Beyond MoCo: DC’s New 771 Area Code Will Start Being Assigned in November

Beyond MoCo: DC’s New 771 Area Code Will Start Being Assigned in November

DC will soon run out of new telephone numbers to assign to their current area code of 202 and will start assigning a new area code come November.  The North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) has chosen 771 as the new area code to the DC region.  If you currently have a 202 area code number, that will not change.

According to the DC Public Service Commission, “The District of Columbia has used the 202 area code since 1947 and it has become synonymous with city pride, but projections show the District will run out of new phone numbers during the third quarter of 2022” and “The NANPA plan will overlay the new 771 area code over the entire geographic area of the 202 area code. All existing customers with a 202 area code would retain that area code and would not have to change telephone numbers. However, once the new area code is active, customers making wireline or wireless phone calls within the District will be required to dial 10 digits (the 202 or 771 area code plus the local telephone number) instead of just the current seven-digit local telephone number to complete local calls.”

Click here to read our article about the history of MoCo area codes. 

Fun MoCo Memory…
Phone numbers from certain areas started with the same 3 digits, so you only had to remember the last 4. Please forgive me if any of these are incorrect, but here are a few:

Gaithersburg- 977
Potomac- 299
Bethesda- 365, 229, 530
Damascus- 253, 831
Colesville- 384
Olney- 774
Wheaton/Aspen Hill- 942, 946
White Oak- 622, 439
Silver Spring- 593, 587, 589
Kensington- 949, 649
Germantown- 972
Rockville- 424, 762, 340, 279, 270
Takoma Park- 585