North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
916
In service
United States · since 1947

Sacramento

Area code 916 is the original 1947 area code serving Sacramento, California's state capital, and its surrounding metropolitan region. It is overlaid by area code 279.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Sacramento
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1947
Projected exhaust
2063 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 916 is

Sacramento metropolitan area across five counties: El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, and Yolo..

Communities served wholly or partly by 916:

SacramentoFolsomRosevilleElk GroveCitrus Heights

Representative list, not exhaustive.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 916 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 · 2018 279 Sacramento (overlay) 279 is an all-services overlay covering the same geographic area as 916; in service March 10, 2018.
Spawned · 1958 209 Stockton 209 split from 916 in 1958 for the southern portion (Stockton/Modesto area).
Spawned · 1997 530 Redding 530 split from 916 on November 1, 1997 for northeastern California.
What's changing. Overlaid by area code 279; ten-digit dialing is in effect.
C · History

How 916 got here

1947-10
Area code 916 established as one of California's first three area codes.
Source: Wikipedia
1958
Area code 209 created by splitting off the southern portion (Stockton, Modesto).
Source: Wikipedia
1997-11-01
Area code 530 split off for the northeastern section; 916 reduced to Sacramento and its immediate area.
Source: Wikipedia
2018-03-10
Overlay area code 279 began service.
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
800
Prefixes available
0
Thousands-blocks assigned
3,393

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

Compare 916 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area codes 916 and 279
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.