New area code 837 created to meet phone number demands in South Lake Tahoe and the region

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – To meet the demand in the geographic region served by the 530 area code, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a second area code for the region in 2022 to ensure that telephone numbers continue to be available to meet the demand. A second area code (called an overlay) provides additional numbering resources while minimizing customer inconvenience. When approved there were five percent of numbers available under 530 and they have run out. Starting January 31, 2025, new numbers issued will have the 837 area code.

No existing customers will be required to change their area code or specific telephone number. The new overlay area code of 837 will be available for new telephone number assignments in the same region as the 530 area code upon exhaust of available prefixes in the existing 530 area code, and that time is almost here.

The 530 area code covers most of the northeastern portion of California, including all or portions of Alpine, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba counties. It serves cities and communities including but not limited to Chico, Davis, El Dorado Hills, Oroville, Paradise, Placerville, Red Bluff, Redding, South Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Woodland, and Yuba City, as well as unincorporated areas.

An area code overlay adds an additional area code to the geographic region served by the existing area code(s). Therefore, multiple area codes co-exist within the same geographic region. Existing 530/837 customers will retain their area code and specific telephone number(s). Customers will continue to dial the three-digit area code for all calls to and from telephone numbers with the 530 and 837 area codes. The price of a call will not change due to the overlay. Customers can still dial just three digits to reach 911, as well as 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711, and 811.

The 530 area code was formed in 1997 when the CPUC approved an area code split of the 916 area code, introducing the 530 area code. There are currently 73 different service providers serving the 131 rate centers in 530.