Area codes 208 and 986

Area codes 208 and 986 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for all of Idaho. Area code 208 is one of the 86 original North American area codes designated by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1947. It was Idaho's sole area code for seventy years. In 2017, 986 was added to the same numbering plan area in creating an overlay complex.

History Because of its small population, Idaho was among a declining number of North American jurisdictions with only one area code. It is also one of the few whole-state area codes split between multiple LATAs—Southern Idaho (centered in Boise and spilling into Nevada, Wyoming and Malheur County, Oregon) and Coeur d'Alene (spilling into Montana and Washington). Additionally, the Spokane, Washington LATA spills into central Idaho.

In 2001, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) projected that demand would exhaust the numbering pool of area code 208 in 2003. The number shortage was a result of the proliferation of landlines, cellphones, and pagers, particularly in urban areas, in the 1990s. However, in 2002 the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (IPUC) successfully delayed a split by implementing number pooling in Boise; this was later applied in 2007 to the rest of Idaho to stave off projected exhaustion in 2010.PUC orders "number pooling" to delay new area code Accessed January 30, 2008

In the summer of 2013, NANPA projections suggested exhaustion in 2018. By this time all conservation measures had been exhausted. With Idaho's population growing closer to two million, a second area code became necessary; eleven other states with single area codes all have populations of about one million each. Ultimately, a statewide overlay was recommended.Saunders, Emilie Ritter. "Your Next Idaho Phone Number Might Not Start With 208", Boise State Public Radio, June 18, 2013. (accessed February 21, 2015) This would have had the effect of assigning 15.6 million numbers to a state of just over 1.7 million people. However, the Idaho PUC wanted to spare Idahoans, particularly in rural areas, the expense and burden of having to change their numbers. An area code split would have also required reprogramming of all cell phones. In the overlay plan, subscribers keep their original area code.

On November 2, 2015, the Idaho PUC approved the addition of area code 986 as a statewide overlay. 986 officially entered service on November 5, 2016. On that date, a permissive dialing period began during which it was possible to make calls with either seven or ten digits. Ten-digit dialing became mandatory across Idaho on August 5, 2017.NANPA PL-490 986 is the second statewide overlay, following the example of area codes 304 and 681 in West Virginia in 2009.

Service area and central office codes Cities Area code 208prefixes Area code 986prefixes Aberdeen 328, 397 242 Albion 638, 654, 673 588, 899 American Falls 220, 226, 269, 548 245 Arbon 335 842 Arco 527, 767 732 Arimo 705, 708, 760, 904 Ashton 652 926 Bancroft 648, 776 Bayview 216, 222, 561, 683 300 Bellevue 578, 788 Bern 847, 945 382 Blackfoot 346, 604, 643, 680, 681, 684, 690, 782, 785, 980 233 Blanchard 213, 437 258 Bliss 352 Boise 202, 207, 246, 258, 272, 275, 283, 284, 296, 302, 314, 319, 321, 322, 323, 327, 331, 332, 333, 334, 336, 338, 340, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 348, 350, 353, 362, 363, 364, 367, 368, 370, 371, 373, 375, 376, 377, 378, 381, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 389, 391, 393, 395, 396, 407, 409, 422, 424, 426, 429, 433, 440, 447, 472, 473, 474, 475, 484, 488, 489, 492, 493, 501, 505, 506, 509, 513, 514, 515, 519, 559, 562, 563, 565, 570, 571, 573, 576, 577, 579, 593, 600, 602, 605, 608, 609, 616, 617, 629, 639, 658, 672, 685, 703, 713, 724, 761, 780, 789, 794, 801, 803, 805, 807, 809, 810, 813, 830, 841, 850, 853, 854, 859, 860, 861, 863, 866, 867, 869, 872, 890, 891, 900, 901, 906, 908, 912, 914, 917, 918, 919, 921, 938, 939, 941, 947, 949, 954, 957, 963, 968, 971, 972, 982, 985, 986, 991, 992, 994, 995, 996, 999 200, 210, 213, 217, 224, 226, 229, 230, 236, 256, 268, 269, 270, 273, 279, 280, 283, 287, 666, 793, 837, 867, 888, 895, 910, 986, 999 Bonners Ferry 295 253, 348 Bruneau 759, 828, 832, 845 223 Buhl 490, 543 Burley 219, 261, 312, 430, 572, 647, 650, 654, 670, 677, 678, 808, 831 313 Caldwell 402, 453, 454, 455, 459, 504, 614, 649, 779, 795 201, 204, 276, 286 Cambridge 257 250 Carey 823 642 Careywood 222 Carmen 394 526 Cascade 382, 408 400, 640 Castleford 537 Challis 879 455 Clark Fork 222, 266 671 Clayton 838 982 Clifton 747 Coeur d'Alene 208, 209, 210, 215, 277, 292, 415, 416, 444, 446, 449, 470, 500, 508, 551, 601, 618, 619, 620, 625, 640, 641, 651, 659, 660, 661, 664, 665, 666, 667, 676, 691, 699, 704, 714, 719, 755, 758, 763, 765, 769, 770, 771, 797, 819, 889, 905, 916, 929, 930, 956, 964, 966, 967, 981 215, 240, 244, 248, 257, 271, 281, 668, 810, 860, 896 Coolin 443 254 Corral 653, 764 336 Cottonwood 502, 517, 962 Council 253 422 Craigmont 924, 925 566 Culdesac 836 Dayton 747 Deary 826, 877 500, 758 Declo 349, 638 Desmet 268, 274, 668, 951 203, 214, 265 Dietrich 544, 886 Donnelly 325, 382, 630, 634 227, 686 Downey 897 Driggs 354, 399, 491 Dubois 374, 560 Eden 825, 829 Elk City 842 Ellis 894 755 Emmett 365, 369, 398, 477, 817 212, 278, 777 Fairfield 764 336 Felt 456 Ferdinand 925 Filer 316, 326, 595, 613, 208-751, 933, 944, 948 220 Firth 346 Franklin 646 Fruitland 294, 452, 510, 566, 674, 707, 729 237, 272 Garden City 321, 322, 323, 327, 373, 375, 376, 377, 378, 658, 672, 685, 853, 854 Garden Valley 462, 923 Genesee 224, 285, 581 Geneva 225 Gibbonsville 394 526 Glenns Ferry 366 Gooding 934, 961, 969 Grace 425, 427, 530, 540, 547 Grand View 834, 990 Grangeville 451, 494, 507, 983 689 Greencreek 502, 517, 962 Hagerman 837 Hailey 205, 309, 450, 471, 481, 578, 622, 720, 721, 725, 726, 727, 788, 806 Hamer 662 388 Harrison 231, 689, 902, 987 255 Hayden 518, 762, 772 Heyburn 438, 654, 679 Holbrook 698 546 Homedale 337, 974 Hope 264, 266 946 Horseshoe Bend 781, 793 218 Idaho City 392 Idaho Falls 200, 201, 206, 227, 243, 313, 403, 419, 497, 516, 520, 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 526, 528, 529, 533, 534, 535, 541, 542, 552, 557, 569, 607, 701, 709, 710, 715, 757, 818, 821, 881, 932, 970, 973 208, 219, 231, 249, 275, 497, 800 Indian Valley 253, 256 746 Inkom 705, 708, 760, 775, 904 Irwin 270, 483, 499 465 Island Park 558 426 Jerome 316, 320, 324, 329, 595, 644, 751, 933, 944, 948 Juliaetta 276, 289 Kamiah 702, 820, 935 261 Kellogg 512, 783, 784, 786 Kendrick 289 289 Ketchum 309, 450, 471, 481, 622, 720, 721, 725, 726, 727, 806, 913 209 Kimberly 420, 421, 423 Kooskia 802, 926 636 Kuna 922 Lapwai 224, 621, 804, 836, 843, 927 Lava Hot Springs 776 Leadore 768 246 Lewiston 224, 298, 299, 305, 413, 503, 553, 717, 743, 746, 748, 750, 790, 791, 792, 798, 799, 816, 848, 984 252 Lowman 259, 864 247, 482 Mackay 588 782 Malad City 766, 815 Malta 638, 645, 671, 824 243, 899 Marsing 896 225 May 876 334 McCall 315, 469, 630, 632, 634, 849 McCammon 254, 705, 708, 760, 776, 904 Medimont 689, 902 Melba 204, 495, 856 207 Meridian 288, 401, 412, 631, 695, 706, 822, 846, 855, 870, 871, 884, 887, 888, 893, 895, 898, 955 Mesa 253 Middleton 585 Midvale 355, 592 Monteview 657 542 Montpelier 847, 945 382 Moore 554 Moscow 301, 310, 596, 669, 874, 882, 883, 885, 892, 997 251, 600 Mountain Home 580, 587, 590, 591, 598, 599, 696, 796, 828, 832, 868, 943 232, 466 Mountain Home AFB 796, 828, 832 Moyie Springs 267 Mullan 744 259 Murphy 583 874 Murtaugh 218, 432 Nampa 249, 250, 318, 442, 461, 463, 465, 466, 467, 468, 498, 546, 586, 606, 615, 697, 800, 880, 899, 910, 936, 960, 965, 989 206, 216, 266, 274, 282, Naples 267 New Meadows 347, 630, 634 886 New Plymouth 278, 566, 674, 707, 953 267, 272 Nezperce 937 264 Nordman 443 254 North Fork 394 526 Oakley 862 646, 922 Oldtown 213, 437 258 Orofino 400, 476, 827 866 Parma 203, 566, 674, 707, 722 272, 786, 980 Paul 438, 532, 679 346, 366 Payette 230, 291, 405, 642, 739, 740, 741, 812 239, 942 Peak 486 263 Pierce 464, 942 234, 900 Pinehurst 682 Pingree 328 Placerville 392 218 Plummer 231, 273, 274, 686, 987 203, 214, 241, 255 Pocatello 221, 223, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 244, 251, 252, 281, 282, 317, 339, 380, 406, 417, 478, 589, 637, 775, 833, 909, 915 Post Falls 262, 457, 773, 777 Potlatch 268, 668, 858, 875, 951 265, 333 Preston 646, 840, 851, 852 Priest River 213, 428, 437, 448 238, 258 Princeton 858 Rathdrum 687, 712 Reubens 836, 925 Rexburg 351, 356, 359, 360, 390, 496, 656, 716 Richfield 487 529 Rigby 745, 754 222, 277 Riggins 628 766 Ririe 538 Roberts 228 Rockland 335, 548 245, 842 Rogerson 655, 857 342 Rupert 260, 300, 431, 434, 436, 438, 531, 532, 679, 878, 931 366, 742 St. Anthony 372, 612, 624 582 St. Charles 945 382 St. Maries 245, 568, 582 241, 262 Salmon 303, 742, 756, 865, 940, 993 Sandpoint 217, 255, 263, 265, 290, 304, 597, 610, 627, 920, 946 205 Shelley 346, 357 Shoshone 544, 886 Soda Springs 530, 540, 547 Spencer 374, 560, 778 326 Spirit Lake 623 345 Stanley 594, 774 Star 286 Sugar City 372, 612 582 Swan Valley 270, 483 Sweet 584 218, 444 Tensed 268, 273, 951 203, 214 Terreton 663 Teton 372, 458, 612 582 Tetonia 456 Thatcher 425, 427 Troy 289, 835 Twin Falls 212, 280, 293, 308, 316, 358, 404, 410, 539, 595, 655, 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736, 737, 738, 749, 751, 814, 933, 944, 948 Victor 787 Viola 668, 858 265 Wallace 556, 752, 753 Wayan 564, 574, 675, 688, 873, 998 677 Weippe 435 260 Weiser 414, 549, 550, 718, 907 221 Wendell 536 Weston 646, 747 White Bird 839 Wilder 482 386 Worley 231, 273, 902, 987 241, 255 Yellow Pine 633, 636 641

See also

List of North American Numbering Plan area codes

References

External links