Knoxville, TN Area Code

Area code serving Knoxville

Knoxville sits in Tennessee, part of the South region and the Eastern Time zone. Its area code is 865, which covers Knoxville and surrounding counties in East Tennessee. 865 has no overlay today, so every Knoxville landline and mobile number with a local code starts with 865.

865 has served the area since 1999. If the region runs low on numbers, regulators will most likely add an overlay code on top rather than split the area, which would make 10-digit dialing mandatory.

Code	Area served	In service
865	Knoxville and surrounding counties in East Tennessee	November 1, 1999

Nearby cities sharing this area code

• Maryville
• Oak Ridge
• Sevierville
• Farragut
• Alcoa
• Lenoir City
• Clinton
• Gatlinburg
• Pigeon Forge
• Loudon
• Powell
• Harriman

Getting a Knoxville phone number

Any new landline, mobile or VoIP number from a local carrier in Knoxville gets the 865 area code. Numbers come from the blocks each carrier holds in the area; a number ported in from elsewhere keeps its original area code, so you may also see out-of-state codes locally.

Dialing in Knoxville

Knoxville is covered by the single area code 865 with no overlay, so some local calls may still connect with seven digits. Dialing all 10 digits (area code + seven-digit number) always works and is the safest habit. From outside the US, dial +1, then the area code and number. See 10-digit dialing and overlay area codes for the background. For every code in Tennessee, visit the Tennessee area codes page.