Region to get new area code

835 to be added when 610 and 484 numbers exhausted

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Thursday announced the assignment of 835 as a new area code for the areas served by the 610 and 484 area codes.

The commission approved a petition filed by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator, or NANPA, which allocates telephone numbering resources, the PUC announced.

The 610/484 calling area serves Berks, Delaware, Chester, Lehigh and Northampton counties, along with a portion of Montgomery County.

NANPA says the supply of available telephone numbers in the 610/484 area is estimated to be exhausted in early 2023. No new 835 numbers will be assigned in the area until the remaining 610/484 numbers are exhausted. At that point, all future phone number assignments will be made in the new 835 area code.

Dialing will remain the same. Calls to and from numbers inside the 610/484/835 area will require dialing 10 digits. Calls to numbers in another area code will require dialing 1 followed by the 10-digit phone number.

According to the NANPA petition, the dialing plan for the area code will remain the same:

The PUC advises consumers to do the following in preparation for the new area code:

• Check devices to verify that area codes are included with all stored numbers.

• Continue to program/ save/store phone numbers to all devices using the full 10-digit telephone number.

• Verifying that all services and equipment — automatic dialers, life-safety and medical alert systems, alarm/security systems and security gates, call-forwarding settings and voicemail services — recognize the new area code as a valid phone number.