North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
838
In service
United States · since 2017

Capital District (overlay)

All-service overlay of area code 518, serving Albany and northeastern New York.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Capital District (overlay)
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
2017
Projected exhaust
2064 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 838 is

Northeastern New York State (Capital District and north).

Communities served wholly or partly by 838:

AlbanySchenectadyTroyGlens FallsPlattsburghSaratoga Springs

Shares 518's 24-county footprint.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 838 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?

Overlay · 2017 518 Capital District / Northeastern NY Overlays all of 518.
What's changing. Active overlay of 518 across northeastern NY; ten-digit dialing required.
C · History

How 838 got here

2017-09-19
Activated as an overlay of 518 after 518 faced number depletion.
Source: Wikipedia 518/838
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
243
Prefixes available
557
Thousands-blocks assigned
1,588

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

Compare 838 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia (secondary) ↗
Area codes 518 and 838
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.