256
Area code
AL
United States geographic area code, in service since 1998-03-23. Part of the 256/938 overlay complex — ten-digit dialing required.
Statusin service
Introduced1998-03-23
JurisdictionAL, US
Local dialing10D
Time zoneCentral
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 2001-01-05, most recent 2025-05-15.
Area codes serve rate-center geographies, not municipal boundaries. “AL” identifies the jurisdiction, not an exact city footprint.
Top assignees
Ranked by assigned prefixes · initial assignee ≠ current carrier| Rank | Assignee | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | BELLSOUTH TELECOMM INC DBA SOUTH CENTRAL BELL TEL | 180 | 22.5% |
| 02 | NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC - GA | 114 | 14.2% |
| 03 | CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - AL | 84 | 10.5% |
| 04 | PAETEC ITEL, LLC | 58 | 7.2% |
| 05 | POWERTEL BIRMINGHAM LICENSES, INC. | 49 | 6.1% |
| 06 | LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - AL | 42 | 5.3% |
| 07 | ONVOY, LLC - AL | 34 | 4.3% |
| 08 | METROPCS, INC. | 25 | 3.1% |
| 09 | CENTURYLINK COMMUNICATIONS LLC - AL | 16 | 2% |
| 10 | BRIGHTSPEED OF ALABAMA, LLC - NORTHERN | 16 | 2% |
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- 2009-04-28 NPA 938 to Overlay NPA 256 (Alabama)
- 1998-03-23Area code 256 entered service (created from 205).
Planning letters & orders
Primary documents| Date | Document | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 2009-04-28 | PL-389 ↗ | NPA 938 to Overlay NPA 256 (Alabama) |
| 1998-03-02 | PL-114 ↗ | BellSouth Operation Support Systems Update and the Alabama and North Carolina NPA Splits |
| 1998-02-03 | PL-110 ↗ | NANP-Split of 205 (Alabama) Numbering Plan Area (NPA) |