North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
540
In service
United States · since 1995

Roanoke / Shenandoah Valley

Created in 1995 from a split of 703, area code 540 serves northwestern and central Virginia, including the Shenandoah Valley and Roanoke. It shares its territory with overlay 826.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Roanoke / Shenandoah Valley
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1995
Projected exhaust
2053 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 540 is

Northwestern and central Virginia including the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains region..

Communities served wholly or partly by 540:

RoanokeFredericksburgWinchesterHarrisonburgSalemStaunton

Coextensive with overlay 826.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 540 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 · 1995 703 Northern Virginia 540 split off from 703, taking western/central Virginia.
Spawned · 2001 276 Southwest Virginia Far southwestern Virginia split off from 540 into 276.
Overlay · 2022 826 Roanoke / Shenandoah Valley (overlay) 826 overlaid on the same 540 territory; both serve identical geography.
What's changing. Overlaid with 826 (10-digit dialing mandatory since 2022-05-14).
C · History

How 540 got here

1995
Established when 703 was divided; 540 took western/central Virginia (day reported as 1995-07-15; the 703 article says 1995-06-19 — UNVERIFIED).
Source: Wikipedia
2001-09-01
Farthest western region split off as area code 276.
Source: Wikipedia
2022-05-14
Mandatory 10-digit dialing began for the 540 region ahead of the 826 overlay.
Source: Citizens Coop / WSLS
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
800
Prefixes available
0
Thousands-blocks assigned
4,157

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

Compare 540 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area codes 540 and 826
Citizens Cooperative ↗
Mandatory 10-Digit Dialing to Begin May 14, 2022 (Virginia 540)
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.