Area codes 608 and 353 are telephonearea codes in theNorth American Numbering Plan (NANP) for much of southwesternWisconsin, including the statecapital cityMadison.

Wisconsin was divided into two numbering plan areas (NPAs) when theAmerican Telephone and Telegraph Company created the first nationwidetelephone numbering plan.

Area code 608 was assigned in 1955 to a numbering plan area that was created from a border rearrangement of the existing NPAs414 and715.^[1][2]

During the implementation ofDirect Distance Dialing, dialing area code 608 became mandatory for intrastate calling in 1960.^[3]

Prior to October 2021, area code 608 had telephone numbers assigned for thecentral office code 988. In 2020,988 was designated nationwide as a dialing code for theNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which created a conflict for exchanges that permitseven-digit dialing. This area code was therefore scheduled to transition toten-digit dialing by October 24, 2021.^[4]

Rapid growth of the area, specifically inDane County, brought the area code close to exhaustion of central office prefixes, with NANPA projections in 2022 forecasting the need for relief by late 2023.^[5] In September 2022, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) announced anoverlay complex for the numbering plan area with new area code 353, with an in-service date of September 15, 2023.^[6][7] New central office code orders were accepted starting on July 11, 2023, but activation is contingent on complete exhaustion of central office codes for 608.

The counties in the numbering plan area areAdams,Buffalo,Columbia,Crawford,Dane,Grant,Green,Iowa,Jackson,Juneau,La Crosse,Lafayette,Marquette,Monroe,Richland,Rock,Sauk,Trempealeau, andVernon.

Cities in the numbering plan area areMadison,Verona,Sun Prairie,Monroe,Platteville,Lancaster,Lodi,Portage,Baraboo,Wisconsin Dells,Beloit,Janesville,La Crosse,Prairie du Chien,Viroqua, andSparta.

• List of North American Numbering Plan area codes
• List of Wisconsin area codes

• North American Numbering Plan Administrator

• "Area Code Maps".North American Numbering Plan Administrator.

• Area codes in the United States
• Area codes in Wisconsin
• Telecommunications-related introductions in 1955
• Telecommunications-related introductions in 2023

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata