817 Area Code: Fort Worth and the 682 Overlay

The essentials

817 area code: quick facts

How 817 became Fort Worth's code

1. 1947: Texas receives its first four area codes: 214, 512, 713, and 915, according to the PUC. The PUC's chronology lists 214 as serving Northeast Texas at the time. Fort Worth did not yet have its own code.
2. January 1953: Area code 817 opens. The FCC lists the opening date, and the PUC chronology calls 817 "a geographic split of the Fort Worth region from 214," bringing Texas to five area codes. NANPA lists the in-service date as January 1, 1953.
3. 1997: At the PUC's request, Southwestern Bell consolidates rate centers in Fort Worth and four other Texas metro areas, which the PUC says freed thousands of numbers.
4. May 25, 1997: Area codes 254 and 940 open (NANPA lists 817 as the parent of both; FCC: May 1997). The PUC chronology calls them "a three-way geographic split of 817." The sources checked do not describe the new boundaries, so this guide does not say which cities went to which code.
5. October 7, 2000: Area code 682 opens (NANPA; FCC: October 2000). The PUC chronology describes it as "an overlay added to 817 for Fort Worth and part of Northeast Texas."
6. November 2000: The PUC begins reclaiming unused numbers statewide under authority granted by the FCC.
7. April 2026: NANPA projects that the 682/817 area will run out of numbers in the second quarter of 2041.

Where area code 817 is used

The PUC describes 682 as an overlay added to 817 for Fort Worth and part of Northeast Texas, so the two codes cover the same region. The sources checked do not give an official county list or map for 817, so this guide does not name counties for it.

The PUC's list of 817 prefixes, in an archived copy from January 2026, shows 779 prefixes assigned to rate centers including Fort Worth, Arlington, Acton, Alvarado, Atlas, Azle, Cleburne, Cresson, Denton, Euless, Glendale, Godley, Granbury, Grandview, Grapevine, Keller, Kennedale, Mansfield, North Richland Hills (listed as NRICHLDHLS), Reno, Rhome, Rio Vista, Roanoke, Springtown, and Weatherford (listed as WEATHERFD). Arlington has the most 817 prefixes on that list, 231, ahead of Fort Worth with 188.

The PUC's 682 list, archived the same month, shows 358 prefixes across nearly the same rate centers. Denton and Rio Vista appear on the 817 list but not on the 682 list. A rate center is a billing area, not a boundary, so confirm a specific address with your phone provider.

The PUC also says the 945 overlay for the Dallas area reaches from Dallas County into several neighboring counties, including Tarrant and Johnson. The release does not say which communities in those counties are affected, so a new line in part of Tarrant or Johnson County may fall in the Dallas overlay region rather than the 817/682 region. Your provider can tell you which applies.

Places often confused with area code 817

• Dallas and its suburbs. The PUC lists Dallas under 214, shared with the overlays 469, 972 and 945. Fort Worth and Dallas are close, but Dallas is not an 817 area.
• Denton. The PUC's January 2026 817 prefix list names Denton among its rate centers, but NANPA shows that 940 was split from 817 in 1997. The sources checked do not say which code serves most of Denton, so confirm a Denton address with your provider.
• 254 and 940. These codes were part of the 1997 three-way split of 817 (NANPA, PUC). They are separate codes today, not overlays on 817.
• Tarrant and Johnson counties. Part of these counties falls under the Dallas 945 overlay region, as described above, so not every address in them is in the 817/682 region.

Number supply in the 817 area

The PUC explains that NANPA studies growth, projects future demand, and notifies the PUC when an area code is near "exhaust." The PUC then decides how to add a code, either through a geographic split or an overlay, and NANPA picks the new code. 817 has been through both: a three-way split in 1997 and an overlay in 2000.

The PUC says each area code has 792 prefixes, and each prefix has 10,000 possible numbers, so an area code holds 7,920,000 numbers in theory. Not all are usable, since carriers need test numbers and other codes. The PUC's archived lists show 779 prefixes assigned in 817 and 358 in 682.

The PUC describes several ways Texas has stretched its supply. In 1997, at the PUC's request, Southwestern Bell consolidated rate centers in Fort Worth, Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. In November 2000 the PUC began reclaiming numbers that were not put in service. Number pooling, where NANPA hands out numbers in blocks of 1,000 instead of 10,000, is used in designated metro areas of the state.

NANPA's April 2026 analysis projects that the 682/817 area will run out of numbers in the second quarter of 2041, based on data as of March 1, 2026. Its previous forecast was the first quarter of 2040, and NANPA notes the change as reduced historical and projected demand. Forecasts move from one analysis to the next, so treat the date as an estimate.

Neighboring area codes around Fort Worth

The table shows how each code relates to 817, based on the PUC and FCC sources in this guide. Other codes serve areas outside the sources checked, so the table does not claim to show every neighbor.

The overlay code that shares 817's territory

An overlay adds a new area code to the same geographic area. The PUC explains that new customers are assigned the new code, while existing customers keep their code. In the Fort Worth area, one overlay code serves alongside 817:

• 682 (October 2000): the overlay the PUC describes as added to 817 for Fort Worth and part of Northeast Texas.

Because the codes overlap, two neighbors on the same street can have different area codes, and the PUC notes that a single home or business could have different area codes on different lines. The PUC says an area code change does not affect long distance rates, calls that were local stay local, and your phone bill stays the same.

Time zone and daylight saving time

Area code 817 uses Central Time. The tz database lists America/Chicago as "Central (most areas)". Federal rules for the boundary between the Central and Mountain zones (49 CFR 71.7) run along the east line of Hudspeth County in far west Texas, and the Fort Worth area lies east of that line.

NIST says daylight saving time begins at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November. The NIST page lists Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Arizona as places that do not observe it, and Texas is not on that list. In 2026, NIST gives March 8 and November 1 as the change dates.

How to dial an 817 number

North American numbers have three parts: a country code, a three-digit area code, and a seven-digit local number. NANPA says the ITU assigned country code 1 to the NANP area. Because 817 and 682 form an overlay, the PUC says you must dial 10 digits to place a local call. You may have to dial 10 digits to reach some places in your local calling area, but the PUC says it is still a local call and is charged as before.

Emergency calls do not change. The PUC says you still dial only 9-1-1. The PUC also advises updating address books and speed-dial entries, and asking your alarm company whether your system needs to be reprogrammed when area codes change.

Caller ID and scams with an 817 number

The FTC warns that "Scammers can make any name or number show up on your caller ID." That is called spoofing. Scammers can also match the first six digits of your own number, which the FTC calls neighbor spoofing.

• If you pick up and do not recognize the caller, the FTC advises that you hang up.
• Letting an unknown call go to voicemail is one option.
• The FTC says call blocking is your best defense against unwanted calls.

The sources checked do not say that 817 numbers are targeted more than others. An 817 number shows the code that was assigned, not who is calling or where they are. Because 682 shares the same region, and numbers can move between providers, an 817 caller ID is not a reliable sign that the caller is in Fort Worth.

Choosing an 817 number for a business

817 is the long-standing Fort Worth area code, but the PUC explains that under an overlay, new customers are assigned the new code. A new line in the region may carry 682 instead of 817, and the area code does not show which part of the region the business is in.

Because the codes share territory, route calls by team or extension, not by area code. Ask your provider which code a new line gets, since that depends on its current inventory. If your business is in Tarrant or Johnson County, also ask whether your address falls in the 817/682 region or the Dallas overlay region.

Whether a specific 817 number can be assigned to your business depends on your phone provider and its current inventory. This guide does not make claims about availability.

Important: Confirm availability with your provider before you plan a campaign or print a number on materials.

Before you use an 817 number

• Confirm the number is available from your provider, and get its terms in writing.
• Ask who owns the number and whether it can be moved to another provider if you switch.
• Confirm which area code your line uses. 817 and 682 serve the same region.
• Set 10-digit dialing for local numbers before you go live, because the PUC says an overlay requires 10 digits for local calls.
• Update stored numbers on equipment that uses your phone number, such as alarm systems and speed dialers, and print the full 10-digit number with the area code.
• Route calls by team or extension, because 817 and 682 share one territory.
• Plan for caller ID. An 817 number does not prove who is calling, and neighbor spoofing copies the first six digits of your own number.

Related guides and tools

• 214 area code guide: Dallas, the code 817 was split from in 1953, for comparison with Fort Worth.
• 713 area code guide: Houston, another Texas metro, for comparison with Fort Worth.
• Business VoIP phone systems in Fort Worth, TX: choosing a phone system for a Fort Worth business.
• 512 area code guide: Austin, another Texas metro, for comparison with Fort Worth.
• 210 area code guide: San Antonio, another Texas metro, for comparison with Fort Worth.
• What is a DID number?: what a DID is, local versus toll-free types and porting rules.
• Business phone number porting: how number porting works, how long it takes and how to prepare.
• Full list of U.S. area codes by state, with the overlay codes and time zone for every code.
• Browse all U.S. area code guides, including overlay codes that do not have their own guide yet.
• Business phone system and call routing for local numbers in Fort Worth.

Frequently asked questions