North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
985
In service
United States · since 2001

Houma / Hammond

Created in 2001 as a split from 504, area code 985 serves southeastern Louisiana outside the inner-ring New Orleans metro.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Houma / Hammond
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
2001
Projected exhaust
2103 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 985 is

Southeastern Louisiana excluding the inner New Orleans area..

Communities served wholly or partly by 985:

HoumaHammondSlidellThibodauxMandevilleCovingtonMorgan City

Spans roughly 40 communities; lower Plaquemines Parish towns reverted to 504 in 2007-2008 after Hurricane Katrina.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 985 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 · 2001 504 New Orleans Split from 504, taking southeastern Louisiana outside the New Orleans inner ring.
What's changing. Single area code; no overlay reported.
C · History

How 985 got here

2001
Placed in service as a split from area code 504.
Source: Wikipedia
2008-07-01
Mandatory use of 504 began for lower Plaquemines communities returned to 504 after Katrina (504 article gives May 1, 2008 — discrepancy).
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
471
Prefixes available
329
Thousands-blocks assigned
2,151

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

Compare 985 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area code 985
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.