Area codes 817 and 682 aretelephonearea codes in theNorth American Numbering Plan (NANP) in theU.S. state ofTexas. The service area comprises the city ofFort Worth and most of the western portion of theMetroplex.Area code 817 was created in 1953 mostly fromarea code 915, one of the original area codes of 1947. Area code 682 was added to the numbering plan area in 2000 to form anoverlay plan.
The configuration of theNorth American Numbering Plan of 1947 divided the northern half of Texas into two numbering plan areas. The northwestern part, stretching from the far westEl Paso to theTexas Panhandle in the north and to Fort Worth in the east, was identified witharea code 915. The northeastern part of Texas, roughly from a line just west ofDallas toWaco, to the borders ofArkansas andLouisiana, had been assignedarea code 214.
In 1953, area code 817 was created in aflash-cut from the eastern half of 915, approximately to the area ofAbilene, creating a numbering plan area in central Texas to theTexoma border area in the north. Available databases do not indicate the exact boundary lines, and it is probable that parts of 214 were included in the western suburban area of Dallas.[1]
After a split of 915 in 1957, to create a sixth numbering plan area in Texas,NPA 806, the area code configuration of Texas remained stable for forty years. Due to the Metroplex's dramatic growth in the second half of the 20th century, the 817 was finally reduced in size in a three-way split on July 25, 1997. The northern portion, includingWichita Falls andDenton, were assignedarea code 940. The southern portion, includingWaco,Temple andKilleen, becamenumbering plan area 254.
This was intended as a long-term solution, but within two years 817 was once again nearing exhaustion due to the growth of telecommunication services in the Metroplex, particularly from the popularity of auxiliary, mobile devices. The numbering plan area was reconfigured as a complexoverlay plan with a second area code, 682, on October 7, 2000. Certain areas (specifically involving the communities ofArlington,Bedford,Euless,Grapevine,Southlake, andColleyville) in east Tarrant County generally closer toDallas were overlaid with area codes 214 and 972 instead of 682, as 682 overlays central Fort Worth suburban areas. In those following named areas, 817 mainly serves the areas alongside 214 and 972 area codes.
An October 2023 NPA exhaust analysis estimates that a third area code will not be required in the western Metroplex until about 2038.[2]
The following counties are served by area codes 817 and 682.
This includes the following towns and cities:
| North:940 | ||
| West:254,940 | area codes 817/682 | East:214/469/945/972 |
| South:254 |