--- title: "Area code 252: North Carolina, United States" url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/252.md" canonical_url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/252" last_updated: "2026-10-23" type: "reference" summary: "Area code 252 serves North Carolina, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in North Carolina." --- # Area code 252: North Carolina, United States Area code 252 serves North Carolina, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in North Carolina. NANPA lists 690 central office codes (prefixes) in use in area code 252, held by 47 holders across 92 rate centers. Brightspeed Of Eastern North Carolina holds the most prefixes, 207 (30%). 80% of the prefixes are pooled, which means their thousands-blocks can belong to different companies. The FCC unwanted-call data has 2,077 complaints on file for 1,804 numbers in 252, most often filed as "Unwanted Calls". These are consumer reports, not findings. ## Facts - In service since: 1998-03-22 - Time zone: Eastern (E) - Prefixes in use: 690 - Pooled prefixes: 549 (80%) - Rate centers: 92 - Companies holding prefixes: 47 - Assignment dates on file: 2001-01-19 to 2026-08-05 (319 prefixes) - ZIP codes in its places: 89 ## Rate centers | Rate center | Prefixes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | GREENVILLE | 70 | 10% | | ROCKYMOUNT | 64 | 9% | | WILSON | 34 | 5% | | NEW BERN | 33 | 5% | | KINSTON | 27 | 4% | | HENDERSON | 23 | 3% | | ELIZABTHCY | 22 | 3% | | MOREHEADCY | 21 | 3% | | 84 other rate centers | 396 | 57% | ## Carriers | Holder | Prefixes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | Brightspeed Of Eastern North Carolina | 207 | 30% | | Verizon Wireless | 75 | 11% | | Paetec Itel | 48 | 7% | | Level 3 Communications | 46 | 7% | | Onvoy | 46 | 7% | | United States Cellular | 32 | 5% | | 41 other carriers | 236 | 34% | A prefix holder is the company a code was assigned to, not necessarily a number's current carrier, because numbers can be ported to another company. ## History - 1954-01-01: Area code 919, named as the parent of 252 in the NANPA report, was in service. - 1998-03-22: Area code 252 went into service. ## Nearest area codes The area codes closest to 252, measured between the centers of the ZIP code places they serve, are 919 (about 83 miles), 984 (about 83 miles), 757 (about 94 miles), 948 (about 94 miles) and 472 (about 110 miles). ## ZIP codes 89 ZIP codes fall in places that have a rate center in this area code. The places with the most are Greenville, NC (5 ZIP codes), New Bern, NC (5 ZIP codes) and Rocky Mount, NC (5 ZIP codes). A ZIP code and an area code are unrelated systems, so a ZIP code can sit in more than one area code and an area code spans many ZIP codes. ## Complaints on file 2,077 complaints for 1,804 numbers. Numbers whose latest complaint falls in each year: - 2023: 119 - 2024: 137 - 2025: 106 ## Questions ### Where is area code 252? NANPA assigns area code 252 to North Carolina, United States. ### In which state does area code 252 sit? North Carolina. 252 is one of 10 area codes the NANPA table assigns to the state. ### Which places does area code 252 cover? The places with the most ZIP codes among the rate centers in 252 are Greenville, NC, New Bern, NC and Rocky Mount, NC. The rate center list on this page shows all of them. ### Who owns area code 252? NANPA assigns area codes. Within 252, Brightspeed Of Eastern North Carolina holds the most prefixes, 207 prefixes or 30%. ### Which time zone does 252 use? The NANPA NPA report lists the time zone for 252 as Eastern (E). ### What year did 252 enter service? The NANPA NPA report gives an in-service date of 1998-03-22, so 252 has been in use since 1998. ### Does area code 252 have an overlay? The NANPA NPA report lists no other area code in an overlay with 252. ### Which area codes are nearest to 252? The area codes closest to 252, measured between the centers of the ZIP code places they serve, are 919 (about 83 miles), 984 (about 83 miles), 757 (about 94 miles), 948 (about 94 miles) and 472 (about 110 miles). ### How many prefixes does area code 252 have? NANPA's report dated 2026-10-17 lists 690 prefixes in service in 252, spread over 92 rate centers and 47 holders. ### Are there complaints about 252 numbers? The FCC data on file has 2,077 complaints for 1,804 numbers in 252. They are unverified consumer reports. A number with no complaints on file is not proven safe. Sources: NANPA central office code report dated 2026-10-17; NANPA NPA report dated 2026-10-18; FCC unwanted-call complaints, data fetched 2026-10-17; ZIP code places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).