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Area code 515

Area code 515 serves Iowa, including Des Moines, Ames and Winterset (Central time). It has been in service since January 1, 1947.

Numbers starting with 515 drew 2,631 reports to the FTC from Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026 and 527 complaints to the FCC since November 2023. The number on your screen can be faked, so a 515 number proves nothing about where a call came from.

Location
IowaDes Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area
Time zone
Central
In service since
January 1, 1947
Overlay
None: the only code for its area
Local calls
Dial 10 digitsArea code needed, even next door
Exchanges in use
578 of 792held by 72 carriers
Projected to run out
3Q 2046NANPA forecast 2026.2

Complaints about 515 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 515. These are counts of what people reported; the agencies do not verify them.

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

2,631

FCC complaints since November 2023

527

Different 515 numbers reported

2,947

FCC complaints naming a 515 number, by month

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

Show as a table
MonthComplaints
November 202321
December 202313
January 202420
February 20247
March 20244
April 202412
May 20246
June 20246
July 20248
August 20247
September 202415
October 202419
November 202417
December 20247
January 202513
February 20259
March 202510
April 202510
May 202512
June 202515
July 202511
August 202513
September 202519
October 20250
November 20252
December 202533
January 20268
February 20266
March 202612
April 202610
May 202615
June 20268
July 202617
August 202632
September 202644
October 202656

What people said 515 calls were about

Subjects picked in FTC reports, August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. 2,106 of 2,631 reports were robocalls.

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SubjectReports
Other1,049
Dropped call or no message592
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)419
Medical and prescriptions162
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends148
Warranties and protection plans74

Most reported 515 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 515

NANPA lists 98 rate centers for 515. 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.
  • Des Moines257
  • Ames39
  • Winterset17
  • Fort Dodge14
  • Boone13
  • Pleasantville11
  • Indianola9
  • Algona8
  • Adel7
  • Webster City7
  • Humboldt6
  • Clarion5
  • Eagle Grove5
  • Dallas Center4
  • Granger4
  • Jefferson4
  • Nevada4
  • Perry4
  • Polk City4
  • Prairie City4
  • Runnells4
  • Bancroft3
  • Blairsburg3
  • Colfax3
Show all 98 rate centers

Dawson, Earlham, Gilmore City, Goldfield, Gowrie, Huxley, Jewell, Lakota, Livermore, Madrid, Renwick, Slater, Story City, Stuart, Swea City, Van Meter, Williams, Alden, Barnum, Bouton, Bradgate, Burt, Cambridge, Clare, Corwith, De Soto, Dexter, Elkhart, Ellsworth, Grand Junction, Kamrar, Luverne, Maxwell, Mccallsburg, Moorland, Ogden, Otho, Radcliffe, Randall, Redfield, Rippey, Roland, Stanhope, Titonka, Wesley, West Bend, Whittemore, Woodward, Badger, Boxholm, Buckeye, Callender, Churdan, Dayton, Dows, Duncombe, Farnhamville, Fenton, Garden City, Harcourt, Kelley, Knierim, Lanyon, Ledyard, Lehigh, Lone Rock, Minburn, Paton, Pilot Mound, Somers, Stratford, Thor, Vincent, Woolstock.

Phone companies holding 515 exchanges

Each exchange (the three digits after the area code) is assigned to one carrier. 74% 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 72 carriers

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

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Carrier (legal name)Exchanges
Qwest Corporation146
Cellco Partnership dba Verizon Wireless - IA55
T-Mobile USA, Inc.51
United States Cellular - IA39
Onvoy, LLC - IA27
Mcc Telephony of Iowa, LLC - IA23
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC - IL22
Bandwidth.com CLEC, LLC - IA21

When today's 515 exchanges were assigned

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

Show as a table
YearExchanges
200114
20027
20032
20043
20054
200612
20078
20087
20096
201021
201111
20129
20138
20145
201514
201612
20178
201819
201925
202010
202117
202220
202310
202412
20259
20262

Check a 515 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 Iowa

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