--- title: "Area code 838: New York, United States" url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/838.md" canonical_url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/838" last_updated: "2026-10-23" type: "reference" summary: "Area code 838 serves New York, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in New York." --- # Area code 838: New York, United States Area code 838 serves New York, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in New York. NANPA lists 220 central office codes (prefixes) in use in area code 838, held by 41 holders across 107 rate centers. Onvoy, Llc- Ny holds the most prefixes, 53 (24%). 96% of the prefixes are pooled, which means their thousands-blocks can belong to different companies. The FCC unwanted-call data has 448 complaints on file for 426 numbers in 838, most often filed as "Unwanted Calls". These are consumer reports, not findings. ## Facts - In service since: 2017-09-19 - Time zone: Eastern (E) - Assigned overlays: 518 (1947-01-01) - Prefixes in use: 220 - Pooled prefixes: 211 (96%) - Rate centers: 107 - Companies holding prefixes: 41 - Assignment dates on file: 2017-08-02 to 2026-07-28 (212 prefixes) - ZIP codes in its places: 120 ## Rate centers | Rate center | Prefixes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | ALBANY | 28 | 13% | | SCHENCTADY | 10 | 5% | | TROY | 8 | 4% | | COLONIE | 7 | 3% | | JOHNSTOWN | 7 | 3% | | HUDSON | 5 | 2% | | AMSTERDAM | 4 | 2% | | CATSKILL | 4 | 2% | | 99 other rate centers | 147 | 67% | ## Carriers | Holder | Prefixes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | Onvoy, Llc- Ny | 53 | 24% | | Fractel | 33 | 15% | | Onvoy Spectrum | 20 | 9% | | Coretel New York | 16 | 7% | | New Cingular Wireless PCS | 15 | 7% | | Peering Hub | 14 | 6% | | 35 other carriers | 69 | 31% | 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 518, named as the parent of 838 in the NANPA report, was in service. - 2017-09-19: Area code 838 went into service. ## Nearest area codes The area codes closest to 838, measured between the centers of the ZIP code places they serve, are 413 (about 70 miles), 802 (about 96 miles), 845 (about 99 miles), 329 (about 104 miles) and 860 (about 104 miles). ## ZIP codes 120 ZIP codes fall in places that have a rate center in this area code. The places with the most are Albany, NY (50 ZIP codes), Troy, NY (4 ZIP codes) and Keeseville, NY (3 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 448 complaints for 426 numbers. Numbers whose latest complaint falls in each year: - 2023: 24 - 2024: 50 - 2025: 195 ## Questions ### Where is area code 838? NANPA assigns area code 838 to New York, United States. ### In which state does area code 838 sit? New York. 838 is one of 23 area codes the NANPA table assigns to the state. ### Which places does area code 838 cover? The places with the most ZIP codes among the rate centers in 838 are Albany, NY, Troy, NY and Keeseville, NY. The rate center list on this page shows all of them. ### Who owns area code 838? NANPA assigns area codes. Within 838, Onvoy, Llc- Ny holds the most prefixes, 53 prefixes or 24%. ### Which time zone does 838 use? The NANPA NPA report lists the time zone for 838 as Eastern (E). ### What year did 838 enter service? The NANPA NPA report gives an in-service date of 2017-09-19, so 838 has been in use since 2017. ### Does area code 838 have an overlay? Yes. 518 (in service 1947-01-01) shares the same area with 838, so numbers from all of them are local to each other. ### Which area codes are nearest to 838? The area codes closest to 838, measured between the centers of the ZIP code places they serve, are 413 (about 70 miles), 802 (about 96 miles), 845 (about 99 miles), 329 (about 104 miles) and 860 (about 104 miles). ### How many prefixes does area code 838 have? NANPA's report dated 2026-10-17 lists 220 prefixes in service in 838, spread over 107 rate centers and 41 holders. ### Are there complaints about 838 numbers? The FCC data on file has 448 complaints for 426 numbers in 838. 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).