North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
971
In service
United States · since 2000

Portland (overlay)

Overlay of 503 serving northwestern Oregon, including Portland and Salem. Introduced in 2000 to relieve number exhaustion.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Portland (overlay)
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
2000
Projected exhaust
2041 Q1

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 971 is

Northwestern Oregon (same footprint as 503)..

Communities served wholly or partly by 971:

PortlandSalemHillsboroBeavertonGreshamAstoria

Same geographic footprint as 503; not tied to a single city.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 971 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 · 2000 503 Portland Overlays the 503 service area; both codes share the same geography.
What's changing. Overlay of 503; ten-digit dialing mandatory.
C · History

How 971 got here

1999-07-01
Created as a concentrated overlay of 503, initially excluding Clatsop and Tillamook counties.
Source: Wikipedia
2000-10-01
Mandatory ten-digit dialing began across northwest Oregon.
Source: Wikipedia
2008-04-27
Overlay expanded to add Clatsop and Tillamook counties.
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
455
Prefixes available
345
Thousands-blocks assigned
3,893

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

Compare 971 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area codes 503 and 971
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.