North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
908
In service
United States · since 1990

Elizabeth / Union County

Serves north-central and western New Jersey (Union, Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren and adjacent areas). Split from 201 in 1991; no overlay.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Elizabeth / Union County
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1990
Projected exhaust
2039 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 908 is

Union, Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren, northern Middlesex, and parts of Morris counties (north-central/western NJ)..

Communities served wholly or partly by 908:

ElizabethPlainfieldSouth PlainfieldSomerville

Coverage is partial in Middlesex and Morris; boundaries follow rate centers.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 908 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 · 1991 201 Jersey City / Hackensack 908 split from 201 in 1991.
Spawned · 1997 732 Toms River / New Brunswick Eastern portion of 908 split off as 732 in 1997.
What's changing. No overlay; single area code serving its region (10-digit dialing mandatory since 2021 due to 988).
C · History

How 908 got here

1991-06-08
Created by splitting from 201; permissive dialing period ended.
Source: Wikipedia
1997
Eastern portion separated to form area code 732. (Date UNVERIFIED: 908 article says Jan 1, 1997; 732 article says June 1, 1997.)
Source: Wikipedia
2021-10
Transitioned to ten-digit dialing to free 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
743
Prefixes available
57
Thousands-blocks assigned
3,302

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

Compare 908 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area code 908
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.