PUCT Approves Additional Area Code for the Houston Area

North American Numbering Plan Administrator to Guide Implementation of New 621 Area Code Austin – The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has approved the adoption of an additional area code for the greater Houston area to accommodate continued population growth.

The area is expected to run out of new phone numbers starting with the current 281/346/713/832 area codes in 2025. Once telecommunications carriers have exhausted all telephone numbers with the current 281/346/713/832 area codes, new numbers will be assigned the new area code 621.

This new code is expected to meet numbering needs for an additional nine years.

“Houston, and all of Texas, continues to grow because our state offers freedom and opportunity that cannot be found anywhere else in the world,” said Governor Greg Abbott, “This new phone area code is a testament to the economic strength and quality of life in the greater Houston area. I thank the Public Utility Commission for taking this critical step to improve telephone infrastructure to meet the demands of our growing state.”

PUCT Commissioners voted to approve the new area code in PUCT docket 54986 and directed the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) to oversee the implementation over a nine-month timeframe.

The addition of the 621 area code will not affect existing phone numbers. Additionally, since the Houston area is currently served by multiple area codes, residents are already required to dial ten digits (area code included) to place local calls, so the addition of a fifth area code will be a seamless transition for residents.

The Houston area’s first area code, 713, was created in 1947 as one of the original four numbering plan areas (NPA) assigned to Texas. In 1996, the 713 NPA was split into two, switching most Houston suburbs to the 281 area code.

Rapid growth in the following two years required the PUCT to approve the elimination of the boundary between the 713 and 281 area codes and add the 832 area code, creating a three-area code overlay for the combined Houston area. As a result of eliminating the boundary and creating a third overlay, Houston residents were required to start ten-digit dialing for local calls. In 2013, the PUCT approved the addition of the 346 area code.