NAN North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
213

Downtown & Central LA

Area code 213 is one of the original 1947 North American area codes and now, together with overlay 323, serves downtown and central Los Angeles.

The essentials Numbering data from NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-17
Place
Downtown & Central LA
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1947
Country
United States

Status, dates and counts are read from NumberResearch (NANPA / CNAC / FCC records), as of 2026-09-17. Assignment records show initial assignees, not the carrier serving a number today.

Where 213 is

Downtown and central Los Angeles and adjacent southeast L.A. County communities.

Communities served wholly or partly by 213:

Los Angeles (Downtown)HollywoodEast Los AngelesBellHuntington ParkMontebello

Central LA communities from secondary sources; 213/323 now share this geography as an overlay complex.

How it relates to other codes

The codes 213 was split from, spawned, or shares its area with. A split divides the map and changes some numbers; an overlay shares the same ground and changes none — what's the difference?

Spawned · 1998 323 Central Los Angeles 323 originally split from 213 on June 13, 1998 (213 kept downtown exchanges).
Overlay · 2017 323 Central Los Angeles 213 and 323 recombined into a mutual all-services overlay complex on July 8, 2017.
Overlay · 2024 738 738 added as a further overlay on the combined 213/323 region on November 1, 2024.

History

1947
Area code 213 established as one of the original North American area codes, initially covering all of Southern California.
Source: Wikipedia; CPUC 213 Report
1998-06-13
323 split from 213, leaving 213 covering downtown L.A. and adjacent neighborhoods.
Source: Wikipedia
2017-07-08
213 and 323 merged into a single overlay complex.
Source: Wikipedia; CPUC
2024-11-01
738 overlay added to the 213/323 region.
Source: Wikipedia; CPUC
What's changing. Active — 213/323 overlay complex since July 8, 2017, with 738 added November 1, 2024.

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
800
Prefixes available
0
Projected exhaust
2042 Q3

Prefix-assignment counts describe allocation to carriers, not how many individual numbers are in use. Full technical records: NumberResearch ↗.

Compare 213 with another code →

Sources

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) ↗
Area Code 213 Report — 1947 origin and descendant codes
Wikipedia ↗
Area codes 213, 323 and 738 — split and overlay dates (secondary cross-check)
NumberResearch.org ↗
Live status, dates, assignment counts and exhaust forecast — data as of 2026-09-17 (CC BY 4.0).

Place, relationships and history above are compiled by North American Numbers from the sources listed and last checked 2026-09-18. A check date is not an expert review — see how this is made. Flag an error.