Area codes 713, 281, 832, 346, and 621

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Template:Short description Template:Texas area codes image map Area codes 713, 281, 832, 346, and 621 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) forming an overlay complex for Houston, Texas, and its environs. Area code 713 is one of the original four area codes established for Texas in 1947.

History

When the concept of the North American Numbering Plan was established in 1947, Texas was divided into four numbering plan areas (NPAs), roughly outlining four quadrants in the state. Area code 713 was assigned to the southeastern part, from the Sabine River to the Brazos Valley.

On March 19, 1983, the numbering plan area was divided for the first time, when the immediate Houston area retained 713, while the northern, eastern and western portions received area code 409.

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

This was intended as a long-term solution, but rapid growth in demand for telephone services from the proliferation of pagers and cellphones required additional numbering resources within two years in both numbering plan areas. On January 16, 1999, the 713/281 boundary was removed, creating an overlay for the combined area, while simultaneously adding a third area code, 832, to the entire region. As a result, ten-digit dialing became required for all calls in the Houston area.

On May 9, 2013, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) announced the addition of yet another code, 346, to the Houston overlay as of July 1, 2014.[1] This had the effect of allocating over 31 million telephone numbers to a service territory of eight million people. Exhaust projections of 2022 forecasted that the Houston area would require a fifth area code by late 2025.[2] 621 was reserved as the fifth overlay code; the PUC approved its implementation in 2023 with an in-service date of January 23, 2025.[3]

Service area

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See also

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References

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Further reading

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External links

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