Where the 213 area code is used
Today 213 is one of three area codes for a single region of Los Angeles County. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) says the 213/323 codes “generally serve the downtown portion of the City of Los Angeles and the surrounding cities and communities”, plus unincorporated parts of the county. 738 covers the same region.
That is wider than 213’s old footprint. Between 1998 and 2017, 213 itself covered only a small area of central Los Angeles, while 323 covered the rest of what is now the combined region. After the CPUC approved removing the boundary between them in 2017, numbers with either code — and now 738 — can be assigned anywhere in the region.
Places the CPUC lists
Downtown Los Angeles · Alhambra · Bell · Bell Gardens · Beverly Hills · Commerce · Cudahy · Glendale · Hawthorne · Huntington Park · Inglewood · Lynwood · Maywood · Montebello · Monterey Park · Pasadena · Rosemead · South Gate · South Pasadena · Vernon · West Hollywood · unincorporated areas
Area code boundaries do not follow city limits, and the CPUC describes this coverage only in general terms, so a listed city may be only partly inside the region. To check a particular neighbourhood, use the CPUC’s official 213/323 area map (PDF).
Time zone and dialing
The 213 region is on Pacific Time: Pacific Standard Time (UTC−8) in winter and Pacific Daylight Time (UTC−7) while daylight saving time is in effect.
A 213 phone number has ten digits — the area code plus a seven-digit number. Dialing it takes one more. The CPUC’s 738 notice tells customers in the region to dial 1 + the ten digits for local calls, including calls between 213, 323 and 738 numbers, and to do the same for long-distance calls.
The area code is always needed because the same seven digits can exist under 213, 323 and 738 at once, belonging to three different customers. Three-digit codes still work as before: 911 and 988, and 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711 or 811 where they are available locally.
For businesses, the CPUC advises storing numbers in ten-digit form and checking that auto-diallers, PBXs, alarm and security systems, fax machines and call-forwarding settings accept 738 as a valid area code. How area codes affect call handling more broadly is covered in our guide to area codes and call routing.
213 vs 323 vs 738
One region, three area codes.
The three codes do not divide the map between them. They are layered over the same area, so the code on a number does not tell you which part of the region it belongs to.
The original code. Confined to central Los Angeles after 1998; serves the whole region again since the 2017 decision.
Created from 213. The CPUC approved removing its boundary with 213 in 2017.
Overlay approved in March 2023; new numbers from 1 November 2024.
Same coverage today · any of the three for a new number · dial 1 + ten digits
Does a 213 number show where a caller is?
Not on its own. If a displayed 213 number is genuine, it tells you the number was assigned from this Los Angeles region. It does not tell you where the caller is, and it does not prove the number is theirs.
- Numbers move with people. A mobile number keeps its area code when its owner travels or relocates, and some internet-based phone services let businesses outside Los Angeles use a 213 number.
- Caller ID can be faked. The FCC calls this spoofing. In “neighbor spoofing”, the FTC notes, scammers often match the first six digits of your own phone number so the call looks local.
- Intent is what the law targets. Under the Truth in Caller ID Act, FCC rules prohibit transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller ID information “with the intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongly obtain anything of value”. Displaying a number you are legitimately assigned is not the same as spoofing.
What to do with an unexpected call, based on FCC and FTC advice:
- Treat the area code as a label, not proof of who is calling or where they are.
- Hang up if the caller asks for money, personal details or payment by gift card.
- Don’t press a number to “opt out” of a robocall — the FTC says it can lead to more calls.
If you place business calls, our guide to CLI vs NCLI routes explains how caller ID is carried — or withheld — across carrier networks.
A brief history of 213
- 1947
One of California's original area codes
213 was one of the three original area codes created in California in 1947 and, according to the CPUC, first covered the entire southern portion of the state.
- 1998
323 created from 213
323 was created from 213 in 1998. A 2001 CPUC report describes 213 as covering only three rate centres in central Los Angeles by then.
- 2017
Boundary with 323 removed
The CPUC approved eliminating the boundary between 213 and 323, so both codes serve one combined region.
- 2024
738 added
Approved on 16 March 2023 and in service from 1 November 2024, covering the same region as 213 and 323.
FAQs
Is 213 still a Los Angeles area code?
Yes. It is still in use and serves the same Los Angeles region as 323 and 738.
Why was the 738 area code added?
When the CPUC approved 738 in March 2023, it projected that the 213/323 region would run out of available prefixes by June 2025. An overlay added capacity without changing existing numbers.
How do I call a 213 number from outside the US?
Dial your country’s international access code (or + on a mobile phone), then 1, 213 and the seven-digit number.
Is 213 a toll-free number?
No. 213 is a geographic area code for the Los Angeles region, not a toll-free code.
Sources
- CPUC — 213/323/738 area codes
- CPUC — 213/323 area map (PDF)
- CPUC — New 738 area code coming to the 213/323 region (1 March 2024)
- CPUC — CPUC provides more numbers for 213/323 area code (16 March 2023)
- CPUC — Report on the 213 area code (10 October 2001)
- FCC — Caller ID spoofing
- FTC — How to block unwanted calls
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