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Area Code 408 History and Coverage

Created in 1959 when California’s 415 numbering plan area was divided, 408 emerged from a region that had previously been part of one of the state’s first three area codes, established in 1947. At that stage, 415 covered central California. For four decades, 408 encompassed substantially more territory to the south and west than its later configuration.

In 1999, the creation of 831 in a geographical split of 408 took place in California. As a result, San Benito County and most of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties switched to 831, thus detaching the Monterey Bay region and a large part of central California coastline from 408. It was a considerable change of territories, because the code became located in Santa Clara Valley much tighter, while some small neighboring areas of Alameda and Santa Cruz Counties still stayed in 408.

The late 1990s also brought concern over finite number supplies in the region. The California Public Utilities Commission approved a proposed overlay in 1998, but suspended that plan in 1999 during a statewide review of rapid area-code growth. A 2001 CPUC utilization report examined 408’s available numbering resources and number-conservation policies. Relief later came through 669, which became an overlay of 408 on November 20, 2012, after the earlier proposal had never gone into service.