Pennsylvania's largest area code is finally reaching its limit
One of Pennsylvania’s four original area codes finally is getting a little too crowded.
The state Public Utility Commission announced Thursday the 814 area code would be assigned a new overlay code of 582.
The change also means residents who never needed to dial more than seven digits to make a local phone call will have to dial 10 digits within a year.
“Each area code contains about 7.92 million unique telephone numbers,” said PUC Press Secretary Nils Hagen-Frederiksen. “Mathematically, there are more possible combinations for a seven-digit number, but certain phone number combinations are set aside for other purposes like 911 and 411, and there are limits on the use of zero or one as the first digit.”
The 582 area code will be assigned to new telephone numbers for residents and businesses once the current supply of 814 numbers is exhausted.
The 814 area code, established in 1947, encompasses all or parts of Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Potter, Somerset, Tioga, Venango and Warren counties, along with small sections of Fayette and Westmoreland.
It is the largest area code in the state and the last to undergo changes.
Residents of the 814 region are asked to keep the following dates in mind:
• Oct. 3, 2020: Residents and businesses are encouraged to begin voluntarily dialing 10-digit numbers for 814 calls.
• April 3, 2021: Ten-digit dialing will be required for all calls.
• May 1, 2021: The new 582 overlay will be placed into service.
The 582 designation was chosen by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator, a third-party company which administers telephone resources across the U.S.
In 2013, Western Pennsylvania was assigned a third area code, 878, after the addition of the 724 area code was not sufficient to keep pace with households using multiple mobile phones and residents using both work and home mobile numbers.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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