{{Short description|Area codes in Houston, Texas}} {{Use American English|date=February 2026}} {{Texas area codes image map|281/346/713/832}} '''Area codes 713, 281, 832, 346, and 621''' are telephone area code 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.
Despite the Houston area's growth, this configuration remained for 36 years. On March 19, 1983, the numbering plan area was divided for the first time. The northern, eastern and western portions received the new area code 409, as 713 was reduced to the immediate Houston area.
On November 2, 1996, 713 was split again. Area code 281 was created for most of Houston's suburbs along a dividing line roughly following 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.
The 1996 split was intended as a long-term solution. However, within only two years, rapid growth in demand for telephone services from the proliferation of pagers and cellphones made it apparent that further relief was needed. On January 16, 1999, the 713/281 boundary was "erased," while simultaneously a third area code, 832, was added to the entire region. With three area codes serving the area, ten-digit dialing became mandatory for all calls in the Houston area.
On May 9, 2013, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) announced the addition of a fourth area code, 346, to the Houston overlay as of July 1, 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-gets-new-area-code-to-keep-from-running-4502991.php |title=Houston gets new area code to keep from running out of phone numbers |publisher=Houston Chronicle |access-date=2013-05-09 |author=Hlavaty, Craig |date=2013-05-09 }}</ref> Exhaust projections of 2022 forecasted that the Houston area would exhaust its numbering resources by late 2025.<ref name="exhaust">{{cite web |url=https://nationalnanpa.com/reports/2022-1_NPA%20Exhaust_Projections.pdf |date=2021-04-21 |publisher=NANPA |title=2022-1 NRUF and NPA Exhaust Analysis |access-date=2021-04-24 }}</ref> 621 was reserved as the fifth overlay code; the PUC approved its implementation in 2023 with an in-service date of January 23, 2025.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nanpa.com/sites/default/files/planning_letters/PL-623.pdf |title=Planning Letter 623: NPA 621 and 281/346/713/832 All-Services Distributed Overlay (Texas) |publisher=NANPA |date=2023-12-06 |access-date=2025-02-22 }}</ref><ref name="ktrk2025">{{cite web |url=https://abc13.com/post/new-area-code-621-will-join-greater-houston-metro-starting-jan-23-2025/15625208/ |title=For the first time in 10 years, a new area code is being added to the Houston line-up |publisher=KTRK-TV |date=2025-01-17 |access-date=2025-08-19 }}</ref>
==Service area== Counties served by these area codes: {{div col|colwidth=30em}} *Harris (shared with 936) *Brazoria (shared with 979) *Chambers (shared with 409) *Fort Bend (shared with 979) *Galveston (shared with 409) *Liberty (shared with 936) *Montgomery (shared with 979 and 936) *Waller (shared with 979 and 936) {{div col end}}
Towns and cities served by these area codes: {{div col|colwidth=12em}} *Addicks *Alvin *Arcola *Bacliff *Baytown *Bellaire *Brookshire *Brookside Village *Bunker Hill Village *Channelview *Cleveland *Clodine *Conroe *Crosby *Cypress *Deer Park *El Lago *Dickinson *Fresno *Friendswood *Fulshear *Galena Park *Hedwig Village *Highlands *Hilshire Village *Hitchcock *Hockley *Houston *Huffman *Humble *Hunters Creek Village *Iowa Colony *Jacinto City *Jersey Village *Katy *Kemah *Kingwood *Klein *La Marque *La Porte *League City *Liverpool *Magnolia *Manvel *Meadows Place *Missouri City *Mont Belvieu *Montgomery *Nassau Bay *New Caney *Pasadena *Pattison *Pearland *Pinehurst *Piney Point Village *Plum Grove *Porter *Richmond *Romayor *Rosenberg *Rosharon *Rye *Santa Fe *Seabrook *Simonton *South Houston *Splendora *Spring *Spring Valley Village *Stafford *Sugar Land *Taylor Lake Village *Texas City *The Woodlands *Thompsons *Tomball *Webster *West University Place {{div col end}}
==See also== {{Portal|Texas}} *List of Texas area codes {{clear}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{Cite news |last=Hlavaty |first=Craig |date=May 9, 2013 |title=Wait, area code pride is still a thing? |url=http://blog.chron.com/thetexican/2013/05/wait-area-code-pride-is-still-a-thing/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607073920/http://blog.chron.com/thetexican/2013/05/wait-area-code-pride-is-still-a-thing/?cmpid=hpfsln |archive-date=June 7, 2013 |url-status=live |department=The Texican (blog) |work=Houston Chronicle |access-date=4 October 2018 }}
==External links== {{NANPA area code map|Map=TX}}
{{Area code box|State=TX| This= Area codes 281/346/621/713/832| N= 936 | S= Gulf of Mexico | E= 409 | W= 979 }}
Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1947 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1996 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1999 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2014 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2025 281 281 Category:Houston