626
Area code
CA
United States geographic area code, in service since 1997-06-14. NANPA has flagged this area code for relief planning.
Split from 818.
Statusin service
Introduced1997-06-14
JurisdictionCA, US
Local dialing1+10D
Time zonePacific
ReliefPlanning
Last verified2026-09-17
Utilization 94.4% of assignable prefixes assigned
As of 09/17/2026
0%748 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 2001-04-17, most recent 2026-08-05.
Relief planning is under way for area code 626.
No planning letter has been issued yet for this cycle — this page will be updated the day one is published. Subscribe to the change-event feed to be notified.
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| Rank | Assignee | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | PACIFIC BELL | 116 | 15.5% |
| 02 | T-MOBILE USA, INC. | 106 | 14.2% |
| 03 | NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC | 83 | 11.1% |
| 04 | FRONTIER CALIFORNIA INC. | 75 | 10% |
| 05 | ONVOY, LLC - CA | 43 | 5.7% |
| 06 | U.S. TELEPACIFIC CORP. DBA TPX COMMUNICATIONS | 39 | 5.2% |
| 07 | CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - CA | 39 | 5.2% |
| 08 | FRACTEL, LLC | 35 | 4.7% |
| 09 | LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - CA | 30 | 4% |
| 10 | MCIMETRO ACCESS TRANSMISSION SERVICES LLC | 21 | 2.8% |
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- 1997-06-14Area code 626 entered service (created from 818).
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 |
| 1997-01-02 | PL-028 ↗ | NANP-Split of 818 (California) Numbering Plan Area (NPA) |