An N11 code (pronounced ''Enn-one-one'') is a three-digit

telephone number A telephone number is a sequence of digits assigned to a landline telephone subscriber station connected to a telephone line or to a wireless electronic telephony device, such as a radio telephone or a mobile telephone, or to other devices f ...

used in

abbreviated dialing Abbreviated dialing is the use of a very short digit sequence to reach specific telephone numbers, such as those of public services. The purpose of such numbers is to be universal, short, and easy to remember. Typically they are two or three digits ...

in some telephone administrations of the

North American Numbering Plan The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is a telephone numbering plan for twenty-five regions in twenty countries, primarily in North America and the Caribbean. This group is historically known as World Zone 1 and has the international calling ...

(NANP).

Services

N11-numbers are used to access to special services. For example, MUTCD D12-5

* 2-1-1:

Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, villag ...

services and information *

3-1-1 3-1-1 is a special telephone number supported in many communities in Canada and the United States. The number provides access to non-emergency municipal services. The number format follows the N11 code for a group of short, special-purpose loca ...

Municipal government A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

services, non-emergency number *

4-1-1 4-1-1 is a telephone number for local directory assistance in Canada and the United States. Until the early 1980s, 4-1-1 and the related 1-1-3 number were free to call in most states. In the United States, the service is common known as “infor ...

Directory assistance In telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a d ...

5-1-1 5-1-1 is a transportation and traffic information telephone hotline in some regions of the United States and Canada. Travelers can dial 511, a three-digit telephone number, on landlines and most mobile phones. The number has also extended to ...

Traffic information Traffic reporting is the near real-time distribution of information about road conditions such as traffic congestion, detours, and traffic collisions. The reports help drivers anticipate and avoid traffic problems. Traffic reports, especially in c ...

or police non-emergency services *

6-1-1 For customers of some telephone companies in Canada and in the United States, U.S., 6-1-1 is the abbreviated dialing telephone number used to report a problem with telephone service, or with a payphone. It is an N11 code of the North American Nu ...

: Telephone company (telco)

customer service Customer service is the assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services. Each industry requires different levels of customer service, but in the end, the idea of a well-performed service is that ...

and repair * 7-1-1: TDD and

Relay A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated swit ...

Services for the deaf and hard of hearing * 8-1-1: Underground public

utility location Utility location is the process of identifying and labeling public utility mains that are underground. These mains may include lines for telecommunication, electricity, electricity distribution, natural gas, cable television, optical fibers, fibe ...

(United States); non-emergency health information and services (Canada) *

9-1-1 , usually written 911, is an emergency telephone number for the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Palau, Argentina, Philippines, Jordan, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency n ...

Emergency service Emergency services and rescue services are organizations that ensure public safety and health by addressing and resolving different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies, while others deal wit ...

s (

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest a ...

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...

and

rescue Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an accident or a dangerous situation. Tools used might include search and rescue dogs, mounted search and rescue ...

services) (4-1-1 and 6-1-1 are commonly used within the United States, but not officially assigned by the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisd ...

9-8-8 had been adopted as the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, to go into effect on July 16, 2022, but was later renamed the

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9- ...

on July 15, 2022. On August 31, 2022, the

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; french: Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes, links=) is a public organization in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcasti ...

(CRTC) announced it would make 9-8-8 the national three-digit code for mental health crisis and suicide prevention services, scheduled to start November 30, 2023. The designation for special use in the NANP prevents their use as

area code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, re ...

or central office prefix, eliminating nearly 8,000,000 telephone numbers from assignment. The assigned use of each N11 can vary for the various countries included in the NANP, but 9-1-1 is mandated in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, while the availability of the other N11 codes varies by location. 7-1-1 and 9-1-1 access is mandated by

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

in the United States, even within private networks (PBX, enterprise and cellular systems). 4-1-1 and 6-1-1 are supported by the service provider for the calling phone, but not all carriers provide these services. 4-1-1 and 6-1-1 (formerly 8-1-1) are typically blocked within enterprise or

private branch exchange A business telephone system is a multiline telephone system typically used in business environments, encompassing systems ranging in technology from the key telephone system (KTS) to the private branch exchange (PBX). A business telephone syst ...

(PBX) systems, including cellular telephone service purchased for an enterprise system, since 4-1-1 calls generally incur a fee and the service is now readily accessible by other means, and 6-1-1 services are managed by the enterprise in which the phone resides. Other community services are provided through 2-1-1, but only if a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, such as

United Way of America United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way o ...

, or the local government operates it locally. Likewise, local, state or provincial government may, but do not uniformly, operate traffic information using 5-1-1. 8-1-1 was made mandatory in the United States in 2007; however, it has not been universally implemented. 7-1-1 is funded through the TRS Fund, which telephone companies are mandated to maintain to provide Relay Services for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired.

0-1-1 and 1-1-1

Within the NANP, a leading digit of 0 or 1 indicates special dialing arrangements. For example, 0-1-1 followed by a

country code Country codes are short alphabetic or numeric geographical codes ( geocodes) developed to represent countries and dependent areas, for use in data processing and communications. Several different systems have been developed to do this. The term ' ...

is used to dial internationally or 1 followed by a ten-digit phone number indicating long distance or toll charges. In a few states, some areas retain the ability to use seven-digit dialing for local calls; in these areas a leading digit of 1- must be followed by a ten-digit phone number. As such, N11s are restricted by NANP design to N values 2 through 9, creating the eight allowable N11s. This is also why NPAs (area codes) or seven-digit phone numbers (designated by NXX-XXXX) cannot have a 0 or 1 as the first digit (N).

References

External links

FAQ on Use of N11 Service Codes
from NANPA.com

{{Emergency telephone numbers, state=uncollapsed North American Numbering Plan Three-digit telephone numbers

Services

0-1-1 and 1-1-1

See also

References

External links