Area code · Canada
Area code 250 — Victoria, BC
British Columbia · in service since October 19, 1996
Area code 250 covers parts of British Columbia; the place with the most of its prefixes is Victoria. It is an overlay: 236, 257, 672, 778 serve the same area, so neighbors can have different area codes.
Local time in Victoria
Spam reports from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026
Average #293 of 461 codes
290 FTC complaints
Consumer reports, not verified by the FTC.
See the reports- Time zonePacific Time; UTC-7 all year from Nov 1, 2026
- Local calls10 digits
- Prefixes781 in service
- Runs out~4Q 2031
- Unwanted call?Block & report
Spam call reports about 250 numbers
Complaints by week
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026Show as table
| Week starting | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Sep 7 (3 days) | 50 |
| Sep 14 | 104 |
| Sep 21 | 89 |
| Sep 28 | 94 |
| Oct 5 | 34 |
| Oct 12 | 37 |
| Oct 19 (4 days) | 70 |
Compared with all codes
- Robocalls
- 91%all codes 75%
- Callers with the same code
- 0%all codes 35%
- Rank by complaints
- #293of 461 · middle half
- FCC complaints, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026
- 202 about text messages
What the calls were about
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| Subject | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans) | 261 55% | |
| Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends | 42 9% | |
| Dropped call or no message | 3 1% | |
| Lotteries, prizes & sweepstakes | 1 <1% | |
| Other | 147 31% | |
| No subject given | 24 5% |
Where the people who complained live
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| State | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 60 13% | |
| Florida | 46 10% | |
| California | 40 8% | |
| New York | 33 7% | |
| Illinois | 23 5% |
October 2026 (partial) report · most reported
Consumer reports, not verified by the FTC · source
Source: FTC Do Not Call complaints created Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026. They are reported by consumers and are not verified by the FTC; caller ID can be spoofed (how we count).
Source: FCC Consumer Complaints data, unwanted calls filed Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026, by caller ID; not verified by the FCC.
Area code 250 location and prefixes
| Exchange (CNAC) | Place | Prefixes |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | Victoria | 94 |
| Kelowna | Kelowna | 32 |
| Nanaimo | Nanaimo | 25 |
| South Kamloops | South Kamloops | 22 |
| Prince George | Prince George | 19 |
| Vernon | Vernon | 19 |
| Penticton | Penticton | 15 |
| Duncan | Duncan | 14 |
| Courtenay | Courtenay | 13 |
| Campbell River | Campbell River | 12 |
Plus 258 smaller exchange areas.
Source: CNAC, CO code status of Oct 23, 2026.
NANPA record
- Location
- British Columbia
- Assigned by NANPA
- August 17, 1995
- Created from
- 604
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (NANPA: 10D)
- NANPA planning letters
- PL-612, PL-515, PL-450, PL-428, PL-361
Source: NANPA, NPA database of Oct 24, 2026.
Is 250 running out of numbers?
Previous forecast (October 2025): 2034, moved earlier by 3 years.
Forecast exhaust year by edition
Source: NANPA NRUF forecast, April 2026 edition.
Who holds 250 prefixes
The five largest of 13 original holders
As listed by CNAC, not today’s carrier.
| Holder (as listed) | Prefixes | |
|---|---|---|
| Telus | 473 61% | |
| Telus Mobility | 92 12% | |
| Bell Mobility | 71 9% | |
| Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) | 60 8% | |
| Shaw Telecom Inc. | 26 3% |
Source: CNAC, CO code status of Oct 23, 2026.
Questions about area code 250
What area code is 250?
A British Columbia area code in Canada, in service since October 19, 1996.
Where is 250 area code, and what time zone is it in?
Victoria, BC; Pacific Time; UTC-7 all year from Nov 1, 2026.
Why am I getting spam calls from 250?
290 FTC complaints from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026, most often about debt reduction (not verified by the FTC; caller ID can be spoofed).
Will 250 get a new area code?
NANPA forecasts exhaust in 4Q 2031; no relief planning listed.