JEFFERSON CITY—The North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) has announced that a new area code, 235, will be joining the current 573 area code in Missouri, ensuring that all residential and business customers have a sufficient supply of telephone numbers to serve this area of the state.
Increasing demand for residential and business telephone numbers created the need to add a new area code to the existing 573 area code region. Telephone customers in the existing 573 area code who request new service or an additional telephone line may be assigned a telephone number with the new area code when it becomes available.
“The 573 area code is not going away and customers who have a telephone number with the 573 area code will not lose or have to change their telephone number,” said Missouri Public Service Commission Chairman Ryan Silvey. “An overlay is a more efficient and less disruptive way to alleviate the exhaustion of available telephone numbers by simply assigning the new area code to new numbers.”
In February of this year, NANPA notified the Public Service Commission Staff of the need for telephone number relief in the 573 area code. NANPA indicated the 573 area code will exhaust its available supply of telephone numbers during the first quarter of 2025.
On April 21, 2022, the Missouri Public Service Commission issued an order directing NANPA to proceed with an overlay plan. An overlay plan introduces a new area code within the current area code, so that multiple area codes are assigned to the same geographic area. An overlay plan does not require any customers to change telephone numbers, but it does require ten-digit dialing on all local calls.
Telephone customers should know the following key facts about an area code overlay:
- Telephone numbers will not change for any existing customers but new customers may be provided with telephone numbers containing the new 235 area code.
- The price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change due to the overlay.
- What is a local call now will remain a local call.
- Customers in the overlay region must dial 10 digits for local calls.
- Three digit abbreviated dialing, to the extent currently available, such as 911, as well as 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711, or 811 will continue to work and not be affected.
The specific timing of when telephone numbers with the new 235 area code will become available is still to be determined but customers should identify their telephone number as a 10-digit number (3-digit area code + 7-digit telephone number), and include the area code when giving the number to others.
The 573 area code serves communities such as, but not limited to, Jefferson City, Columbia, Rolla, Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Sikeston, Mexico, Hannibal, Camdenton, Waynesville, Farmington and Caruthersville.
