Western New York To Get New 624 Area Code

The New York State Public Service Commission has announced that residential, business and wireless customers within the existing 716 area code region should begin to prepare for the introduction of the new 624 area code, as early as the second quarter of 2024.

To meet the increasing demand for residential and business phone numbers, on October 13th, 2022, the Commission approved an all-services overlay area code to be added to the current 716 area code that serves all or portions of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties.

The overlay area code will be assigned to newly issued telephone numbers in the region once all unassigned 716 telephone numbers are exhausted and will apply to all telephone numbers, regardless of service type. As early as the second quarter of 2024, customers in the 716-region requesting new service, an additional line, or a move in the location of their service, may be assigned a number in the new 624 area code.

Existing customers in the 716-area code will not be impacted by the new overlay area code. The new area code is projected to provide telephone numbers for approximately 29 years.

Important facts that consumers and businesses need to know about the 716-area code overlay are:

• Current telephone numbers, including current area code, will not change.
• The price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change due to the overlay.
• What is a local call now will continue to remain a local call.
• Calls between 624 and 716 area codes are local calls.
• Consumers will continue to dial the area code + telephone number for all calls to other area codes.
• Calls to reach 911 Emergency Service will remain three digits.

Customers should ensure that all services, automatic dialing equipment, applications, software, or other types of equipment recognize the new 624 area code as a valid area code. Some examples are life safety systems, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, alarm and security systems, gates, speed dialers, mobile phone contact lists, call forwarding settings, voicemail services, and similar functions. Business stationery, advertising materials, personal checks, and personal or pet ID tags should include the area code.

The North American Number Plan Administrator, or NANPA, as designated by the Federal Communication Commission, determines the newly assigned area code.

Photo of 1940 telephone switchboard operators.