North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
608
In service
United States · since 1955

Madison

Serves southwestern Wisconsin including the state capital Madison, plus Janesville, Beloit, and La Crosse. Assigned in 1955 and overlaid by 353 in 2023.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Madison
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1955
Projected exhaust
2065 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 608 is

Southwestern Wisconsin — 19 counties including Dane, Rock, La Crosse, Grant, Sauk, Columbia and Green..

Communities served wholly or partly by 608:

MadisonJanesvilleLa CrosseBeloitWisconsin DellsBarabooPortagePlatteville
B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 608 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 · 1955 414 Milwaukee Created in 1955 from a border rearrangement of the existing 414 and 715 NPAs.
Split from · 1955 715 Northern Wisconsin 608 was formed from a border rearrangement involving both 414 and 715.
Overlay · 2023 353 Madison (overlay) Overlay complex for the 608 area, driven by Dane County growth.
What's changing. Overlaid by 353 (2023). Ten-digit dialing required.
C · History

How 608 got here

1955
Assigned to a numbering plan area created from a border rearrangement of existing NPAs 414 and 715.
Source: Wikipedia
2021-10-24
Mandatory ten-digit dialing began due to the nationwide 988 designation.
Source: Wikipedia
2023-09-15
Overlay area code 353 placed in service (date UNVERIFIED — sources conflict on exact activation; new COC orders accepted from July 11, 2023).
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
799
Prefixes available
1
Thousands-blocks assigned
3,368

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

Compare 608 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area code 608
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.