Area code

CA

United States geographic area code, in service since 1959-01-01. Part of the 408/669 overlay complex — ten-digit dialing required.

Split from 415. Created 831. Created 669. Overlaid with 669 .

Statusin service

Introduced1959-01-01

JurisdictionCA, US

Local dialing1+10D

Time zonePacific

Last verified2026-09-17

Utilization 101% of assignable prefixes assigned As of 09/17/2026

0%800 of ~792 assignable NXX values (200–999 excl. N11)100%

Prefix-level assignment does not equal number-level exhaustion; thousands-block pooling extends capacity. First assignment on record 2001-01-24, most recent 2026-05-21.

Area codes serve rate-center geographies, not municipal boundaries. “CA” identifies the jurisdiction, not an exact city footprint.

Top assignees

Ranked by assigned prefixes · initial assignee ≠ current carrier

Largest initial assignees in area code 408
Rank	Assignee	Prefixes	Share
01	PACIFIC BELL	328	41%
02	NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC	70	8.8%
03	CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - CA	65	8.1%
04	T-MOBILE USA, INC.	42	5.3%
05	MCIMETRO ACCESS TRANSMISSION SERVICES LLC	39	4.9%
06	ONVOY, LLC - CA	35	4.4%
07	LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - CA	31	3.9%
08	SPOK, INC.	27	3.4%
09	TELEPORT COMMUNICATIONS AMERICA, LLC - CA	21	2.6%
10	METROPCS, INC.	20	2.5%

Important: these are initial assignees from NANPA CO-code records — the carrier a prefix was originally assigned to. Because of number portability, the current serving carrier of any individual number may differ.

Change history

Recorded events for this NPA

2011-11-02 NPA 669 to Overlay NPA 408 (California) overlay
1959-01-01Area code 408 entered service (created from 415).

Planning letters & orders

Primary documents

NANPA planning letters for area code 408
Date	Document	Subject
2011-11-02	PL-430 ↗	NPA 669 to Overlay NPA 408 (California)
2000-01-14	PL-206 ↗	Overlays Suspended in the 408, 415, 510, 650, 714 & 909 NPAs
1999-01-25	PL-149 ↗	NANP- Overlay of 408 Numbering Plan Area (NPA) with 669 NPA - California

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