A new area code will be activated in Ohio as the relief method for existing 937 NPA which serves the south western part of the state, the following towns and cities included: Dayton, Hillsboro, Marysville or Springfield. The new 326 area code was approved on May 23, 2018 by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and will serve the exact same geographic area covered today by area code 937. Local calls will be dialed using 10 or 11 digits when NPA 326 becomes active in 2020.
Key dates
August 10, 2019 – start of permissive 7/10/11 digit dialing (local calls between telephone numbers in NPA 937 may be dialed using 7, 10 or 1+10 digits, 10 digit dialing being encouraged)
February 8, 2020 – start of mandatory 10 or 1+10 digit dialing
British Columbia will have a new area code beginning May 4, 2019. The province is currently served by 4 area codes: 236, 250, 604 and 778. The new area code will cover the whole province of British Columbia and no changes are planned for how calls are dialed within the area.
The Caribbean island country of Jamaica uses the North American Numbering Plan and its area code within the NANP is 876. On September 15, 2016 a new area code was announced by Jamaica’s telecom regulator as a relief method for existing 876 area code. Starting next year in November the new 658 area code will also cover the entire island and, as a result 10 digit dialing will be used for all local calls.
Key dates
May 31, 2018 – start of permissive 7/10 digit dialing period (all telephone calls on the island may be dialed using either 7 or 10 digits)
October 30, 2018 – 10 digit dialing becomes mandatory for all calls within Jamaica
November 30, 2018 – new area code 658 enters service
Approved by the California Public Utilities Commission on May 25, 2017 the 820 Numbering Plan Area Overlay will serve the same geographic area currently served by area code 805. Some of the cities covered by NPA 805: Camarillo, El Paso de Robles, Lompoc, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara etc. The new 820 area code will be activated on June 30, 2018, and consequently 1+10 digit dialing will become mandatory for all local and toll calls within the new 805/820 overlay area.
Key dates
December 1, 2017 – 1+10 digit dialing is encouraged for calls within the 805 NPA borders
June 2, 2018 – 1+10 digit dialing becomes mandatory
From 1958 to 1999 the southern part of New Jersey was served by area code 609. In 1999 the Numbering Plan Area 609 was split into two with the new area code 856 covering the south-western portion of NJ. Today, once again, a relief plan is needed for area code 609. The approved relief method is an overlay code which will serve the same south eastern NJ area currently covered by NPA 609. The new area code 640 will enter service next year in September. As a result of the newly created overlay complex 609/640, 10 digit dialing will be mandatory for all calls within its borders.
Key dates
January 20, 2018 – permissive 10 digit dialing begins (10 digit dialing is encouraged)
August 18, 2018 – mandatory 10 digit dialing begins
September 17, 2018 – area code 640 enters service
7 digit calls between 609 and 856 to be eliminated
Since the 1999 split of NPA 609 some calls between area codes 609 and 856 could be dialed using 7 digits. With the above changes these protected NXX codes will also be eliminated and regular 1+10 digit dialing will be required for all calls between the two NPAs.
California area codes 619 and 858 currently cover the southern and northern parts of San Diego respectively, including some of its suburbs. On April 17, 2017 the California Public Utilities Commission approved a boundary removal between the two Numbering Plan Areas. The decision will take the pressure off area code 619, which is approaching exhaustion. The resulting overlay complex 619/858 will cover the entire area currently served by the two area codes and will have as a side effect mandatory 1+10 digit dialing for all telephone calls within the area.
Key dates
November 11, 2017 – permissive 1+10 digit dialing begins (1+10 digit dialing is encouraged for all calls)
May 19, 2018 – mandatory 1+10 digit dialing begins
June 19, 2018 – the new overlay complex 619/858 enters service
The Eastern part of Quebec, Canada is currently served by area code overlay complex 418/581, including cities and towns such as Alma, Levis, Quebec City, Riviere-du-Loup, St. Georges. A new area code will overlay the two codes beginning November 24, 2018. 10 digit dialing is already used in this area so there will be no need for a transition period from 7 to 10 digit dialing.
New dialing rules
7 digit local dialing from NPA 506 in Campbell, NB to NPA 418/581 will be maintained
7 digit local dialing from NPA 709 in Labrador City – Wabush area to NPA 418/581 will be discontinued from as early as November 10, 2018
The Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, currently using NPA 709 will have a new area code starting in November, 2018. The new area code 879 will overlay the existing NPA 709, covering communities such as Corner Brook, Gander, Grand Falls, Happy Valley – Goose Bay, Labrador City – Wabush, Marystown or St. John’s. All local calls originating within the new overlay will eventually be dialed using 10 digits (area code + local number).
Key dates
August 17, 2018 – permissive 7/10 digit dialing begins (some local calls within NPA 709 dialed using 7 digits will first be connected to an announcement notifying callers about the new 10 digit dialing requirement)
November 10, 2018 – mandatory 10 digit dialing is introduced (again, depending on each carrier’s decision whether to play an announcement or not, some local calls within the area will be connected to a network announcement notifying callers that their call can not be completed as dialed and that they must hang up and dial the area code followed by the 7 digit local number
November 24, 2018 – new area code 879 enters service
Update #1
Area code 879 will no longer enter service on November 24, 2018. The new date will be announced when decided upon.
See official announcement (PDF document)
Update #2
The new implementation dates for area code 879 are as follows:
February 11, 2022 – permissive 7/10 digit dialing begins
Sacramento, CA and surrounding cities and towns will have a new area code starting March 10, 2018. The new area code 279 was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on February 9, 2017 as the relief method for the 916 NPA (Numbering Plan Area), covering, among other cities: Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, West Sacramento. The new 916/279 all-services overlay will serve the exact same geographic area currently served by area code 916. 1+10 digit dialing will be implemented as a result and the permissive 7/1+10 digit dialing will last longer than usual in this case.
Key dates
August 12, 2017 – permissive 7/1+10 digit dialing begins (calls within NPA 916 may be dialed using either 7 or 1+10 digits, the latter being encouraged)
February 10, 2018 – mandatory 1+10 digit dialing begins