

Further reading

  • Hlavaty, Craig (May 9, 2013). "Wait, area code pride is still a thing?". The Texican (blog). Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
Texas area codes: 210/726, 214/469/972, 254, 281/346/713/832, 325, 361, 409, 430/903, 432, 512/737, 682/817, 806, 830, 915, 936, 940, 956, 979
North: 936
West: 979 Area codes 281/346/713/832 East: 409
South: Gulf of Mexico

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