Additional 975 Area Code To Be Added To Current 816 Area Code Territory

An additional telephone area code is coming for new phone customers within the 816 area code, but it will not affect current 816 area code customers.

The North American Numbering Plan Administrator has reported to the Missouri Public Service Commission that telephone numbers in the 816 area code area are nearing exhaustion. NANPA projects an exhaustion of numbers within the 816 area code in the second quarter of 2024.

The new area code which will be part of the overlay plan is 975. August 8th of this year is the earliest date companies can request telephone numbers with the 975 area code. October 13th of this year is the earliest date that the 975 area code will be activated. Both of those dates could be pushed back depending on when telephone numbers actually exhaust in the 816 area code.

The 975 area code will co-exist everywhere in this region with the 816 area code. All local calls within this region must be dialed using ten digits rather than seven digits. The 816 area code, along with many other area codes throughout the country, were required to eliminate seven digit local dialing in July of 2022 in order to accommodate the new 988 abbreviated dialing code for the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.

Telephone and area code numbers of current 816 customers will remain the same. The price of a call, coverage area, and other rates and services will not change. What is currently a local call will remain a local call.

The 816 area code region includes Maysville, Savannah, St Joseph, Richmond, and other communities in and around Kansas City and St Joseph.

An overlay plan for the 816 area code was actually started in October of 2000, but was delayed until now because telephone conservation efforts were successful and allowed the planned telephone overlay plan to be delayed. It was delayed for more than 21 years.