North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
502
In service
United States · since 1947

Louisville / Frankfort

One of the original 1947 North American area codes, 502 originally covered all of Kentucky and now serves the Louisville metropolitan area and the state capital, Frankfort. In August 2025 the Kentucky PSC approved overlay 761 to relieve forecasted exhaustion.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Louisville / Frankfort
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1947
Projected exhaust
2029 Q1

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 502 is

North-central Kentucky, including Jefferson, Franklin, Oldham, Bullitt, Shelby, Nelson, Scott and neighboring counties..

Communities served wholly or partly by 502:

LouisvilleFrankfortGeorgetownShelbyvilleBardstown

Also covers Anderson, Carroll, Henry, Owen, Spencer, Trimble and parts of Hardin and Meade counties.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 502 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 · 1954 606 Eastern Kentucky Eastern Kentucky split off from 502 in 1954.
Spawned · 1999 270 Western Kentucky Western Kentucky split off from 502 in 1999.
Overlay · 2025 761 Overlay approved by Kentucky PSC Aug 2025; reserved, not yet in service — re-check NANPA.
Related · 1999 859 Lexington / Northern Kentucky Adjacent to the east (Lexington / Northern Kentucky).
What's changing. Currently a single area code; overlay 761 approved August 2025 but not yet assigned or in service (re-check NANPA).
C · History

How 502 got here

1947-10
Established as one of the original North American area codes, covering all of Kentucky.
Source: Wikipedia
1954
Eastern Kentucky split off as area code 606.
Source: Wikipedia
1999
Western Kentucky split off as area code 270.
Source: Wikipedia
2025-08-19
Kentucky PSC approved overlay area code 761 to prevent exhaustion forecast for Q3 2027.
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
755
Prefixes available
45
Thousands-blocks assigned
3,825

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

Compare 502 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area code 502
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.