TULARE COUNTY – A new area code will debut in the Valley in the near future, and the first changes will begin impacting residents later this month.
The first major change residents will notice is that it will now be necessary to dial the area code for all calls, including local calls between phones with the same area code. The change will go into effect on Feb. 26.
The new area code will be 357 and will overlay the existing 559 area code. The new code is in response to the need for additional telephone numbers in the Valley. On March 26, some new numbers will begin being assigned the new area code prefix.
The decision to add the new area code was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission in August 2023. The change will not affect rates and calls that are local now will continue to be local once the new area code is in effect.
The CPUC adds that existing phone numbers will not change and there will be no interruption to emergency service numbers such as 911. Customers are advised to reassign telephone contacts that don’t already include a prefix to prevent losing numbers or being unable to make calls.
Other impacted devices could include PBXs, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, speed dialers, call forwarding settings, voicemail services, medical alert devices, safety alarm security systems and gates, ankle monitors and similar devices.
