Photo by fromcaliw/love

From the D.C. 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. To solve this problem, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) has assigned a new area code to the Washington region: 771

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.”

The 202 area code has been synonymous with D.C. for decades, but soon there’ll be a new overlay area code: 771. https://t.co/NDY9dA3vZY pic.twitter.com/TA6VRmlBm5

— DCPSC (@DC_PSC) September 22, 2020