{{Short description|Area codes in southwestern Wisconsin}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} [[Image:WI Area Codes (Display).png|right|400px|Numbering plan areas and area codes of Wisconsin]] '''Area codes 608 and 353''' are telephone [[NPA code|area codes]] in the [[North American Numbering Plan]] (NANP) for much of southwestern [[Wisconsin]], including the state [[Capital (political)|capital]] city [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]].
==History== Wisconsin was divided into two numbering plan areas (NPAs) when the [[American Telephone and Telegraph Company]] created the first nationwide [[telephone numbering plan]].
Area code 608 was assigned in 1955 to a numbering plan area that was created from a border rearrangement of the existing NPAs [[area code 414|414]] and [[area code 715|715]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/ATT-1955-notes-on-nationwide-dialing/page/n27/mode/2up |title=Notes on Distance Dialing |publisher=American Telephone and Telegraph Company |year=1955 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |publisher=American Telephone and Telegraph Company |title=Notes on Distance Dialing |year=1956 }}</ref>
During the implementation of [[Direct Distance Dialing]], dialing area code 608 became mandatory for intrastate calling in 1960.<ref>{{cite news |title=Add Area Code to State Calls |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-times/129058616/ |work=[[Racine Journal Times]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=1960-07-23 |page=3 |access-date=2023-07-28 }}</ref>
Prior to October 2021, area code 608 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://www.nanpa.com/sites/default/files/planning_letters/PL-556.pdf |publisher=[[NANPA]] |title=Planning Letter 556: Transition to 10-digit dialing (for 988 as 3-digit access to National Suicide Prevention Hotline) |date=2021-01-08 |access-date=2021-03-09 }}</ref>
Rapid growth of the area, specifically in [[Dane County]], brought the area code close to exhaustion of central office prefixes, with NANPA projections in 2022 forecasting the need for relief by late 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-01 |title=2022-1_NPA_Exhaust_Projections.pdf |url=https://nationalnanpa.com/reports/2022-1_NPA%20Exhaust_Projections.pdf }}</ref> In September 2022, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) announced an [[overlay complex]] for the numbering plan area with new area code 353, with an in-service date of September 15, 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nanpa.com/sites/default/files/planning_letters/PL-605_2.pdf |title=Planning Letter 605: NPA 353 and 608 All-Services Overlay (Wisconsin) |publisher=NANPA |date=2022-11-09 |access-date=2023-07-29 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reigstad |first=Logan |title=New 353 area code to launch in south-central, southwestern Wisconsin in late 2023 |url=https://www.channel3000.com/news/local-news/new-353-area-code-to-launch-in-south-central-southwestern-wisconsin-in-late-2023/article_138e2715-7850-5647-a9e3-4e9e6d27bfd7.html |date=2022-09-22 |access-date=2023-02-23 |website=Channel3000.com |language=en }}</ref> New central office code orders were accepted starting on July 11, 2023, but activation is contingent on complete exhaustion of central office codes for 608.
==Service area== The counties in the numbering plan area are [[Adams County, Wisconsin|Adams]], [[Buffalo County, Wisconsin|Buffalo]], [[Columbia County, Wisconsin|Columbia]], [[Crawford County, Wisconsin|Crawford]], [[Dane County, Wisconsin|Dane]], [[Grant County, Wisconsin|Grant]], [[Green County, Wisconsin|Green]], [[Iowa County, Wisconsin|Iowa]], [[Jackson County, Wisconsin|Jackson]], [[Juneau County, Wisconsin|Juneau]], [[La Crosse County, Wisconsin|La Crosse]], [[Lafayette County, Wisconsin|Lafayette]], [[Marquette County, Wisconsin|Marquette]], [[Monroe County, Wisconsin|Monroe]], [[Richland County, Wisconsin|Richland]], [[Rock County, Wisconsin|Rock]], [[Sauk County, Wisconsin|Sauk]], [[Trempealeau County, Wisconsin|Trempealeau]], and [[Vernon County, Wisconsin|Vernon]].
Cities in the numbering plan area are [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]], [[Verona, Wisconsin|Verona]], [[Sun Prairie, Wisconsin|Sun Prairie]], [[Monroe, Wisconsin|Monroe]], [[Platteville, Wisconsin|Platteville]], [[Lancaster, Wisconsin|Lancaster]], [[Lodi, Wisconsin|Lodi]], [[Portage, Wisconsin|Portage]], [[Baraboo, Wisconsin|Baraboo]], [[Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin|Wisconsin Dells]], [[Beloit, Wisconsin|Beloit]], [[Janesville, Wisconsin|Janesville]], [[La Crosse, Wisconsin|La Crosse]], [[Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin|Prairie du Chien]], [[Viroqua, Wisconsin|Viroqua]], and [[Sparta, Wisconsin|Sparta]].
==See also== *[[List of North American Numbering Plan area codes]] *[[List of Wisconsin area codes]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.nanpa.com/ North American Numbering Plan Administrator]
{{Area code footer|Map=WI}}
{{Area code box|State=WI|Width="55%" |This=353/608 | N=[[area codes 715 and 534|534/715]] | S=[[area codes 815 and 779|779/815]] | E=[[area code 262|262]], [[area codes 920 and 274|274/920]] | W=[[area codes 507 and 924|507/924]], [[area code 563|563]] | S1=IL |S2=IA |S3=MN }}
[[Category:Area codes in the United States|608]] [[Category:Area codes in Wisconsin|608]] [[Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1955]] [[Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2023]]