Roanoke, VA Area Codes

Area codes serving Roanoke

Roanoke sits in Virginia, part of the South region and the Eastern Time zone. Its numbers are spread across an overlay of 2 codes that all cover the same ground: 540, 826.

The original code is 540 (in service since 1995). As the area ran low on numbers, regulators added overlay codes on top instead of splitting the city, so longtime residents kept their numbers while new lines received a newer code.

Code	Area served	In service
540	Western and northern Virginia outside the DC suburbs, including Roanoke, Fredericksburg and the Shenandoah Valley	July 15, 1995
826	Western and northern Virginia outside the DC suburbs, including Roanoke, Fredericksburg and the Shenandoah Valley	June 14, 2022

Nearby cities sharing these area codes

• Fredericksburg
• Harrisonburg
• Blacksburg
• Winchester
• Christiansburg
• Salem
• Staunton
• Waynesboro
• Front Royal
• Radford
• Culpeper
• Warrenton
• Lexington

How to pick an area code for a new number

When you activate a new line in Roanoke, the carrier assigns whichever code has numbers available — you usually can't choose. If a specific code matters to you (for example the prestige of 540), ask the carrier whether any blocks remain, or request a number transfer. All codes here dial identically and cost the same.

Dialing in Roanoke

Because Roanoke is an overlay area, 10-digit dialing is mandatory: always dial the area code plus the seven-digit number, even for a neighbor. See 10-digit dialing and overlay area codes for the background. For every code in Virginia, visit the Virginia area codes page.