The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission announced the assignment of 835 as a new area code which will eventually serve the same geographic area in southeastern Pennsylvania currently served by the 610 and 484 area codes.

The 610/484 calling area serves residents and businesses in Lehigh, Berks, Delaware, Chester, and Northampton counties, along with a portion of Montgomery County.

According to the NANPA petition, the remaining supply of available telephone numbers in the 610/484 area is estimated to be exhausted in early 2023 - requiring the establishment of a new area code to support future demands in the region.

Under the implementation plan approved by the PUC, no new 835 numbers will be assigned in the area until the remaining 610/484 numbers are completely exhausted. When those remaining 610/484 numbers are exhausted, all future phone number assignments will be made in the new 835 area code.

Because the 610/484 region is served by two overlay area codes, callers are already required to use 10-digit dialing when making calls. Callers in this area have been using 10-digit dialing for more than 20 years, since the 484 area code was introduced in 1999.