North American area code 480 is a

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into el ...

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 ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

serving the eastern and northern portions of the

Phoenix metropolitan area The Phoenix Metropolitan Area – also the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, or Metro Phoenix (known by most locals simply as “the Valley”) – is the largest metropolitan area in the Southwestern United States, centered on the city ...

. It was created on March 1, 1999, in a three-way split of area code 602, when it was apparent that the Valley of the Sun was growing too fast for it to remain entirely in one area code. Generally, 480 is coextensive with the East Valley, while most of the West Valley is

area code 623 North American area code 623 is a state of Arizona telephone area code serving most of the western portion of the Phoenix metropolitan area. It was created in a split from area code 602 on March 1, 1999, when it was evident that the Valley of ...

and most of Phoenix itself remained in 602. By the turn of the millennium, 602 was running out of numbers just four years after all of the state outside of the Valley of the Sun was split off as

area code 520 Area code 520 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the U.S. state of Arizona. The numbering plan area comprises Tucson and most of the southeastern part of the state. Area code 520 was created in a split from ...

. Original plans called for 480 to be an overlay code for the entire Phoenix metro area. However, overlays were a new concept at the time, and met with considerable resistance due to potential geographic ambiguity, as well as the requirement for

ten-digit dialing Ten-digit dialing is a telephone dialing procedure in the countries and territories that are members of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). It is the practice of including the area code of a telephone number when dialing to initiate a telep ...

. A three-way geographic split was chosen instead, with 480 assigned to the East Valley. The 480 area code encompasses Scottsdale, Paradise Valley,

Fountain Hills Fountain Hills is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Known for its impressive fountain, once the tallest in the world, it borders the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, and Scottsdale. Th ...

, Tempe (except for a small portion west and south of the I-10

Broadway Curve In the U.S. state of Arizona, Interstate 10 (I‑10), the major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States Sun Belt, runs east from California, enters Arizona near the town of Ehrenberg and continues through Phoenix and Tucson an ...

, which stayed in 602),

Chandler Chandler or The Chandler may refer to: * Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles * Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships Arts ...

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South A ...

Mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a ...

, Queen Creek,

Apache Junction Apache Junction is a city in Pinal and Maricopa counties in the state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,499, most of whom lived in Pinal County. It is named for the junction of the Apache Trail and Old West Highway. ...

, as well as far northeast Phoenix and the Phoenix neighborhood of

Ahwatukee Ahwatukee Foothills (also Ahwatukee) is an urban village of Phoenix, Arizona. Ahwatukee forms the southernmost portion of Phoenix, and is considered part of the East Valley region of the Phoenix metropolitan area. In 2022, ''Niche'' rated Ahw ...

, and newer unincorporated communities in far northwest

Pinal County Pinal County is in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2020 census, the population of the county was 425,264, making it Arizona's third-most populous county. The county seat is Florence. The county was founded in 187 ...

that are becoming part of the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area due to heavy development. Also in area code 480 are pagers for the Iridium satellite telephone service. The three Valley area codes form one of the largest local calling areas in the western United States. With the exception of the slivers of the Valley that are in the 520 and 928 area codes, no long-distance charges are applied from one portion of the Valley to another. Even with the split into three area codes, much of the Valley is still part of the Phoenix rate center. Prior to October 2021, area code 480 had telephone numbers assigned for the

central office code 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 calli ...

988. In 2020, ''988'' was designated nationwide as a dialing code for the

National Suicide Prevention 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- ...

, which created a conflict for exchanges that permit

seven-digit dialing Seven-digit dialing is a telephone dialing procedure customary in some territories of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for dialing telephone numbers in the same numbering plan area (NPA). NANP telephone numbers consist of ten digits, of ...

. This area code was therefore scheduled to transition to

by October 24, 2021. As of now, area code 480 is expected to reach exhaustion by the first quarter of 2024. Two years later, in 2026, 602 is projected to exhaust. However, 623 is not forecast to exhaust until 2069; in 2021, it had 299 assigned central office codes as opposed to more than 700 in each of 480 and 602. After 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 ...

Administrator initiated relief planning for 480, the state's telecommunications industry recommended to the

Arizona Corporation Commission The Arizona Corporation Commission is the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Arizona, established by Article 15 of the Arizona Constitution. Arizona is one of only fourteen states with elected commissioners. The Arizona Constitution expl ...

that the 1999 area code boundaries be eliminated, creating a three-code overlay complex and allowing the assignment of new numbers (primarily from 623) throughout the Phoenix rate center. This would save the assignment of two area codes and last 26 years, as opposed to 35 for the introduction of new area codes. The Corporation Commission approved this plan on November 9, 2021. Implementation began August 2022, after the national deadline to activate 988, with a six-month permissive 10-digit dialing period for the 602 and 623 areas to begin at some point in January 2023 ahead of the overlay becoming effective in August of that year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Area Code 480

480 __NOTOC__ Year 480 ( CDLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Basilius without colleague (or, less frequently, year 12 ...

Phoenix metropolitan area

See also

References