The state Public Service Commission has officially approved new area code 465 for the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Marble Hill section of Manhattan starting in 2026.
The creation of 465 — which will be used in an area overlayed with the 347, 718, 917, and 929 area codes — comes in response to the rapidly dwindling supply of available telephone numbers in the region, driven by unprecedented growth in technology and telecommunication services. The action was prompted by a petition from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator, the organization responsible for overseeing and managing the numbering system for telephone networks across the United States. NANPA alerted the Commission to the looming exhaustion of central office codes – the first three digits of a seven-digit phone number – within the existing area codes within the next three years.
According to the PSC, the necessity for a new area code underscores economic activity and growth occurring within the New York City metropolitan area. The rise of devices requiring individual phone numbers, such as smartphones, tablets, and connected devices, has significantly amplified the demand for new numbers.
“With increased telephone usage, we must accommodate the growing demand for phone numbers,” said Commission Chair Rory M. Christian. “The new area code will ensure that there are enough phone numbers available for New Yorkers.”
The decision to introduce 465 for New York City overlay followed extensive public review and comment, which began in May 2024. The Commission carefully considered various options presented by NANPA, including a ‘boundary elimination overlay,’ before ultimately settling on the ‘all services overlay’ as the most suitable solution.
An overlay involves blanketing a new area code over an existing geographic area, resulting in multiple area codes serving the same region. The PSC concluded that an all-services overlay is technically simpler to implement and less likely to cause confusion for customers.
Existing telephone numbers will remain unchanged under this plan. Only new telephone numbers will be assigned the new area code once the current supply of central office codes under the existing area codes is depleted.
The implementation of the new 465 area code will require ten-digit dialing for all calls within the affected region – that is, dialing the area code plus the seven-digit phone number. For calls outside the area code, residents and businesses will need to dial 1 plus the ten-digit number. However, because ten-digit dialing is already prevalent in the region, this process shouldn’t be a complete shock to locals.
The PSC emphasized that all new area codes introduced in New York State and across the United States in recent years have utilized the overlay method. In 2022, the Commission approved similar overlays for the 516, 845, and 716 area codes.
