North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
804
In service
United States · since 1973

Richmond

Created in 1973 from a split of 703, area code 804 serves east-central Virginia anchored by Richmond. It shares its territory with overlay 686, added in 2024.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Richmond
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1973
Projected exhaust
2055 Q4

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 804 is

East-central Virginia including Henrico, Chesterfield, and Powhatan counties, plus the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula..

Communities served wholly or partly by 804:

RichmondPetersburgHopewellColonial HeightsMechanicsville

Coextensive with overlay 686.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 804 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 · 1973 703 Northern Virginia 804 split off from the original 703, taking the eastern two-thirds of Virginia.
Spawned · 1996 757 Hampton Roads Eastern Shore and most of Hampton Roads split off from 804 into 757.
Spawned · 2001 434 South-central Virginia South-central Virginia (Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Danville) split off from 804 into 434.
Overlay · 2024 686 Richmond (overlay) 686 overlaid on the same 804 territory; both serve identical geography.
What's changing. Overlaid with 686 (effective 2024-02-01). 10-digit dialing mandatory.
C · History

How 804 got here

1973-06-24
Established when 703 was split, covering the eastern two-thirds of Virginia from Danville to the Eastern Shore.
Source: Wikipedia
1996
Eastern Shore and most of Hampton Roads transitioned to new area code 757.
Source: Wikipedia
2001
Western portions (Danville, Lynchburg, Charlottesville) split off as area code 434.
Source: Wikipedia
2024-02-01
Overlay 686 took effect; both codes serve the same region.
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
800
Prefixes available
0
Thousands-blocks assigned
4,400

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

Compare 804 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area codes 804 and 686
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.