856
Area code
Statusin service
Introduced1999-06-12
JurisdictionNJ, US
Local dialing10D
Time zoneEastern
Last verified2026-09-17
Utilization 87.9% of assignable prefixes assigned
As of 09/17/2026
0%696 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 2001-01-04, most recent 2026-09-16.
Area codes serve rate-center geographies, not municipal boundaries. “NJ” identifies the jurisdiction, not an exact city footprint.
Top assignees
Ranked by assigned prefixes · initial assignee ≠ current carrier| Rank | Assignee | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | VERIZON NEW JERSEY, INC. | 181 | 26% |
| 02 | PAETEC ITEL, LLC | 90 | 12.9% |
| 03 | NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC - DC | 43 | 6.2% |
| 04 | MCIMETRO ACCESS TRANSMISSION SERVICES LLC - NJ | 42 | 6% |
| 05 | ONVOY, LLC - NJ | 41 | 5.9% |
| 06 | OMNIPOINT COMMUNICATIONS ENTERPRISES, LP | 41 | 5.9% |
| 07 | LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - NJ | 35 | 5% |
| 08 | CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - NJ | 34 | 4.9% |
| 09 | TELEPORT COMMUNICATIONS AMERICA, LLC - NJ | 31 | 4.5% |
| 10 | BANDWIDTH.COM CLEC, LLC - NJ | 18 | 2.6% |
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- 1999-06-12Area code 856 entered service (created from 609).
Planning letters & orders
Primary documents| Date | Document | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-08 | PL-556 ↗ | Transition to 10-digit dialing (for 988 as 3-digit access to National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) – supersedes PL-544 |
| 2020-08-17 | PL-544 ↗ | Transition to 10-digit dialing (for 988 as 3-digit access to National Suicide Prevention Hotline |
| 1999-05-05 | PL-173 ↗ | Geographic Split of 609 (New Jersey) Numbering Plan (NPA); addition of 856 NPA |