CHATTANOOGA, Tenn — East Tennessee will soon have another new area code, and it's going to add three more digits to many people's local calls.
The new area code, 729, is being added to the 423 area code region. That includes several counties in the WBIR viewing area -- including Morgan, Scott, Campbell, Claiborne, Hancock, Hawkins, Hamblen, Greene, Cocke, Monroe, McMinn, Rhea and Meigs counties.
It also includes the Moores Camp and Fork Mountain portions of Anderson County, as well as the Chattanooga and Johnson City areas. The new area code will be implemented in the areas shaded in purple below early next year.
For people with 423 area codes -- nothing is changing with your number. The Tennessee Public Utility Commission said the new 729 area code was needed because the 423 area code is projected to run out of numbers by the end of 2025. New numbers in those regions will be assigned to the 729 area code once it is activated.
For people who live in the 423 region, the new 729 area code means you will soon have to dial the full 10-digit number to complete all local calls. Starting Aug. 5, local telecommunication providers are asking people to get in the habit of dialing 10 digits. TDS Telecommunications said 7-digit calls will still work for 6 more months from that date.
On Feb. 5, 2025, TDS said people will need to dial the 423 or 729 area code to complete all local calls. If you try to dial 7 digits on or after that date, the call won't go through and you'll hear a message.
On March 5, 2025, new telephone lines will be assigned to the 729 area code. People with the new area code will also need to dial 10 digits for local calls.
TDS said the change does not affect 911 or any of the other special use numbers, like 311 or 988.
Once the new area code rules take effect, nearly all of East Tennessee will be required to use 10-digit dialing. In 2021, the Federal Communications Commission implemented mandatory 10-digit dialing for the 865 area code region, which includes Knox County and its neighboring counties.
For those who've lived in East Tennessee for several decades, the area code update should feel familiar. The entire eastern half of the state used to be under the 615 area code for decades until the mid-90s, when it was decided to put the Eastern Grand Division under a new area code: 423.
It only took a few years before the 423 area code was put on the brink of running out of numbers, so in 1999 Knox County and its neighboring counties were assigned to a new area code: 865.
And here's a fun fact for Vol fans who weren't around for that change: the 865 area code contains a secret. If you will recall, in 1999 the area was riding a Big Orange wave of Tennessee hype after the Vols had just won their first national football championship in more than three decades. So, when it came time to assign the new area code, the state made it a point to choose "865," which if you look at the phone keypad spells out: "VOL."
