Our newest area code will soon debut.
Houston’s newest area code, 621, will officially launch on Jan. 23, 2025.
The 621 will be the fifth area code associated with the Houston region, joining the quartet of 281, 346, 713, and 832.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved a fifth area code back in Oct. 2023. The commission had previously said it was set to run out of phone numbers by the end of 2025.
All five area codes will service the same locations. The area includes Houston, Baytown, League City, Missouri City, Pasadena, Pearland, Sugar Land, The Woodlands and other communities. In total, the area codes stretch into 10 counties and include nearly all of Harris County.
The commission believes the new area code will be able to sustain additional phone numbers in the region for the next nine years.
Adding a new area code to the region won’t result in any major changes. Current phone numbers won’t be changed. AT&T also said in a release that what currently constitutes a local call will remain a local call and prices won’t rise.
See here and here for the background. I had totally forgotten about this, since the original news was from more than a year ago, and was first reminded of it via a text message from AT&T (my cellphone provider) that this new area code was coming in January. It probably won’t affect your life unless you get a new cellphone or the like, but there it is anyway. For those of you who may be skeptical about the claim that we’ll be good for the next nine years before needing another area code, I will note that the 346 code debuted in 2014 – it will be ten and a half years between that and the introduction of 621. You can stop worrying about this until 2033 or so.