{{short description|Area codes in California}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{California area codes image map|916}}
'''Area codes 916 and 279''' are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan for Sacramento, the state capital of the U.S. state of California, and parts of five surrounding counties.
Area code 916 was one of the first three area codes established in California in October 1947, originally assigned to the most northern part, but remapped in 1950 to the northeast. Area code splits have reduced the numbering plan area to the greater Sacramento area.
Area code 279 began service in March 2018 in an overlay to relieve an exhausting supply of central office codes in 916.
==History== Originally, in 1947, the numbering plan area comprised the far northern portion of the state. In 1950, as part of a realignment of California's area codes, 916 was redrawn to cover the northeastern corner of California, from the Sierra Nevada to the Central Valley. This involved changing Sacramento from area code 415 to 916.{{Citation needed|date = October 2017}}
In 1958, 916 was reduced in geographic extent with the creation of the new area code 209 for the southern part including Fresno, Stockton and Modesto.
On November 1, 1997, the numbering plan area was reduced to Sacramento and its immediate area in a split in which the northeastern portion, including Redding, Yreka, Davis, and Mount Shasta, received area code 530. Simultaneously, Dixon was reassigned from 916 to 707. This split left 916 as the only one of the original 86 area codes that no longer contains any part of its original area.<ref>{{Cite web|title=1947 Area Code Assignment Map|url=http://www.areacode-info.com/!maps/images/NANP1947.gif|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080408094911/http://www.areacode-info.com/!maps/images/NANP1947.gif|archive-date=April 8, 2008|access-date=April 14, 2021|website=areacode-info.com}}</ref>
In 2017, the CPUC approved an overlay area code to take effect in 2018, as all available prefixes were expected to be allocated by December 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lillis|first=Ryan|last2=Fletcher|first2=Ed|date=March 29, 2016|title=Sacramento region eyes new area code as 916 phone numbers run out|work=The Sacramento Bee|url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article68813762.html|access-date=April 14, 2021}}</ref> On February 9, 2017, the CPUC announced that the new overlay area code would be area code 279.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Renee|first=Alexa|date=February 10, 2017|title=How is a new area code selected?|url=http://www.abc10.com/news/local/how-is-a-new-area-code-selected/406846052|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212091017/http://www.abc10.com/news/local/how-is-a-new-area-code-selected/406846052|archive-date=February 12, 2017|access-date=April 14, 2021|website=abc10.com}}</ref> The new area code began service on March 10, 2018.<ref>[https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/916areacode/ 916 Area Code]. California Public Utilities Commission. Accessed on 2016-08-12.</ref>
==Service area== The numbering plan area encompasses Sacramento and its surrounding suburbs:
===El Dorado County=== *El Dorado Hills
===Placer County=== {{div col|colwidth=9em}} *Granite Bay *Lincoln *Loomis *Newcastle *Penryn *Rocklin *Roseville {{div col end}}
===Sacramento County=== {{div col|colwidth=9em}} *Antelope *Arden-Arcade *Carmichael *Citrus Heights *Elk Grove *Fair Oaks *Florin *Folsom *Foothill Farms *Gold River *Isleton *La Riviera *Locke *McClellan Park *North Highlands *Orangevale *Parkway-South Sacramento *Rancho Cordova *Rancho Murieta *Rio Linda *Rosemont *Sacramento *Vineyard *Walnut Grove *Wilton {{div col end}}
===Sutter County=== *Pleasant Grove
===Yolo County=== {{div col|colwidth=9em}} *Clarksburg *West Sacramento {{div col end}}
==See also== *List of California area codes *List of North American Numbering Plan area codes
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Area_code_footer|Map=CA}}
{{clear}} {{Area code box | State = CA | This = 279/916 | N = 530 | S = 209/350, 925 | E = 530 | W = 530, 707/369 }}
{{coord|38.6|-121.5|region:US-CA|display=title}}
916 279 916 279 Category:Northern California Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1947 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2018