{{short description|Telephone area codes for central and northeastern Massachusetts}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{refimprove|date=November 2024}} 250px|thumb|The region of area codes 978 and 351 250px|thumb|Massachusetts area codes since May 2001 '''Area codes 978 and 351''' are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for north central and most of northeastern Massachusetts.<ref name="mass">{{Cite web |title=Massachusetts Area Code Regions |url=https://www.mass.gov/doc/area-code-map/download |access-date=2024-11-02 |website=www.mass.gov.}}</ref>
Area code 978 was created in an area code split of area code 508 on September 1, 1997. A permissive dialing period ended on February 1, 1998. Area code 351 was added to the same service area as an overlay on May 2, 2001. Since then, ten-digit dialing has been mandatory for all telephone calls.
Prior to the July 1988 split to create 508, the numbering plan area was served by area code 617, along with the rest of the eastern two-thirds of the state. Some mobile telephone numbers from the 1990s assigned to rate centers in 978 and 351 kept the 508 area code on those mobile lines after the split.
The numbering plan area is part of local access and transport area (LATA) 128.
==Service area== The service area extends in north central and northeastern Massachusetts, and comprises the following towns and cities. {{div col|colwidth=9em}} * Acton * Ashburnham * Ashby * Andover * Amesbury * Athol * Ayer * Berlin * Beverly * Billerica * Bolton * Boxborough * Burlington * Carlisle * Chelmsford * Clinton * Concord * Danvers * Dracut * Dunstable * Fitchburg * Gardner * Georgetown * Gloucester * Groton * Groveland * Harvard * Haverhill * Hudson * Ipswich * Lancaster * Lawrence * Leominster * Littleton * Lowell * Maynard * Methuen * Merrimac * Middleton * Newburyport * North Reading * Peabody * Pepperell * Princeton * Rowley * Salem * Salisbury * Shirley * Sterling * Stow * Still River * Sudbury * Tewksbury * Tyngsboro * Westford * Westminster * Wilmington * Winchendon {{end div col}}
==See also== * List of Massachusetts area codes * List of North American Numbering Plan area codes
== References == <references />
==External links== {{NANPA area code map|Map=MA}} * [https://www.area-codes.com/area-code/area-code-978.asp List of exchanges from Area-Codes.com, 978 Area Code] * [https://www.area-codes.com/area-code/area-code-351.asp List of exchanges from Area-Codes.com, 351 Area Code] * [https://www.mass.gov/doc/massachusetts-area-code-map Massachusetts Area Code Map], Mass. Department of Telecommunications and Cable
{{Area code box|State=MA | This=351/978 | N=603 | S=508/774, 339/781 | E=339/781, Atlantic Ocean | W=413 | S1=NH }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Area Codes 978 And 351}} Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1997 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2001 978 978