821
Area code
SC
United States geographic area code, in service since 2024-08-19. Part of the 821/864 overlay complex — ten-digit dialing required.
Statusin service
Introduced2024-08-19
JurisdictionSC, US
Local dialing10D
Time zoneEastern
Last verified2026-09-17
Utilization 7.1% of assignable prefixes assigned
As of 09/17/2026
0%56 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 2024-11-07, most recent 2026-08-06.
Area codes serve rate-center geographies, not municipal boundaries. “SC” identifies the jurisdiction, not an exact city footprint.
Top assignees
Ranked by assigned prefixes · initial assignee ≠ current carrier| Rank | Assignee | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC - GA | 24 | 42.9% |
| 02 | 14 | 25% | |
| 03 | ONVOY, LLC - SC | 9 | 16.1% |
| 04 | ONVOY SPECTRUM, LLC | 2 | 3.6% |
| 05 | WAVENATION, LLC | 1 | 1.8% |
| 06 | U.S. TELEPACIFIC CORP. DBA TPX COMMUNICATIONS | 1 | 1.8% |
| 07 | SUNCOM DBA T-MOBILE USA | 1 | 1.8% |
| 08 | NUSO, LLC | 1 | 1.8% |
| 09 | METROPCS, INC. | 1 | 1.8% |
| 10 | LEAP TELECOM, LLC | 1 | 1.8% |
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- 2022-11-28 NPA 821 to Overlay NPA 864 (South Carolina)
- 2024-08-19Area code 821 entered service (created from 864).
Planning letters & orders
Primary documents| Date | Document | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-11-28 | PL-606 ↗ | NPA 821 to Overlay NPA 864 (South Carolina) |