North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
716
In service
United States · since 1947

Buffalo / Niagara

Serves western New York including Buffalo and Niagara Falls (Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties). One of the original 1947 codes; Rochester (585) split off in 2001.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Buffalo / Niagara
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1947
Projected exhaust
2095 Q2

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 716 is

Western New York (Buffalo/Niagara region).

Communities served wholly or partly by 716:

BuffaloNiagara FallsJamestownLockportLackawanna

Representative; region reduced to the Buffalo/Niagara/Southern-western tier after the 2001 585 split.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 716 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 607 Southern Tier Eastern portion contributed to the creation of 607.
Spawned · 2001 585 Rochester / Western NY Rochester and suburbs split off as 585 in 2001.
Overlay · 2023 624 Buffalo / Western NY (overlay) 624 overlays 716.
What's changing. Overlaid by 624 across western NY; ten-digit dialing required.
C · History

How 716 got here

1947
One of the original area codes serving western NY.
Source: Wikipedia 716/624
1954
Eastern portion merged with part of 315 to create 607.
Source: Wikipedia 716/624
2001-11-15
Rochester region split off as 585, reducing 716 to the Buffalo area.
Source: Wikipedia 585 / 716
2023-11-16
624 overlay became active.
Source: Wikipedia 716/624
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
785
Prefixes available
15
Thousands-blocks assigned
4,256

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

Compare 716 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia (secondary) ↗
Area codes 716 and 624
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.