One of Missouri's two original 1947 area codes, 816 serves the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro and the St. Joseph area. It is overlaid by 975 since 2023.
The essentialsNumbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Kansas City
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1947
Projected exhaust
2069 Q3
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 816 is
Northwestern Missouri: Missouri side of the Kansas City metro, St. Joseph, and all or part of fifteen surrounding counties..
The codes 816 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 · 1950417Springfield / southwestern Missouri417 was carved primarily from 816's southwestern half.
Spawned · 1997660Northern / western Missouri660 split off from 816 for the rural remainder.
Overlay · 2023975Kansas City (overlay)All-services overlay covering the same 816 geography.
Related · 1947913Kansas City metro (Kansas side)Kansas side of the Kansas City metro, to the west.
What's changing. Overlaid by 975 since October 13, 2023; 10-digit dialing required.
C · History
How 816 got here
1947
Assigned as one of two original Missouri area codes (with 314).
Source: Wikipedia
1950
417 created for southwestern Missouri, reducing 816 to the north.
Source: Wikipedia
1997-10-12
Split created 660 for rural portions; 816 kept KC and St. Joseph.
Source: Wikipedia
2001
A 975 overlay was approved (Feb 2001) but implementation was suspended indefinitely.
Source: Wikipedia
2023-10-13
Area code 975 overlay finally placed in service.
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity
How full it is
Prefixes assigned
800
Prefixes available
0
Thousands-blocks assigned
3,872
Prefix-assignment counts describe allocation to carriers, not how many individual numbers are in use. Full technical records: NumberResearch ↗.
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.
North American Numbers