North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
276
In service
United States · since 2001

Southwest Virginia

Created in 2001 from a split of 540, area code 276 covers the far southwestern corner of Virginia. It is a standalone code with no overlay.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Southwest Virginia
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
2001
Projected exhaust
2071 Q4

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

A · Where it is

Where 276 is

Far southwestern Virginia, spanning 15 counties (Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Grayson, Henry, Lee, Patrick, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, Wythe)..

Communities served wholly or partly by 276:

BristolGalaxMartinsvilleNortonAbingdon
B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 276 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?

Split from · 2001 540 Roanoke / Shenandoah Valley 276 split off from 540, taking the far southwestern region of Virginia.
What's changing. No overlay; standalone numbering plan area. 10-digit dialing mandatory since 2021.
C · History

How 276 got here

2001-09-01
Established through a division of area code 540.
Source: Wikipedia
2021-10-24
Transitioned to mandatory 10-digit dialing after 988 was designated nationally.
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
387
Prefixes available
413
Thousands-blocks assigned
2,228

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

Compare 276 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area code 276
NumberResearch.org ↗
Live status, dates, assignment counts and exhaust forecast — data as of 2026-09-18 (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.