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Before You Call Back

Area code 253

Area code 253 serves Washington, including Tacoma, Auburn and Tacoma-Waverly (Pacific time). It has been in service since April 27, 1997.

Numbers starting with 253 drew 1,168 reports to the FTC from Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026 and 531 complaints to the FCC since November 2023. The number on your screen can be faked, so a 253 number proves nothing about where a call came from.

Location
Washington(seattle--Bellevue--Everett, WA Pmsa) and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area
Time zone
Pacific
In service since
April 27, 1997Created from 206
Overlay
None: the only code for its area
Local calls
Dial 10 digitsArea code needed, even next door
Exchanges in use
508 of 792held by 27 carriers
Projected to run out
4Q 2058NANPA forecast 2026.2

Complaints about 253 numbers

Reports where the number on the consumer's caller ID (or, for the FCC, the number the caller asked them to call back) starts with 253. These are counts of what people reported; the agencies do not verify them.

FTC reports, Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026

1,168

FCC complaints since November 2023

531

Different 253 numbers reported

1,591

FCC complaints naming a 253 number, by month

November 2023 to October 2026. Source: FCC Consumer Complaints Data.

Show as a table
MonthComplaints
November 202314
December 202311
January 202416
February 202410
March 20249
April 202415
May 202411
June 202427
July 202414
August 202417
September 202421
October 202420
November 202414
December 202421
January 202520
February 202514
March 20259
April 202517
May 202514
June 202514
July 202513
August 202522
September 202515
October 20251
November 202510
December 20259
January 202615
February 202615
March 202619
April 202616
May 20269
June 20268
July 20269
August 202616
September 202612
October 202627

What people said 253 calls were about

Subjects picked in FTC reports, August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. 635 of 1,168 reports were robocalls.

Show as a table
SubjectReports
Other497
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)185
Dropped call or no message153
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends85
Home improvement and cleaning81
Medical and prescriptions31

Most reported 253 numbers

Numbers with at least five reports from three or more places in the last twelve months. Many of them are likely spoofed.

Places served by 253

NANPA lists 10 rate centers for 253. A rate center is the town or district a block of numbers is tied to for billing; sorted here by how many exchanges each holds.
  • Tacoma228
  • Auburn82
  • Tacoma-Waverly51
  • Kent44
  • Puyallup27
  • Des Moines23
  • Gig Harbor20
  • Sumner15
  • Graham13
  • Roy5

Phone companies holding 253 exchanges

Each exchange (the three digits after the area code) is assigned to one carrier. 60% of these exchanges are pooled: their numbers are handed out in blocks of 1,000 to other carriers, so the holder below is not always the company serving a given number.

Exchanges held, top 8 of 27 carriers

NANPA central office code assignments, file of November 11, 2026.

Show as a table
Carrier (legal name)Exchanges
Qwest Corporation141
T-Mobile USA, Inc.77
Onvoy, LLC - WA49
Cellco Partnership dba Verizon Wireless - WA48
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC35
Electric Lightwave LLC dba Allstream30
Level 3 Communications, LLC - WA29
Teleport Communications America, LLC - WA15

When today's 253 exchanges were assigned

Exchanges still assigned, by year of assignment. Exchanges returned since are not counted.

Show as a table
YearExchanges
200136
200214
200310
20041
20052
20064
20076
20084
20091
20102
20114
20124
20135
20144
20155
20168
20174
20183
20196
202012
202112
20229
20238
202411
20258
20263

Check a 253 number

A check shows the carrier and rate center of the number's exchange and every FTC and FCC report about that exact number. Why the number on screen can be fake.

Other area codes in Washington

NANPA area code database and central office code file of November 11, 2026; FCC complaints November 1, 2023 to November 11, 2026; FTC reports August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. How the data is used.

Official sources (7)Show