Area codes 713, 281, 832, and 346 are telephone

area code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...

s in the

North American Numbering Plan The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is a telephone numbering plan for twenty-five regions in twenty countries, primarily in North America and the Caribbean. This group is historically known as World Zone 1 and has the international callin ...

(NANP) forming an overlay complex for

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

and its environs. Area code 713 is one of the original four area codes established for Texas in 1947.

History

When 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. On March 19, 1983, the numbering plan area was divided for the first time. The immediate Houston area retained area code 713, while the northern, eastern and western portions became

area code 409 Area code 409 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the U.S. state of Texas. The numbering plan area comprises the Beaumont and Galveston areas. It was created on March 19, 1983, in an area code split of area c ...

. On November 2, 1996, area code 713 was split again, with most of Houston's suburbs switching to area code 281. The dividing line roughly followed Beltway 8. Generally, the majority of Houston itself and most of the suburbs inside the beltway kept area code 713, while 281 served everything outside the beltway. However, area code 713 was retained by all cellphone customers in the Houston area. Although this was intended as a long-term solution, the rapid growth in demand for telephone services from the proliferation of pagers and cell phones required additional numbering resources within two years in both numbering plan areas. On January 16, 1999, the 713/281 boundary was removed, creating an overlay for the combined area, while simultaneously adding a third area code to the entire region, area code 832. As a result, ten-digit dialing became required for all calls in the Houston area. On May 9, 2013, the Texas Public Utility Commission announced the addition of yet another code, area code 346, to the Houston overlay as of July 1, 2014. This had the effect of allocating over 31 million telephone numbers to a service territory of eight million people. Exhaust projections of 2022 forecast that the Houston area will not need a fifth area code until about 2026.

Service area

Counties served by these area codes: * Harris (shared with 936) * Brazoria (shared with 979) *

Chambers Chambers may refer to: Places Canada: *Chambers Township, Ontario United States: *Chambers County, Alabama * Chambers, Arizona, an unincorporated community in Apache County * Chambers, Nebraska * Chambers, West Virginia * Chambers Township, Hol ...

(shared with 409) *

Fort Bend Fort Bend was a blockhouse built in a large bend of the Brazos River in what is now Fort Bend County, Texas, to provide protection against Indian raids. It was erected in November 1822 by several members of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred, ...

(shared with 979) * Galveston (shared with 409) *

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

(shared with 936) * Montgomery (shared with 979 and 936) * Waller (shared with 979 and 936) Towns and cities served by these area codes: * Addicks * Alvin * Arcola * Bacliff *

Baytown Baytown may refer to: * Baytown, Texas, a city in the United States near Houston, Texas *Baytown culture, an archaeological culture in the United States *Operation Baytown Operation Baytown was an Allied amphibious landing on the mainland o ...

* Bellaire * Brookshire * Brookside Village * Bunker Hill Village *

Channelview Channelview is a census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Texas on the eastside of Houston, Harris County, Texas, Harris County. The population was 45,688 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census. History Channelview was ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

* Clodine * Conroe * Crosby *

Cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the ...

* Deer Park * El Lago * Dickinson * Fresno *

Friendswood Friendswood is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the metropolitan area. The city lies in Galveston and Harris Counties. As of the 2010 census, the population of Friendswood was 35,805. In 2007, CNN/''Money'' magazine listed Fr ...

* Fulshear * Galena Park *

Hedwig Village Hedwig Village is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,370 at the 2020 census. History The Spring Branch Memorial area was originally settled by German immigrants in the 19th century. Hedwig Village's name originat ...

* Highlands * Hilshire Village *

Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

* Hockley *

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

* Huffman * Humble * Hunters Creek Village *

Iowa Colony Iowa Colony is an incorporated Home Rule City in Brazoria County, Texas, Brazoria County, Texas, United States, in the Houston metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census the city has a population of 1,170. History Iowa Colony was founded in 1908 b ...

Jacinto City Jacinto City is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States, east of the intersection of Interstate 10 and the East Loop of Interstate 610. Jacinto City is part of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area and is bordered by the c ...

* Jersey Village * Katy * Kemah * Kingwood * Klein *

La Marque La Marque ( ) is a city in Galveston County, Texas, south of Houston. The city population in 2020 was 18,030. It is a part of the Houston- The Woodlands- Sugar Land metropolitan area. La Marque experienced considerable growth in the 1950s, durin ...

* La Porte *

League City League City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Galveston County, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 112,129. The city of League City has a small portion north of Clear Creek within Harris C ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

* Manvel * Meadows Place * Missouri City * Mont Belvieu * Montgomery *

Nassau Bay Nassau Bay is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States, bordering the southeastern edge of the city of Houston. It is located in the Clear Lake Area near Galveston Bay, directly adjacent to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The population w ...

* New Caney *

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

* Pattison * Pearland * Pinehurst * Piney Point Village * Plum Grove * Porter *

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

* Romayor * Rosenberg * Rosharon *

Rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...

* Santa Fe * Seabrook * Simonton *

South Houston South Houston is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area and Harris County. The population was 16,153 at the 2020 census. It is bordered by the cities of Houston and Pasadena, and geo ...

Splendora Splendora was an American all-female alternative rock band from New York City. Formed in 1993 by Janet Wygal (lead vocals, guitar), Tricia Wygal (lead vocals, bass), Delissa Santos (drums), Cindy Brolsma (cello), and Jennifer Richardson (violin ...

Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

Spring Valley Village Spring Valley Village is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States, and an enclave of Houston. The population was 4,229 at the 2020 U.S. census. History In 1936 state highway maps indicated a cemetery and a church. Initially the settlement con ...

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...

* Sugar Land *

Taylor Lake Village Taylor Lake Village is a city in Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 3,704 at the 2020 U.S. census. History Geography Taylor Lake Village is located at (29.574216, –95.055327). According to the United States Cens ...

* Texas City * The Woodlands * Thompsons *

Tomball Tomball ( ) is a city in Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas, a part of the Houston metropolitan area. The population was 12,341 at the 2020 U.S. census. In 1907, the community of Peck was renamed Tomball for local congressman Thomas Henry Ba ...

Webster Webster may refer to: People *Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname *Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name Places Canada *Webster, Alberta *Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario United State ...

West University Place West University Place, often called West University or West U for short, is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and southwestern Harris County. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the city was 14,955. ...

References

External links

{{coord missing, Texas Telecommunications-related introductions in 1947 Telecommunications-related introductions in 1996 Telecommunications-related introductions in 1999 Telecommunications-related introductions in 2014 281 281 Houston

History

Service area

See also

References

Further reading

External links