KENTUCKY’S NEWEST AREA CODE – The Winner is “761”
New Number will Overlay Current 502 Area Code Geographic Region
FRANKFORT, Ky. –The North American Numbering Plan
Administrator (“NANPA”) has informed the Kentucky Public Service Commission that
residents in the 502 area code region will soon be seeing a second area code, in addition
to 502. The new area code will be 761 and will likely begin to be assigned in 2027.
The NANPA estimated that the 502 area code, serving north-central Kentucky, will
exhaust its supply of available telephone numbers. Once new phone numbers for the
502 area code have been exhausted, new customers will be assigned a 761 area code.
The 502 area code will continue to remain in use. Anyone currently using the 502 area
code will not see changes to their phone numbers or area codes. The only change for
customers within the 502/761 area code is that now customers will need to utilize ten-
digit dialing, dialing the area code, when making a phone call within the 502/761 area
code.
The NANPA projected that the supply of the 502 area code telephone numbers will
be exhausted during the third quarter of 2027. The 502 NPA is one of the original area
codes, created with the establishment of the North American Numbering Plan in 1947, to
serve the entire state of Kentucky. The Public Service Commission held a series of public
comment meetings, and determined that the most efficient and cost effective way to
address the exhausted supply of telephone numbers is ask NANPA to implement an area
code overlay rather than split the area code as had been previously done twice in
Kentucky in the last 30 years. Industry guidelines maintain that an “overlay” area code
should be in place at least six months before an in-use area code is exhausted. A specific
date for the introduction of the 761 area code has not been set.
The NANPA estimates the addition of the 761 area code will ensure that north
central Kentucky has sufficient new phone numbers for approximately 30 years.
The PSC is an independent agency attached for administrative purposes to the
Energy and Environment Cabinet. It regulates more than 1,100 gas, water, sewer, electric
and telecommunication utilities operating in Kentucky and has approximately 90 employees.
