North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
973
In service
United States · since 1997

Newark / Paterson

Serves north-central New Jersey including Newark, Paterson and the Essex/Passaic/Morris region. Split from 201 in 1997; overlaid by 862 since 2001.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Newark / Paterson
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1997
Projected exhaust
2052 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 973 is

Essex, Passaic, Morris, Sussex, and parts of Bergen and Union counties (north-central NJ)..

Communities served wholly or partly by 973:

NewarkPatersonCliftonMontclairMorristownParsippany

County coverage overlaps partially with 201/551 in Bergen.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 973 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 · 1997 201 Jersey City / Hackensack 973 split from 201 on June 1, 1997.
Overlay · 2001 862 Newark / Paterson (overlay) Coextensive overlay of the same territory.
What's changing. Overlaid by 862 (mandatory 10-digit dialing since 2001).
C · History

How 973 got here

1997-06-01
Created by splitting from area code 201 for northernmost NJ.
Source: Wikipedia
2001-12-01
Area code 862 overlay implemented; ten-digit dialing became mandatory.
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
799
Prefixes available
1
Thousands-blocks assigned
2,792

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

Compare 973 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area code 973
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.