206
Area code
WA
United States geographic area code, in service since 1947-01-01. Part of the 206/564 overlay complex — ten-digit dialing required.
Statusin service
Introduced1947-01-01
JurisdictionWA, US
Local dialing10D
Time zonePacific
Last verified2026-09-17
Utilization 97.1% of assignable prefixes assigned
As of 09/17/2026
0%769 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 2001-01-23, most recent 2026-05-14.
Area codes serve rate-center geographies, not municipal boundaries. “WA” identifies the jurisdiction, not an exact city footprint.
Top assignees
Ranked by assigned prefixes · initial assignee ≠ current carrier| Rank | Assignee | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | QWEST CORPORATION | 243 | 31.6% |
| 02 | T-MOBILE USA, INC. | 95 | 12.4% |
| 03 | ONVOY, LLC - WA | 72 | 9.4% |
| 04 | NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC | 58 | 7.5% |
| 05 | CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - WA | 57 | 7.4% |
| 06 | LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - WA | 34 | 4.4% |
| 07 | MCIMETRO ACCESS TRANSMISSION SERVICES LLC | 33 | 4.3% |
| 08 | ELECTRIC LIGHTWAVE LLC DBA ALLSTREAM | 25 | 3.3% |
| 09 | SPOK, INC. | 23 | 3% |
| 10 | TELEPORT COMMUNICATIONS AMERICA, LLC - WA | 22 | 2.9% |
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- 2023-08-03 NPA 564 to Overlay NPA 206 (Washington)
- 1947-01-01Area code 206 entered service.
Planning letters & orders
Primary documents| Date | Document | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-03 | PL-620 ↗ | NPA 564 to Overlay NPA 206 (Washington) |
| 2016-06-28 | PL-492 ↗ | NPA 564 to Overlay NPA 360 (Washington) |
| 2001-08-29 | PL-298 ↗ | Suspension of 564 Overlay (Washington) |
| 2000-07-27 | PL-239 ↗ | NPA 564 to Overlay NPAs 206, 253, 360, and 425 (Washington) |
| 1996-10-31 | PL-019 ↗ | NANP-Split of 206 (Washington State) Numbering Plan Area (NPA) |
| 1994-01-21 | IL-94-01-029 ↗ | NANP-SPLIT OF 206 (WASHINGTON STATE) NUMBERING PLAN AREA (NPA) |
| 1991-01-29 | IL-91-01-045 ↗ | NANP - INTRODUCTION OF INTERCHANGEABLE CENTRAL OFFICE CODES IN THE 206 NPA |