North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
503
In service
United States · since 1947

Portland

Original 1947 area code for all of Oregon, now serving the state's populous northwestern corner including Portland and Salem. Overlaid by 971 since 2000.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Portland
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1947
Projected exhaust
2041 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 503 is

Northwestern Oregon: Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Columbia, Clatsop, Tillamook and northern Linn counties..

Communities served wholly or partly by 503:

PortlandSalemHillsboroBeavertonGreshamAstoria

Covers Portland metro plus the northern Willamette Valley and north coast.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 503 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 · 1995 541 Eugene / rest of Oregon 541 split off Nov 5, 1995, taking the rest of Oregon south and east.
Overlay · 2000 971 Portland (overlay) Concentrated overlay covering the same northwestern service area.
What's changing. Overlaid by 971 since 2000; ten-digit dialing mandatory.
C · History

How 503 got here

1947
Established as one of the original North American area codes covering all of Oregon.
Source: Wikipedia
1995-11-05
Reduced to northwestern Oregon when 541 split off for the rest of the state.
Source: Wikipedia
1999-07-01
971 overlay created for most of the 503 service area (excluding Clatsop and Tillamook counties).
Source: Wikipedia
2000-10-01
Mandatory ten-digit dialing began across northwest Oregon.
Source: Wikipedia
2008-04-27
Clatsop and Tillamook counties added to the 971 overlay.
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
800
Prefixes available
0
Thousands-blocks assigned
2,111

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

Compare 503 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area codes 503 and 971
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.