North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
803
In service
United States · since 1947

Columbia

One of the original 1947 area codes, 803 was South Carolina's sole area code for 48 years and now serves the central Midlands region anchored by the state capital, Columbia. It is overlaid by 839.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Columbia
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1947
Projected exhaust
2046 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 803 is

Central South Carolina (Midlands); 18 counties including Richland, Lexington, Aiken, Sumter, Kershaw, Orangeburg, York and Lancaster..

Communities served wholly or partly by 803:

ColumbiaRock HillSumterAiken
B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 803 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 864 Greenville Upstate region split off from 803.
Spawned · 1998 843 Charleston Eastern/coastal region split off from 803.
Overlay · 2020 839 Columbia (overlay) All-service overlay covering the same Midlands territory.
What's changing. Overlaid by 839 since May 2020; ten-digit dialing mandatory.
C · History

How 803 got here

1947
Assigned as one of the original 86 North American area codes, covering the entire state of South Carolina.
Source: Wikipedia
1995
Upstate region split off as area code 864.
Source: Wikipedia
1998
Eastern/coastal region split off as area code 843.
Source: Wikipedia
2020-05
Overlay 839 implemented; ten-digit dialing became mandatory.
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
800
Prefixes available
0
Thousands-blocks assigned
3,540

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

Compare 803 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area code 803
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.