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{{Short description|Telephone area code for southwestern New Jersey}}
[[File:USA telephone area code map - New Jersey.svg|thumb|Numbering plan areas and area codes of New Jersey]]
'''Area code 856''' is a telephone [[area code]] in the [[North American Numbering Plan]] (NANP) for the southwestern part of the [[U.S. state]] of [[New Jersey]]. The numbering plan area (NPA) includes the [[Camden, New Jersey|Camden]], [[Cherry Hill, New Jersey|Cherry Hill]], and [[Vineland, New Jersey|Vineland]] areas and a small part of [[Willingboro Township, New Jersey|Willingboro Township]] and the western part of [[Burlington County, New Jersey|Burlington County]]. 856 is essentially coextensive with the New Jersey side of the [[Delaware Valley|Philadelphia metropolitan area]].

The area code was created in 1999 in a split of [[area code 609]].<ref>{{cite news
|first=Karen
|last=Demasters
|title=IN BRIEF; 609 Divided by 2 Will Equal Area Code 856 - New York Times
|date=1999-03-14
|work=The New York Times
|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E0DA143EF937A25750C0A96F958260
|access-date=2007-07-08
}}</ref>

==History==
The entire state of New Jersey was assigned [[area code 201]] in 1947, when the [[American Telephone and Telegraph Company]] (AT&T) established a nationwide [[telephone numbering plan]] for use in [[Operator Toll Dialing]], which later developed into the North American Numbering plan.<ref>[http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1995/vp951101/11010459.htm Now you can call, if your calls don't work some business lines aren't set up to all to new area codes.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316221411/http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1995/vp951101/11010459.htm |date=March 16, 2008 }}, ''[[The Virginian-Pilot]]'', 1995-11-01. Retrieved 2007-06-08</ref> The area code had its debut in customer-dialed communication in 1951, with the first trial of [[Direct Distance Dialing]] (DDD).<ref name="History">{{cite web
|url=http://www.corp.att.com/attlabs/reputation/timeline/51trans.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070107101205/http://www.corp.att.com/attlabs/reputation/timeline/51trans.html |archive-date=2007-01-07
|title=1951: First Direct-Dial Transcontinental Telephone Call
|publisher=AT&T
|access-date=2007-05-12
}}</ref>

In 1956, the administration divided the state into two numbering plan areas, retaining 201 for the northern part, while the southern part of the state received [[area code 609]].<ref>{{cite web
|title=About Verizon New Jersey: Years 1931 to 1969 |url=http://www.verizonnj.com/about/community/nj/about/history/1931_1969.asp |date=2007-09-29
|publisher=Verizon Communications
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929042911/http://www.verizonnj.com/about/community/nj/about/history/1931_1969.asp |access-date=2007-05-12
|archive-date=2007-09-29 }}</ref> However, no area codes were needed for all calls between the two numbering plan areas until 1963.

With the increasing demand for telephone numbers by businesses, increased used of fax machines, [[pager]]s and cell phones, area code 609 exhausted its numbering capacity.<ref>Breidenbaugh, R.C. [http://www.nanpa.com/pdf/pl-nanp-173.pdf Geographic Split of 609 (New Jersey) NPA; addition of 856 NPA. May 1999 NXX updates]{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, NANPA Planning Letter dated May 5, 1999. Accessed July 4, 2007.</ref> Area code 856 was announced by [[Bell Atlantic]] in March 1999, and was approved by the [[New Jersey Board of Public Utilities]] shortly thereafter. The new area code became operational on June 12, 1999. A permissive dialing period of five months ended on November 13, 1999, during which seven-digit was still permitted.

Prior to October 2021, area code 856 had telephone numbers assigned for the [[central office code]] 988. In 2020, ''988'' was designated nationwide as a dialing code for the [[National Suicide Prevention Lifeline]], which created a conflict for exchanges that permit [[seven-digit dialing]]. This area code was therefore scheduled to transition to [[ten-digit dialing]] by October 24, 2021.<ref name="pl556">{{cite web|url=https://nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_556.pdf|date=January 8, 2021|publisher=North American Numbering Plan Administrator |title=Transition to 10-digit dialing (for 988 as 3-digit access to National Suicide Prevention Hotline)|access-date=March 9, 2021}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|New Jersey}}
*[[List of New Jersey area codes]]
*[[List of North American Numbering Plan area codes]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Area_code_footer|Map=NJ}}

{{Area code box|State=NJ|
This=856|
N=[[Area codes 215, 267, and 445|215/267/445]], [[Area codes 610 and 484|484/610]]|
S=[[Area code 302|302]]|
E=[[Area codes 609 and 640|609/640]]|
W=[[Area code 302|302]]|
S1=DE|
S2=PA}}

{{Coord|39.9310|-75.0393|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Area Code 856}}
[[Category:Area codes in the United States|856]]
[[Category:Area codes in New Jersey|856]]
[[Category:Burlington County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Camden County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Cumberland County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Gloucester County, New Jersey]]

Area code 856 - Revision history

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