Philadelphia and Suburbs Getting a New Area Code

Area codes are, to certain people, a big deal. More than just the three-digit numeric prefix to your telephone number, they stand for a sense of neighborhood identity and pride. Across the country, some refer to their hometown by way of shorthand using the local area code, much in the same way that others tout their ZIP code. My own hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida occasionally goes by “the 7-2-7.” Philadelphia residents who are used to seeing 215 and 267 before local phone numbers are going to have to adapt to a change in the next couple of years when a new area code enters the picture.

Coming soon to Philadelphia: a new area code.

According to NBC, the pool of 215 and 267 phone numbers is set to run dry sometime around 2019. That means that Philadelphia and some adjacent Pennsylvania suburbs will be getting a new area code. Nobody knows yet what it will be. As per Channel 10, “The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Wednesday approved the new three-number prefix addition, paving the way for the consortium overseeing phone numbering to move ahead with the plan.”

A little history for you: the 215 area code has been around since 1947, when it was one of just four codes assigned to the state of Pennsylvania. It was the only code serving the southeastern part of the Keystone State until 1994, when 610 was added for the sake of the suburban counties surrounding Philly. The year 1999 saw 267 and 484 added into the assortment.

When the time comes, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator or NANPA will make the selection of the new code. It will be added to the current area code mix as an overlay, meaning that the new prefix won’t be assigned until all the possible 215 and 267 numbers are given out. State regulators were quick to reassure residents that there will be plenty of notice before the new code goes live.