{{Short description|Telephone area code for southwest Alabama}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Use American English|date=February 2026}} thumb|right|Numbering plan area 251 in Alabama '''Area code 251''' is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for southwestern Alabama, serving Mobile, Baldwin, and Washington counties and parts of six other counties.<ref name="htm1">{{cite news | first=Bob | last=Lowry | work=The Huntsville Times | title=Flex your fingers for 10-digit dialing in 2010 | url=http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/local.ssf?/base/news/123616178931610.xml&coll=1 | date=2009-03-04 | archive-date=2009-04-08 | access-date=2009-03-05 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408163107/http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/local.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews%2F123616178931610.xml&coll=1 | url-status=dead }}</ref> It was created on June 18, 2001, as a split of numbering plan area 334.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nanpa.com/nas/public/npa_query_step2.do;nanpaid=Yh55HzpSZVjXSygqjJTpgbV6b3sfnJv9VGl7Gg42jD8JphvmThzn!287555716?method=displayNpa |title=Area Code 251 |publisher=NANPA |access-date=2007-12-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506014306/http://www.nanpa.com/nas/public/npa_query_step2.do%3Bnanpaid%3DYh55HzpSZVjXSygqjJTpgbV6b3sfnJv9VGl7Gg42jD8JphvmThzn%21287555716?method=displayNpa |archive-date=2009-05-06 }}</ref> In order to allow people time to reprogram electronics such as computers, cell phones, pagers and fax machines, use of the 334 area code continued in the 251 areas through January 7, 2002.<ref name="February14">{{cite news | first=Charles R. | last=McCauley | title=Southwest Alabama to get new area code | work=The Birmingham News | date=2001-02-14 }}</ref>
Prior to October 2021, area code 251 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 |date=2021-01-08 |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=2025-07-12 }}</ref>
==Service area== The numbering plan area comprises the following cities. {{div col|colwidth=10em}} *Atmore *Axis *Bay Minette *Bayou la Batre *Bon Secour *Brewton *Chatom *Chickasaw *Citronelle *Creola *Daphne *Dauphin Island *East Brewton *Elberta *Evergreen *Fairhope *Flomaton *Frisco City *Foley *Fort Morgan *Grand Bay *Grove Hill *Gulf Shores *Irvington *Jackson *Loxley *Magnolia Springs *Mobile *Mon Louis *Monroeville *Orange Beach *Perdido Beach *Pine Apple *Poarch *Prichard *Robertsdale *Saraland *Satsuma *Semmes *Silas *Silverhill *Spanish Fort *Stapleton *Stockton *Summerdale *Theodore *Tillman's Corner *Wagarville *Wallace {{div col end}}
==See also== *List of Alabama area codes *List of North American Numbering Plan area codes
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Area code footer|Map=AL}}
{{Area code box|State=AL | This= 251 | N= 205/659, 334 | S= 850/448, Gulf of Mexico | E= 334/483, 850/448 | W= 228, 601/769 | S1=MS | S2=FL}}
{{coord|31|6|N|87|55|W|display=title}}
Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2001 251 251