COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has announced that the 440 area code, which covers several parts of Northeast Ohio, is expected to run out of available phone numbers in the third quarter of 2024.
So what does that mean? For current 440 subscribers, not much will change. Those currently with the 440 area code will continue to maintain their current number and area code.
PUCO approved a plan on Thursday to overlay a new area code over the existing 440 area code. Upon implementation of the overlay, all new phone subscribers will be assigned the new area code, which has not yet been determined.
The 440 area code covers everywhere from Lorain County, to portions of Cuyahoga County, plus Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula counties. You can see how the area codes break down in Ohio in the below map provided by the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA), which manages the administration and assignment of area codes in the United States.
This is not the first time that an overlay has affected Northeast Ohio. In 2000, the 234 area code was established by PUCO as an overlay with the 330 code for residents in areas that include Akron, Canton, Youngstown and Warren.
So what happens when the overlay takes place? PUCO says if your area is designated for an area code overlay, you will be informed, via bill messages, of a date for "permissive dialing" and a date for "mandatory dialing." During permissive dialing, seven-digit dialing patterns can be used to make local calls. After mandatory dialing has been set, 10-digit dialing must be used to make local calls with the new overlay area code plan.
As a result of the nationwide implementation of the 988 dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Line, customers in the 440 area are already transitioning to 10-digit dialing.
According to NANPA, the 216 area code will not exhaust its supply of numbers until approximately 2032.
News Headlines: