Area code 405


Area code 405 serves the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It covers the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area including cities such as Oklahoma City, Edmond, El Reno, Norman, Stillwater, Shawnee, Chickasha, Tuttle, Moore, and Guthrie.
The other three area codes serving Oklahoma are 539 and 918, which cover northeastern Oklahoma ; and 580, which serves western and southern Oklahoma.
Area code 405 was one of the original area codes put into service in 1947 by telecom giant AT&T. Until January 1, 1953, it covered the entire state of Oklahoma. On that date, northeastern Oklahoma was assigned area code 918.
Even though central Oklahoma was home to the great majority of 405's landlines and cell phones, this configuration remained unchanged for 44 years. On November 1, 1997, 405 was reduced to cover only central Oklahoma, while the southern and western portions of the old 405 became area code 580. As a result, 405 is the only area code in the state that does not reach the state's borders with Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.

Projections

Despite the rapid growth of the Oklahoma City metro area and the proliferation of auxiliary devices, as of October 2017, 405 was projected to remain in its current configuration until at least the second quarter of 2021, at which time a split or overlay of 405 may be necessary. An overlay of 405 was recommended. On January 9, 2020 it was announced that area code 572 would overlay 405, making ten-digit dialing mandatory in central Oklahoma. The new area code will be assigned to new subscribers; anyone with an existing 405 number can keep it. A permissive dialing period will begin in October 2020, during which seven- and ten-digit dialing will be allowed. Ten-digit dialing is expected to become mandatory in January 2021, and numbers in the new 572 area code will be available for assignment beginning May 24, 2021.