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 (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.
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
The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC or PUCT) is a state agency that regulates the state’s electric, water and telecommunication utilities, implements respective legislation, and offers customer assistance in resolving consumer complaints ...
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 (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 (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 Arcola may refer to:
Places
; Australia
* Arcola, Grafton, a heritage-listed house in New South Wales
;Canada
* Arcola, Saskatchewan, a town in the Province of Saskatchewan
* Arcola Airport, an airport in the Province of Saskatchewan
;England
* Ar ...
*
Bacliff
*
Baytown
*
Bellaire
*
Brookshire
*
Brookside Village
*
Bunker Hill Village
*
Channelview
*
Cleveland
*
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
El Lago is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,090 at the 2020 census.
El Lago has particular historical significance as it sits on the site of one of the main hide-outs for the French pirate and privateer Je ...
*
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
Galena Park is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 10,740 at the 2020 census.
History
Issac Batterson and his family settled in the area in 1833; it was a ...
*
Hedwig Village
*
Highlands
*
Hilshire Village
Hilshire Village is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 816 at the 2020 census. The city is the smallest of the Memorial Villages in terms of area.
As of 2000, Hilshire Village was the 10th wealthiest location in Te ...
*Hitchcock, Texas, Hitchcock
*Hockley, Texas, Hockley
*Houston
*Huffman, Texas, Huffman
*Humble, Texas, Humble
*Hunters Creek Village, Texas, Hunters Creek Village
*Iowa Colony, Texas, Iowa Colony
*Jacinto City, Texas, Jacinto City
*Jersey Village, Texas, Jersey Village
*Katy, Texas, Katy
*Kemah, Texas, Kemah
*Kingwood, Texas, Kingwood
*Klein, Texas, Klein
*La Marque, Texas, La Marque
*La Porte, Texas, La Porte
*League City, Texas, League City
*Liverpool, Texas, Liverpool
*Magnolia, Texas, Magnolia
*Manvel, Texas, Manvel
*Meadows Place, Texas, Meadows Place
*Missouri City, Texas, Missouri City
*Mont Belvieu, Texas, Mont Belvieu
*Montgomery, Texas, Montgomery
*Nassau Bay, Texas, Nassau Bay
*New Caney, Texas, New Caney
*Pasadena, Texas, Pasadena
*Pattison, Texas, Pattison
*Pearland, Texas, Pearland
*Pinehurst, Montgomery County, Texas, Pinehurst
*Piney Point Village, Texas, Piney Point Village
*Plum Grove, Texas, Plum Grove
*Porter, Texas, Porter
*Richmond, Texas, Richmond
*Romayor, Texas, Romayor
*Rosenberg, Texas, Rosenberg
*Rosharon, Texas, Rosharon
*Rye, Texas, Rye
*Santa Fe, Texas, Santa Fe
*Seabrook, Texas, Seabrook
*Simonton, Texas, Simonton
*South Houston, Texas, South Houston
*Splendora, Texas, Splendora
*Spring, Texas, Spring
*Spring Valley Village, Texas, Spring Valley Village
*Stafford, Texas, Stafford
*Sugar Land, Texas, Sugar Land
*Taylor Lake Village, Texas, Taylor Lake Village
*Texas City, Texas, Texas City
*The Woodlands, Texas, The Woodlands
*Thompsons, Texas, Thompsons
*Tomball, Texas, Tomball
*Webster, Texas, Webster
*West University Place, Texas, West University Place
See also
*List of Texas area codes
References
Further reading
*
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
Area codes in the United States, 281
Area codes in Texas, 281
Houston