Area Code Atlas

NPA 805 split from 213

In 1957, area code 805 was created from a split of 213, assigning most of the northern and western portions of the original 213 area to the new code and restricting 213 to Los Angeles County. This affected areas in Southern California, including Los Angeles County and coastal California.

NPA 805 split from 213

Area code 805 was created in June 1957 when it was split from area code 213 to provide additional numbering resources for central and coastal California. The split reduced the size of 213, which had been one of the original California area codes.

NANP-Split of 805 (California) Numbering Plan Area (NPA)

Split of 805 to create 661 announced

The North American Numbering Plan Administration issued a planning letter on February 12, 1998, announcing the split of area code 805. The eastern portion of the 805 NPA would be renumbered as the new 661 area code to address substantial number growth.

NPA 661 split from 805

Area code 661 was created in a split of area code 805 on February 13, 1999. The new code covers the southern part of the San Joaquin Valley and the far northern part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, including cities such as Bakersfield, Santa Clarita, Palmdale, and Lancaster. The split was implemented to address number exhaustion and regional growth.

Permissive dialing period begins for 805 and 661

A permissive dialing period began on February 13, 1999, allowing calls to the new 661 area to be completed using either the old 805 or new 661 code. This transition period was intended to ease the change for customers affected by the split.

Mandatory dialing for 805 and 661

Mandatory dialing for the new 661 area code began on August 14, 1999, ending the permissive period. After this date, calls dialed with the incorrect area code were routed to intercept, completing the transition from the 805 split.

Overlay relief approved for 805 NPA

The California Public Utilities Commission approved an all-services overlay for the 805 area code on May 25, 2017, to address number exhaustion. The new overlay code, 820, would serve the same geographic area as 805.

NPA 820 overlay on 805 announced

NPA 820 to Overlay NPA 805 (California)

Permissive 1+10-digit dialing begins for 805 and 820

Permissive 1+10-digit dialing began on December 1, 2017, for the 805 and 820 area codes. During this period, both 7-digit and 1+10-digit dialing were allowed for local calls.

Area code 820 overlay activated on 805

Area code 820 was activated as an overlay to the 805 numbering plan area in June 2018. This overlay required ten-digit dialing for all calls within the area.

Mandatory 1+10-digit dialing for 805 and 820

Mandatory 1+10-digit dialing was implemented for the 805 and 820 area codes on June 2, 2018. All local calls now required the area code, reflecting the introduction of the overlay.

820 overlay activated for 805

Area code 820 was introduced as an overlay for the 805 region on June 30, 2018. The overlay provided additional numbering resources for the central coast of California, with new telephone numbers in the region assigned the 820 code, while existing numbers retained 805.