View source for Area codes 310 and 424

{{short description|Area codes in the Los Angeles metropolitan area}}
{{California area codes image map|310 and 424}}

'''Area codes 310 and 424''' are telephone [[area code]]s in the [[North American Numbering Plan]] (NANP) for the [[U.S. state]] of [[California]]. The numbering plan area includes the [[Westside (Los Angeles County)|West Los Angeles]] and [[South Bay (Los Angeles County)|South Bay]] areas of [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]], a small portion of [[Ventura County, California|Ventura County]], and [[Santa Catalina Island, California|Santa Catalina Island]], which is located {{convert|26|mi|km}} south.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/Telco/generalInfo/Area+Codes/310+Area+Codes.htm |title=310/424 Area Codes |access-date=2009-04-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411013520/http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/Telco/generalInfo/Area%2BCodes/310%2BArea%2BCodes.htm |archive-date=2009-04-11 }}</ref>

Area code 310 was created in a split from [[area code 213]] on November 2, 1991. On January 25, 1997, area code 310 was split, creating [[area code 562]] for the southeast portion of Los Angeles County and a large portion of Orange County. Area code 424 was added to the remaining numbering plan area on July 26, 2006, in an [[overlay plan]], the first in California.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/General.aspx?id=2775|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223075121/http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/General.aspx?id=2775|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 23, 2016|title=310/424 Area Code Information|work=CPUC|access-date=August 5, 2017}}</ref>

==Splits and overlay controversy==
{{refimprove|section|date = April 2023}}
[[Area code 562]] was originally intended as an overlay code for [[Mobile phone|cellular]] and [[pager]] services for the existing 310 area. The overlay was planned for late 1995, and was expected to extend over the 213 and 818 areas the following year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=19940907&id=5ZIzAAAAIBAJ&pg=6663,815412|title=Lodi News-Sentinel - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com|access-date=22 August 2018}}</ref> However, the plan was changed to a split of 310, when the [[California Public Utilities Commission]] decided that an overlay would have disadvantaged subscribers of smaller companies in requiring ten-digit dialing.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/21433994.html?dids=21433994:21433994&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+12%2C+1995&author=ERIC+MALNIC&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=Half+of+310+Area+Code+Will+Be+Changed+to+562&pqatl=google |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-07-05 |archive-date=2013-03-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310211023/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/21433994.html?dids=21433994:21433994&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+12%2C+1995&author=ERIC+MALNIC&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=Half+of+310+Area+Code+Will+Be+Changed+to+562&pqatl=google |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The south and east portions of 310, roughly the [[Gateway Cities]] area of Los Angeles County from [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]] to [[Whittier, California|Whittier]] and parts of Orange County became [[area code 562]] on January 25, 1997.

In lieu of executing an additional split, a new area code, 424, was implemented in the entire 310 region, first announced in early 1999. Previously, several proposals intended to split 310 at [[Imperial Highway]], a major east–west thoroughfare that marks the southern boundary of [[Los Angeles International Airport]]. The [[South Bay (Los Angeles County)|South Bay]] below the boundary would have received area code 424. South Bay governments and businesses opposed such a move, since it would require costly changes to business cards, stationery, signage, and other business communications, just eight years after the previous change of area code for that area.

Announcement of the 424 overlay created an uproar in Los Angeles's politically powerful Westside community, in part because the change would necessitate dialing ten digits even when calling local numbers. Championed by ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' columnist [[Robert Scheer]] in the paper's Santa Monica insert section, a protest movement arose in May 1999, focusing on the idea of telephone-number conservation. In a carry-over from the time of analog telephone systems, numbers were still assigned to telephone companies in blocks of 10,000, leading to a large portion of unused telephone numbers in each area code. Responding to the controversy, the [[California State Assembly]] passed the Consumer Area Code Relief Act of 1999 on September 9, 1999, and the 424 overlay was tabled.

Having been staved off nearly seven years, the overlay with 424 was finally implemented on July 26, 2006. On December 31, 2005, customers began dialing ''1 + area code + seven-digit number'' whenever a call is placed by a caller in the 310 or 424 area code to any other area code, including 310 to 424 or 424 to 310. After July 26, 2006, customers were required to use the new 1 + area code + seven-digit number dialing procedure for all calls, although dialing 1 first on local calls is not required.

==Service area==
===Los Angeles County===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Alondra Park, California|Alondra Park]]
*[[Athens, California|Athens]]
*[[Avalon, California|Avalon]]
*[[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]] (small portion in the [[Area code 323|323]] area code)
*[[Carson, California|Carson]]
*[[Compton, California|Compton]] 
*[[Culver City, California|Culver City]] 
*[[Del Aire, California|Del Aire]]
*[[East Compton, California|East Compton]]
*[[El Segundo, California|El Segundo]]
*[[Gardena, California|Gardena]]
*[[Hawthorne, California|Hawthorne]] (small portion in the [[Area code 323|323]] area code)
*[[Hermosa Beach, California|Hermosa Beach]]
*[[Inglewood, California|Inglewood]] (small portion in the [[Area code 323|323]] area code)
*[[Lynwood, California|Lynwood]]
*[[Ladera Heights, California|Ladera Heights]] (also in the [[Area code 323|323]] area code)
*[[Lawndale, California|Lawndale]]
*[[Lennox, California|Lennox]]
*[[Lomita, California|Lomita]]
*[[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]
**[[Bel Air, Los Angeles|Bel Air]]
**[[Brentwood, Los Angeles|Brentwood]]
**[[Harbor City, Los Angeles|Harbor City]]
**[[Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles|Harbor Gateway]] (small portion in the [[Area code 213|323]] area code)
**[[Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles|Pacific Palisades]]
**[[Playa del Rey, Los Angeles|Playa del Rey]]
**[[Playa Vista, Los Angeles|Playa Vista]]
**[[San Pedro, Los Angeles|San Pedro]]
**[[Venice, Los Angeles|Venice]]
**[[West Los Angeles]]
**[[Westchester, Los Angeles|Westchester]]
**[[Westwood, Los Angeles|Westwood]]
**[[Wilmington, Los Angeles|Wilmington]]
*[[Lynwood, California|Lynwood]] (small portion in the [[Area code 323|323]] area code)
*[[Malibu, California|Malibu]]
*[[Manhattan Beach, California|Manhattan Beach]]
*[[Marina del Rey, California|Marina del Rey]]
*[[Palos Verdes Estates, California|Palos Verdes Estates]]
*[[Rancho Palos Verdes, California|Rancho Palos Verdes]]
*[[Redondo Beach, California|Redondo Beach]]
*[[Rolling Hills Estates, California|Rolling Hills Estates]]
*[[Rolling Hills, California|Rolling Hills]]
*[[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]]
*[[South Gate, California|South Gate]] (mostly in the [[Area code 323|323]] area code and small portion in the [[Area code 562|562]] area code)
*[[Topanga, California|Topanga]] (small portion in the [[Area code 818|818]] area code)
*[[Torrance, California|Torrance]]
*[[West Athens, California|West Athens]] (mostly in the [[Area code 323|323]] area code)
*[[West Carson, California|West Carson]]
*[[West Compton, California|West Compton]]
*[[West Hollywood, California|West Hollywood]] (also in the [[Area code 323|323]] area code)
*[[Willowbrook, California|Willowbrook]] (also in the [[Area code 323|323]] area code)
{{div col end}}

==See also==
*[[List of California area codes]]
*[[List of North American Numbering Plan area codes]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Area_code footer|Map=CA}}
* [https://araara.co/310-area-code/ 310 Area Code Location, Time Zone, Numbers]. araara.co.

{{Area code box|State=CA
| This=310/424<br/><small>includes islands offshore</small>
| N=[[area codes 805 and 820|805/820]], [[area codes 818 and 747|818/747]]
| S=[[Pacific Ocean]]
| E=[[area codes 213 and 323|213/323]], [[area code 562|562]]
| W=Pacific Ocean, [[area code 808|808]]
| S1=HI}}{{Coord|34.0383|-118.5108|display=title}}
[[Category:Area codes in California|310]]
[[Category:Area codes in the United States|310]]
[[Category:Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Channel Islands of California]]
[[Category:Santa Monica Mountains]]
[[Category:South Bay, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Westside (Los Angeles County)]]
[[Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1991]]
[[Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2006]]