Come 2026 there will be a new way to distinguish longtime locals from transplants: their area code.
Beginning in the first quarter of 2026, telephone customers in the 970-area code overlay regional who request new service, an additional line, or to move their service may be assigned the new 748 area code, according to a Dec. 18 news brief from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The current 970 area code is projected to run out of available phone numbers by the first quarter of 2026.
The new area code is projected to last 38 years. The new area code will not be assigned until the current 970 area codes have been exhausted, the brief states.
The 303 Numbering Plan Area (NPA), implemented in 1947, was the original NPA that served the entire state. In 1988, the 719 NPA was created when the 303 NPA underwent a geographic split. In 1995, the 303 NPA was split again creating the 970 NPA. In 1998, the 720 NPA was implemented as an overlay over the 303 NPA.
Key facts about the 748-area code overlay:
- All current customers will keep their existing phone numbers and area codes.
- The price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change.
- What is a local call now will remain a local call.
- Customers in the overlay region will continue to dial 10 digits for local calls within and between the overlay area codes, and 1+10 digits for long-distance calls and operator-assisted calls.
- Customers can still dial just three digits to reach 911, as well as 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711, or 811 if those are currently available in their community.
The PUC approved an implementation schedule for the 748 area code on Nov. 20. The plan will occur over a nine-month schedule that is completed at least six months before the projected exhaust quarter and includes telecommunications network preparation and direct customer education campaigns by service providers.