538 Area Code
Personal communications services
The 538 area code is reserved for special services (Non-Geographic Services). Numbers in it are used for personal communications services in the 5YY non-geographic pool.
How 538 is used
Numbers in 538 are used for personal communications services such as one-number follow-me forwarding. The called party (the subscriber) pays for the call while the calling party is billed at standard long-distance rates. All 5YY codes share the same purpose and pool of central-office assignments.
- Purpose
- Personal communications services
- Assignee
- NANPA on behalf of the FCC
- Dialed as
- 1-538-NXX-XXXX
History
Creation: Area code 538 was placed into service on October 28, 2025 as the seventeenth 5YY non-geographic NPA, relieving 532. NANPA assigned it in July 2025, and it was activated within months as demand for non-geographic numbers continued.
Relieved: Area code 538 was activated to relieve 532.
Mnemonics: Prior to 1995, the middle digit of area codes was restricted to 0 or 1 — codes created before then cannot form mnemonics.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_communications_service_(NANP), www.nanpa.com/numbering/5xx-nxx-codes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is area code 538 used for?
The 538 area code is reserved for special services (Non-Geographic Services). Numbers in it are used for personal communications services in the 5YY non-geographic pool.
How is 538 dialed?
Dial 1-538-NXX-XXXX.
Who assigns 538 numbers?
NANPA on behalf of the FCC
What did 538 relieve or replace?
Area code 538 was activated to relieve 532 as that pool of numbers neared exhaustion.
When did area code 538 go into service?
October 28, 2025. It was the 17th 5YY non-geographic area code.