ATLANTA – Georgia will be getting an 11th area code soon, with the new 565 area code being added as an overlay to the existing 912 area code in the southeastern part of the state, the Georgia Public Service Commission announced Tuesday.
Once new phone numbers for the 912 area code have been exhausted, some new users will be assigned the 565 area code. The 912 area code will remain in use, with phone customers currently using 912 keeping the number.
The 912 area code was established in 1954, the first split from the 404 area code that was once used statewide. In 2000, the 912 area code was further split to carve out 229 and 478 area codes in Southwest Georgia and Middle Georgia, respectively.
Currently, the 912 area code is assigned to phone numbers in Savannah, Brunswick, Douglas, Hinesville, Kingsland, Pooler, Richmond Hill, Saint Marys, Statesboro, Waycross and other smaller municipalities.
Telecommunications industry officials have determined that the 912 area code will exhaust its potential combinations by the second quarter of 2028. A specific date for the introduction of the 565 area code has not been set.
Experts believe adding the 565 area code will ensure southeastern Georgia has sufficient new phone numbers for 24 years.