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Canadian area codes

British Columbia area codes

A checked list of 6 in-service geographic area codes in British Columbia, with their dates, overlay partners and dialing rules.

Last checked 14 October 2026

Area codes across North America

Codes in service in British Columbia

British Columbia has 6 geographic area codes in service: 236, 250, 257, 604, 672, 778. 604 is the oldest, dated 1947, and 257 the newest, dated 24 May 2025.1 The Canadian administrator describes each code's coverage in the table.2 All of British Columbia's codes are on Pacific time.

Area codeAdministrator coverageNPA in-service dateIn-service overlay peersTime zoneLocal calls within the code
236British Columbia1 Jun 2013250, 257, 604, 672, 778Pacific10 digits
250British Columbia (excluding Vancouver area)19 Oct 1996236, 257, 672, 778Pacific10 digits
257British Columbia24 May 2025236, 250, 604, 672, 778Pacific10 digits
604Southern British Columbia and Greater Vancouver Area1947236, 257, 672, 778Pacific10 digits
672British Columbia1 Jun 2013236, 250, 257, 604, 778Pacific10 digits
778British Columbia3 Nov 2001236, 250, 257, 604, 672Pacific10 digits

Scroll the table sideways to see every column. Sources: NANPA (14 October 2026 file) and the Canadian Numbering Administrator.

History and overlays in British Columbia

  • Before 1960: 604 (1947)
  • 1990s: 250 (19 Oct 1996)
  • 2000s: 778 (3 Nov 2001)
  • 2010s: 236 (1 Jun 2013), 672 (1 Jun 2013)
  • 2020s: 257 (24 May 2025)

British Columbia's in-service overlay groups are 236/250/257/604/672/778; 236/250/257/672/778; 236/257/604/672/778.1

  • 236/250/257/604/672/778: 604 (1947) was joined by 250 on 19 Oct 1996, 778 on 3 Nov 2001, 236 on 1 Jun 2013, 672 on 1 Jun 2013 and 257 on 24 May 2025.
  • 236/257/604/672/778: 604 (1947) was joined by 778 on 3 Nov 2001, 236 on 1 Jun 2013, 672 on 1 Jun 2013 and 257 on 24 May 2025.
  • 236/250/257/672/778: 250 (1996) was joined by 778 on 3 Nov 2001, 236 on 1 Jun 2013, 672 on 1 Jun 2013 and 257 on 24 May 2025.

Dialing in British Columbia

Local calls within a single area code in British Columbia (236, 250, 257, 604, 672, 778) are all recorded as 10 digits. From any of British Columbia's codes, local calls to another area code are all recorded as 10 digits.1

Neighbours of British Columbia

Regions that border British Columbia:

  • Alberta: 5 codes (368, 403, 587, 780, ...)
  • Yukon: 1 code (867)
  • Washington: 6 codes (206, 253, 360, 425, ...)

Rules that apply to every region are on the area-code reference.

Get a number in British Columbia
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Further reading

Longer research pieces on this topic, each with its own source list and a downloadable PDF.

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Sources

Every regulatory and pricing claim on this page links to the primary source it came from. Figures were checked on the date shown at the top of the page; rules and prices change, so verify before relying on one.

  1. NANPA, NPA Database CSV, file dated 14 October 2026; in-service status, dates, overlay complexes, dialing plan and time zone. Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
    https://reports.nanpa.com/public/npa_report.csv
  2. Canadian Numbering Administrator, CO Code Status directory and coverage labels. Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
    https://www.cnac.ca/co_codes/co_code_status.htm

Keep reading

Reference
How overlays work
Why two codes can serve the same area and what ten-digit dialling changes.
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