May 17—The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced this week that there will be a new 837 area code for residential and business customers served by the 530 area code starting next year.

Officials said telephone numbers in the 530 area code region are in “high demand,” which led the commission in June 2023 to approve the “implementation of an area code overlay.” This decision will add a second area code to the same geographic region served by the existing 530 area code.

“Starting on January 31, 2025, customers in the 530 area code region may be assigned a number in the new 837 area code when they request new service or an additional line,” officials said. “Customers receiving an 837 area code will be required to dial 1 + the area code and phone number for all local calls, just as customers with telephone numbers from the 530 area code do today.”

CPUC released these steps regarding how customers can prepare for the upcoming addition: — Customers should continue to identify their telephone number as a 10-digit number (3-digit area code + 7-digit telephone number), and include the area code when giving the number to friends, family, business associates, and others. — Customers should ensure their websites, personal and business stationery, and printed checks, advertising materials, contact information, and personal or pet ID tags include the area code. — Customers should ensure that all services, automatic dialing equipment, or other types of equipment recognize the new 837 area code as a valid area code and should continue to store or program telephone numbers as 10-digit numbers. Some examples include but are not limited to: stored telephone numbers in contact lists in wireless or cordless phones, PBXs, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, speed dialers, call forwarding settings, voicemail services, medical alert devices, safety alarm security systems and gates, ankle monitors, and/or other similar equipment.

CPUC also released “key facts” about the 530/837 area code overlay: — Telephone numbers, including the 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 remain a local call. — Customers in the overlay region will continue to dial 1+10 digits for local calls within and between the overlay area codes, and 1+10 digits for long distance calls. — Customers still can dial just three digits to reach 911 and 988, as well as 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711, or 811 if those are currently available in their community.

The 530 area code serves most of northeastern California, covering 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, CPUC said. It serves communities such as Chico, Davis, El Dorado Hills, Marysville, Oroville, Paradise, Placerville, Red Bluff, Redding, South Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Woodland, and Yuba City, as well as unincorporated areas.