ST. LOUIS — According to the Missouri Public Service Commission, the 314 area code is running out of space in the St. Louis area, meaning the region will add a new prefix as soon as this coming summer.
More than 20 years after the state delayed adding a new area code to the mix in hopes that conservation efforts would work, the Public Service Commission said it’s time to prepare for 557.
The PSC said that according to the North American Numbering Plan Administrator or NANPA, the 314 will be exhausted by sometime in the third quarter of 2022, with the earliest implementation of 557 coming on August 12, 2022.
David Shanks, the owner of Whiskey on Washington, said the 314 area code is a big part of being a St. Louisan.
“314 is just a part of St. Louis. It’s kind of our bread and butter,” said Shanks. “It’s kind of a brand of its own. A lot of people and a lot of places use their area codes to identify with their city. Your area code is just a big part of you.”
While some people aren’t thrilled about the addition of a new area code, others are more open to the idea.
“Some people don’t like it. Some people do like it. That’s the one consistent — if you grow, things are going to change,” said Brandon Wilson, who lives in downtown St. Louis.
The change comes at the same time that local calls in the St. Louis region have to be made with all ten digits by July 15, 2022, to make way for 988, a national suicide prevention and mental health line
The PSC is urging people to act now to have devices recognize the 557 area code and ten-digit dialing protocols.
