--- title: "Area code 503: Oregon, United States" url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/503.md" canonical_url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/503" last_updated: "2026-10-23" type: "reference" summary: "Area code 503 serves Oregon, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in Oregon." --- # Area code 503: Oregon, United States Area code 503 serves Oregon, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in Oregon. NANPA lists 783 central office codes (prefixes) in use in area code 503, held by 39 holders across 63 rate centers. The largest rate center is PORTLAND, with 347 prefixes (44%). Qwest holds the most prefixes, 222 (28%). 47% of the prefixes are pooled, which means their thousands-blocks can belong to different companies. The FCC unwanted-call data has 4,154 complaints on file for 3,465 numbers in 503, most often filed as "Unwanted Calls". These are consumer reports, not findings. ## Facts - In service since: 1947-01-01 - Time zone: Pacific (P) - Assigned overlays: 971 (2000-10-01) - Prefixes in use: 783 - Pooled prefixes: 366 (47%) - Rate centers: 63 - Companies holding prefixes: 39 - Assignment dates on file: 2001-05-08 to 2024-06-04 (85 prefixes) - ZIP codes in its places: 127 ## Rate centers | Rate center | Prefixes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | PORTLAND | 347 | 44% | | BEAVERTON | 107 | 14% | | SALEM | 73 | 9% | | CLACKAMAS | 49 | 6% | | STFRD-SNDY | 28 | 4% | | GRESHAM | 21 | 3% | | MCMINNVL | 13 | 2% | | DALLAS | 8 | 1% | | 55 other rate centers | 137 | 17% | ## Carriers | Holder | Prefixes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | Qwest | 222 | 28% | | Ziply Fiber | 111 | 14% | | New Cingular Wireless PCS | 71 | 9% | | T-Mobile USA | 56 | 7% | | Verizon Wireless | 54 | 7% | | Allstream | 51 | 7% | | 33 other carriers | 218 | 28% | 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 - 1947-01-01: Area code 503 went into service. - 1995-11-05: Area code 541 went into service and names 503 as its parent. - 2000-10-01: Area code 971 went into service as an overlay in the same area as 503. ## Nearest area codes The area codes closest to 503, measured between the centers of the ZIP code places they serve, are 564 (about 99 miles), 360 (about 100 miles), 458 (about 108 miles), 541 (about 112 miles) and 253 (about 130 miles). ## ZIP codes 127 ZIP codes fall in places that have a rate center in this area code. The places with the most are Portland, OR (60 ZIP codes), Salem, OR (14 ZIP codes) and Beaverton, OR (10 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 4,154 complaints for 3,465 numbers. Numbers whose latest complaint falls in each year: - 2023: 200 - 2024: 134 - 2025: 135 ## Questions ### Where is area code 503? NANPA assigns area code 503 to Oregon, United States. ### In which state does area code 503 sit? Oregon. 503 is one of 4 area codes the NANPA table assigns to the state. ### Which places does area code 503 cover? The places with the most ZIP codes among the rate centers in 503 are Portland, OR, Salem, OR and Beaverton, OR. The rate center list on this page shows all of them. ### Who owns area code 503? NANPA assigns area codes. Within 503, Qwest holds the most prefixes, 222 prefixes or 28%. ### Which time zone does 503 use? The NANPA NPA report lists the time zone for 503 as Pacific (P). ### What year did 503 enter service? The NANPA NPA report gives an in-service date of 1947-01-01, so 503 has been in use since 1947. ### Does area code 503 have an overlay? Yes. 971 (in service 2000-10-01) shares the same area with 503, so numbers from all of them are local to each other. ### Which area codes are nearest to 503? The area codes closest to 503, measured between the centers of the ZIP code places they serve, are 564 (about 99 miles), 360 (about 100 miles), 458 (about 108 miles), 541 (about 112 miles) and 253 (about 130 miles). ### How many prefixes does area code 503 have? NANPA's report dated 2026-10-17 lists 783 prefixes in service in 503, spread over 63 rate centers and 39 holders. ### Are there complaints about 503 numbers? The FCC data on file has 4,154 complaints for 3,465 numbers in 503. 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).