A new telephone area code, 835, is coming to Philadelphia's suburbs, as the region is running out of 610 and 484 numbers.
The supply of 610 and 484 numbers -- which are currently available to residents and businesses in Lehigh, Berks, Delaware, Chester and Northampton counties as well as parts of Montgomery County -- will be depleted by early 2023, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission announced in a press release on Thursday
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The three-person committee voted unanimously to approve a petition to add the 835 area code to the region from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator, an entity that allocates telephone numbers.
The remaining 610 and 484 numbers will be distributed until the supply is depleted. Then all new numbers assigned in the region will begin with 835.
The new area code will not change the way callers dial numbers in the region. Ten-digit dialing has been in place there since 1999, when the 484 area code was first introduced.
Although the commission expects the change will have a minimal impact on the residents of the area impacted, they're encouraging individuals and businesses to ensure their devices are storing full ten-digit numbers and recognizing 835 numbers as valid.
In the past, these changes have had more significant impact on daily life for Philly area residents. For example, when the 215 area code was split to create the 610 area code in 1994 some residents and businesses had to change their numbers, which caused pushback.
The state hasn't split an existing area code since 1998, when the 717 area code in Northeast Pennsylvania was split to create the 570 code.