Area code 252: North Carolina
Area code 252 is a US state area code for North Carolina, on Eastern Time. It has 690 prefixes in service across 92 rate centers, the largest being Greenville, Rocky Mount and Wilson. NANPA lists no overlay code for it. Local calls there take 7 digits.
Local time in area code 252
America/New_York
Prefixes in service
690 of 792 possible
92 rate centers
Area code 252 facts
| Location | North Carolina, United States |
|---|---|
| Time zone | Eastern Time |
| Overlays | None |
| Split from | 919 |
| In service since | March 22, 1998 |
| Local calls | 7 digits; toll calls 1 + 10 digits |
| Carrier | Not shown. An area code is where a number was issued; numbers port between carriers. Check line type |
Which cities and towns use area code 252?
NANPA records each prefix against a rate center, the local billing area a number belongs to, usually named after its main town. These are the 252 rate centers with the most prefixes in service. 80 smaller ones aren't listed.
| Rate center | Prefixes |
|---|---|
| Greenville | 70 |
| Rocky Mount | 64 |
| Wilson | 34 |
| New Bern | 33 |
| Kinston | 27 |
| Henderson | 23 |
| Elizabeth City | 22 |
| Morehead City | 21 |
| Roanoke Rapids | 19 |
| Washington | 16 |
| Kill Devil Hills | 13 |
| Ahoskie | 12 |
Source: NANPA central office code assignments, file dated 10/17/2026. Each prefix holds up to 10,000 numbers.
How do I dial a 252 number?
NANPA's dialling plan for 252: local calls inside the code take 7 digits, toll calls 1 + 10 digits. From another area code, dial 1 first. From abroad, use +1. The examples use 555-0147, from a range reserved for fictional numbers.
| Local call inside 252 | 555-0147 |
|---|---|
| From another US or Canadian area code | 1-252-555-0147 |
| From outside North America | +1 252 555 0147 |
| E.164, for CRMs and SMS tools | +12525550147 |
When did area code 252 start?
Area code 252 went into service on March 22, 1998, split from 919. It has no overlay, so every number in its area still starts with it.
Tools for 252 numbers
- Area code lookup
Look up any code or a whole list of numbers, or find the codes for a state or city.
- Area code time zone
Local time for a list of numbers, with a callable-now flag.
- NPA-NXX lookup
Rate center and state for one prefix, a level below the area code.
- TCPA calling hours checker
Whether it's inside the federal 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. calling window there now.
Next step
A 252 number tells you where it was issued, not what it is now.
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Area code 252 questions
- What state is area code 252?
- Area code 252 is in North Carolina, United States. Its largest rate centers by number of prefixes are Greenville, Rocky Mount, Wilson, New Bern and Kinston.
- What time zone is area code 252 in?
- Eastern Time.
- Does area code 252 have an overlay?
- Not as of NANPA's file dated 10/16/2026. Every number in its area uses 252.
- When did area code 252 start?
- Area code 252 went into service on March 22, 1998, split from 919.
- Is a 252 number a cell phone or a landline?
- The area code can't tell you. In the US and Canada mobiles, landlines and VoIP lines share area codes and prefixes, and numbers move between carriers and line types. Only a live line-type lookup answers it for one number.
- How many phone numbers does area code 252 have?
- 690 of its 792 possible prefixes are in service, and each prefix holds up to 10,000 numbers. That counts prefixes assigned to carriers, not numbers in use.
Other area codes in North Carolina
Sources
Location, overlays, in-service date and dialling plan: NANPA NPA database, file dated 10/16/2026. Prefixes and rate centers: NANPA central office code assignments, 10/17/2026. Time zones mapped to the IANA time zone database. By the SimpleVerifier Team; how we build these pages.