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Area code 518

Area code 518 serves New York, including Albany, Schenectady and Glens Falls (Eastern time). It has been in service since January 1, 1947 and shares its area with 838.

Numbers starting with 518 drew 1,844 reports to the FTC from Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026 and 1,566 complaints to the FCC since November 2023. The number on your screen can be faked, so a 518 number proves nothing about where a call came from.

Location
New York(albany--Schenectady--Troy, NY Msa) and Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area
Time zone
Eastern
In service since
January 1, 1947
Overlay
Same area as 838
Local calls
Dial 10 digitsArea code needed, even next door
Exchanges in use
775 of 792held by 62 carriers
Projected to run out
4Q 2061NANPA forecast 2026.2

Complaints about 518 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 518. These are counts of what people reported; the agencies do not verify them.

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

1,844

FCC complaints since November 2023

1,566

Different 518 numbers reported

3,148

FCC complaints naming a 518 number, by month

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

Show as a table
MonthComplaints
November 202329
December 202312
January 202415
February 20249
March 202420
April 202414
May 202436
June 202444
July 202417
August 202416
September 202413
October 202426
November 202420
December 202414
January 202518
February 202537
March 202545
April 202597
May 2025132
June 202562
July 202567
August 202589
September 2025159
October 20253
November 202524
December 202541
January 202658
February 202684
March 202636
April 202639
May 202642
June 202658
July 202642
August 202646
September 202643
October 202646

What people said 518 calls were about

Subjects picked in FTC reports, August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. 1,324 of 1,844 reports were robocalls.

Show as a table
SubjectReports
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)674
Other631
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends122
Dropped call or no message115
Medical and prescriptions54
Lotteries, prizes, and sweepstakes38

Most reported 518 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 518

NANPA lists 135 rate centers for 518. 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.
  • Albany200
  • Schenectady50
  • Glens Falls45
  • Colonie34
  • Troy34
  • Plattsburgh31
  • Saratoga Springs21
  • Amsterdam14
  • Hudson13
  • Gloversville11
  • Ballston Spa10
  • Malone9
  • Lake Placid8
  • Saranac Lake8
  • Catskill7
  • Cobleskill6
  • Kinderhook6
  • Mechanicville6
  • Altamont5
  • Johnstown5
  • Ticonderoga5
  • Chatham4
  • Fort Covington4
  • Galway4
Show all 135 rate centers

Jonesville, Round Lake, Averill Park, Berne, Bolton Landing, Cairo, Cambridge, Castleton, Central Bridge, Clarksville, Crown Point, Elizabethtown, Fort Ann, Granville, Greenfield Center, Greenville, Greenwich, Hoosick Falls, Hunter, Lake George, Mariaville, Middleburgh, Millerton, Oak Hill, Salem, Schroon Lake, Schuylerville, South Bethlehem, Summit, Tannersville, Voorheesville, Warrensburg, Willsboro, Argyle, Athens, Au Sable Forks, Berlin, Brainardsville, Bramanville, Canajoharie, Caroga Lake, Champlain, Chateaugay, Chazy, Chestertown, Claverack, Copake, Corinth, Coxsackie, Dannemora, Delanson, Ellenburg Depot, Freehold, Glen, Hampton, Hartford, Hillsdale, Kattskill Bay, Keene, Keeseville, Lake Luzerne, Mayfield, Mineville, Moira, Mooers, Nassau, Northville, Palenville, Paul Smiths, Peru, Pine Plains, Pittstown, Prattsville, Putnam, Ravena, Richmondville, Rotterdam Junction, Rouses Point, Saint Regis Falls, Saranac, Sharon Springs, Stephentown, Tupper Lake, Valley Falls, West Chazy, Westerlo, Whitehall, Wilmington, Windham, Blue Mountain Lake, Broadalbin, Canaan, Esperance, Fonda, Fort Plain, Germantown, Hague, Indian Lake, Lake Pleasant, Lexington, Long Lake, Lyon Mountain, Newcomb, North Creek, Philmont, Port Henry, Saint Johnsville, Tribes Hill, Wells, West Lebanon, Westport.

Phone companies holding 518 exchanges

Each exchange (the three digits after the area code) is assigned to one carrier. 77% 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 62 carriers

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

Show as a table
Carrier (legal name)Exchanges
Verizon New York, Inc.216
Paetec Itel, LLC59
Cellco Partnership dba Verizon Wireless - NY58
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC - DC45
Tc Systems, Inc. - NY35
Tvc Albany, Inc. dba Firstlight Fiber33
Level 3 Communications, LLC - NY27
Twc IP Enabled Services, LLC27

When today's 518 exchanges were assigned

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

Show as a table
YearExchanges
200115
200224
20035
20042
200510
20066
20074
200810
20095
201011
201110
201216
20133
201410
201522
201627
201719
20186
20192
20222
20231
20249

Check a 518 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 New York

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