What to Know
- New Jersey is introducing a new 640 area code to the area that currently uses the area code 609.
- Customers will not have to change their existing phone numbers, but will be forced to follow new rules regarding local calls.
- South Jersey's 856 area code is also affected by the Board of Public Utilities recent changes.
From the Jersey shore to Central Jersey, phone calls just got a bit more complicated due to the introduction of a new area code and dialing procedures.
A number of changes are coming to New Jersey’s phone services to ensure a continuing supply of telephone numbers including 10-digit dialing and a new 640 area code.
The 640 area code will be assigned to new customers in the same New Jersey region currently using the 609 area code beginning on Sept. 17, the state Board of Public Utilities said. The region runs from Cape May along the Jersey shore up to Trenton and its surrounding communities in the central part of the state.
New Jersey Area Codes
Starting Sept. 17, a new area code will be added to lines in central and southeastern New Jersey.
Source: New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
Nina Lin/NBC
The process, known as an area code overlay, does not require customers to change their existing phone number, but does require them to dial the area code and the seven-digit telephone number on calls within the same area code.
This means that all calls within the 609 area code that are currently dialed with seven digits will need to be dialed with 10 digits using the area code and phone number format starting Aug. 18.
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| Calling From | Calling To | How to Dial |
|---|---|---|
| 609 / 640 | 609 / 640 | Area Code + 7-Digit Phone Number |
| 609 / 640 | 201 / 551 / 732 / 848 / 856 / 862 / 908 / 973 | 1 + Area Code + 7-Digit Phone Number |
| 856 | 856 | 7-Digit Phone Number |
| 856 | 201 / 551 / 609 / 640 / 732 / 848 / 862 / 908 / 973 | 1 + Area Code + 7-Digit Phone Number |
The new procedure for New Jersey residents start August 18, 2018.
Data: New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
In addition, the State of New Jersey Board of Public Utilities added a similar measure for South Jersey’s 856 area code. The new dialing procedure requires the inclusion the 1 plus the area code for calls between the 609/640 and 856 area codes.
However calls within the 856 region can still connect using a seven-digit phone number without the area code, the BPU said.
"It is important that all consumers take a moment to understand and implement the new dialing procedures," NJ BPU president Joseph Fiordaliso said. "Once they get used to the changes the new dialing procedures should become second nature."
The BPU reminds phone users that their current number and area code won't change and that a current local call will still count as a local call no matter the local area code used.
For more information about the changes, click here.
