816
Area code
MO
United States geographic area code, in service since 1947-01-01. Part of the 816/975 overlay complex — ten-digit dialing required.
Statusin service
Introduced1947-01-01
JurisdictionMO, 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 2001-01-23, most recent 2025-04-22.
Area codes serve rate-center geographies, not municipal boundaries. “MO” identifies the jurisdiction, not an exact city footprint.
Top assignees
Ranked by assigned prefixes · initial assignee ≠ current carrier| Rank | Assignee | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | SOUTHWESTERN BELL | 221 | 27.6% |
| 02 | AERIAL COMMUNICATIONS, INC. | 83 | 10.4% |
| 03 | ONVOY, LLC - MO | 69 | 8.6% |
| 04 | NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC - IL | 59 | 7.4% |
| 05 | EMBARQ MISSOURI, INC. DBA CENTURYLINK - MO | 47 | 5.9% |
| 06 | CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - MO | 43 | 5.4% |
| 07 | TELEPORT COMMUNICATIONS AMERICA, LLC - MO | 31 | 3.9% |
| 08 | BRIGHTSPEED OF EAST MISSOURI, LLC | 27 | 3.4% |
| 09 | LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - MO | 25 | 3.1% |
| 10 | PAETEC ITEL, LLC | 22 | 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- 2022-06-21 NPA 975 to Overlay NPA 816 (Missouri) – supersedes PL-568
- 2001-05-09 NPA 975 Overlay of NPA 816 Implementation Date Change (Missouri)
- 1997-04-10 Declaration of Jeopardy Situation in NPA 816 (Missouri) jeopardy
- 1947-01-01Area code 816 entered service.
Planning letters & orders
Primary documents| Date | Document | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-06-21 | PL-597 ↗ | NPA 975 to Overlay NPA 816 (Missouri) – supersedes PL-568 |
| 2021-10-28 | PL-568 ↗ | NPA 975 to Overlay NPA 816 (Missouri) |
| 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 |
| 2001-10-05 | PL-304 ↗ | Suspension Relief in the 816 NPA (Missouri) |
| 2001-05-09 | PL-280 ↗ | NPA 975 Overlay of NPA 816 Implementation Date Change (Missouri) |
| 2001-02-20 | PL-262 ↗ | New NPA 975 to Overlay NPA 816 (Missouri) |