Seattle region is slated to get a new area code

Say hello to "564," Seattle. That's the new area code for phone numbers eventually coming online within the existing 206 region.

The "206" area code currently covers Seattle, Vashon Island, Bainbridge Island, and stretches south to cover Burien and Des Moines.

If your current phone number has a "206" area code, this change won't affect you. Eventually, if you're getting a new phone number in the current "206" region, you may be getting a "564" area code.

According to Washington's Utilities and Transportation Commission, the "206" region is expected to run out of phone numbers by 2025, as the population continues to boom around Seattle. The new code has been created to cover the same area, and will go active about six months before the "206" numbers run out.

The commission previously approved the "564" area code in 2017, but only for the "360" region, which surrounds Seattle. The recent decision means that this new code will be used in both the "360" and "206" areas.

The last time Western Washington saw a new area code added to the region was in 1997, when "425" was introduced. That area code now covers much of the eastside of King County, and will not be affected by this new area code.