LA County To Get New Area Code For First Time In Years

LOS ANGELES, CA — Who needs a Hermès handbag when you can have a 310, 818, 213, or 323?

Los Angeles County is getting its first new area code in years, and that's sure to mean more requests for hard-to-get area codes, those unofficial badges of pride, those three little numbers that say where you are from or where you were from or where you want to be from.

Downtown LA's original 213 is yet again being divided to include a new 738 area code along with the 323. The 738 will be the county's 10th area code when it goes into effect in the coming months. The overlay was approved by the California Public Utility Commission in 2023 because the area served by the 213, 232 codes is expected to run out of phone numbers in 2025.

Currently, the 213/323 area code serves Downtown Los Angeles, Alhambra, Bell, Bell Gardens, Beverly Hills, Commerce, Cudahy, Glendale, Hawthorne, Huntington Park, Inglewood, Lynwood, Maywood, Montebello, Monterey Park, Pasadena, Rosemead, South Gate, South Pasadena, Vernon, West Hollywood, and unincorporated portions of Los Angeles County. Soon, new numbers in those areas will most likely get a 738 area code.

Residents with existing 213/323 area codes won't be impacted by the change, but as new numbers in the area come online, they will increasingly feature the new 738 prefix.

"The 213 area code was created in 1947 and was one of the original three area codes in California," according to the CPUC. "The 213 area code was split five times between 1951 and 1991, creating the 714 area code in 1951, the 805 area code in 1957, the 818 area code in 1984, the 310 area code in 1991 and the 323 area code in 1998."

The price of a call will not change due to the overlay, according to state officials. Customers can still dial just three digits to reach 911, as well as 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711, and 811.

The California Public Utilities Commisison offers these tips to help prepare for the area code overlay:
● Contact security or alarm vendors to update dial-up numbers to avoid a break in security routines and contacts.
● Reprogram equipment or features, i.e., automatic dial, speed-dial, call forwarding, modems for
computer or Internet dial-up access, etc.
● Update items like stationery, checks, etc., to include your area code + telephone number.
● Provide your area code and telephone number, not just the telephone number, as needed.
● When asking for someone’s number, remember to ask for the area code too.
● Remember that the previous area codes and the new area code will co-exist within the same
geographic region.

Many people, no matter where they move nor how many times they change numbers, seek to keep their native area code. According to a report by ringblaze, LA's 310 is the most requested area code in the country. Also, in demand are the San Gabriel Valley's 626 and Orange County's 949.