Area code 917

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Area code in New York City

title: "Area code 917" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["area-codes-in-the-united-states", "area-codes-in-new-york-(state)", "communications-in-new-york-city", "telecommunications-related-introductions-in-1992", "1992-establishments-in-new-york-city"] description: "Area code in New York City" topic_path: "engineering" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_code_917" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Area code in New York City ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Area_code_917.svg" caption="The blue area is New York State (outside the City of New York); the red area is area code 917 and overlay"] ::

Area code 917 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan for the entirety of New York City. It is an overlay code to all numbering plan areas (NPAs) in the city, and was intended to serve cellular, pager, and voicemail applications in the city. The restriction was subsequently ruled impermissible by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which grandfathered that use in New York City. Area code 917 is also assigned to landlines predominantly in Manhattan, to relieve the shortage of numbers there.

History

The original area code for all of New York City's boroughs was 212, established with the North American Numbering Plan in 1947. In 1984, the numbering plan area (NPA) was divided by splitting Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island into a separate numbering plan area with area code 718, reducing 212 to only Manhattan and the Bronx.

In 1990, The New York Telephone Company wanted to assign a new area code (917) to all cellphones and pagers in Manhattan and all telephone lines in the Bronx, to relieve number shortages in Manhattan, but the New York Public Service Commission denied the request.

Instead, in 1992, numbering plan area 212 was reduced to Manhattan, with the exception of Marble Hill, which, along with the Bronx, was integrated into 718. All boroughs were provided with the additional area code 917, arranged in an overlay plan.

Introduced on February 4, 1992, area code 917 was the first overlay area code in the North American Numbering Plan. When it was established, all cellphones in New York City were switched to 917, freeing up telephone numbers for additional landlines.

Shortly after the establishment of the 917 code, the FCC ruled that restriction of area codes to particular types of service was prohibited, but the instance of 917 remained exempt.

References

McFadden, Robert D. [https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/05/nyregion/917-area-code-is-proposed-for-the-bronx.html "917 Area Code Is Proposed For the Bronx"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. June 5, 1990.
(September 13, 1999). "Bell Atlantic Ready to Introduce New 347 Area Code; New Area Code to Join 718 to Serve The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.".
"NANP-Introduction of the 917 Numbering Plan Area (NPA) in New York City and Transfer of the Bronx, New York, from the 212 NPA to the 718 NPA". Bellcore.
(December 12, 2001). "Third Report and Order and Second Order on Reconsideration in CC Docket No. 96-98 and CC Docket No. 99-200".

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