Maine Won’t Get a New Area Code Until 2032

Maine has only one area code, 207. It has served Maine as one of the Original North American area codes since 1947.

Maine is one of the largest states in New England, but it is also considered the most rural state, as 50% of the state is completely deserted. The single area code in Maine is due to the small population size and density, so there has been no need for a corresponding expansion of telephone numbers until now. 

Maine will not get a new area code until September 2032. The predicted exhaustion year of the 207 area code has changed from 2025, 2027, and 2029 to 2032.

Public Utilities Commission chairman Philip L. Bartlett II said in a written statement that since the commission started monitoring the 207 area code in 2018, it has become the state with the most changes in the predicted exhaust date. The commissions are committed to preserving the single Maine area code and finding ways to extend the exhaustion for as long as possible.

Even though only 39% of the available Maine phone numbers are used, the risk of running out of numbers has been associated with increased service providers and how they handle the number distribution.

The PUC is continuously working to meet the number of requests, cooperating with VoIP service providers. It is also working with federal phone number oversight organizations to request service providers demand the return of unused numbers. To this date, its efforts have resulted in claiming 750,000 back in number pooling. It believes its continued efforts can extend the continuity of area code 207 until 2032.

Maine is one of the 11 states that operates with a single area code in the US. Of the 11, 9 are expected to need a second area code soon. This is due to the limited number of resources, which affects Maine, other single states, and the entire country.

According to the NANP administrator, the US may run out of area codes by 2051. When that happens, the US may need to transition from standard 10-digit to 12-digit phone numbers. Such a transition across the country requires a large budget, estimated to be up to $270 billion by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

207 area code represents Maine's identity as a single telephone area code. Since its introduction in 1947, it has served Maine as an Original North American area code.

Area codes do not matter much to individuals who use them for personal reasons. However, using area codes is important for businesses to establish their brand image and local credibility.

Maine is not the only state with one area code. The 11 other states in the US are also represented by their respective single area code.

According to a North American Numbering Planning (NANP) list, nine US states are getting new area codes. However, it is only in the planning stage. The states are California, Colorado, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Washington, Louisiana, Michigan, and Minnesota.

The United States (US) has 317 geographic area codes and 18 non-geographic area codes, all of which are still available. 

The US is expected to run out of area codes by 2051. If this condition applies, US phone numbers may see the transition from 10-digit numbers to 12-digit numbers, increasing the 3-digit area codes.