Area code
Area code 281 — Houston, TX
Texas · in service since November 2, 1996
Area code 281 covers Houston, TX. It is an overlay: 346, 621, 713, 832 serve the same area, so neighbors can have different area codes.
Local time in Houston
Spam reports from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026
High #44 of 461 codes
867 FTC complaints
Consumer reports, not verified by the FTC.
See the reports- Time zoneCentral Time
- Local calls10 digits
- Prefixes800 assigned
- Runs out~2Q 2039
- Unwanted call?Block & report
Spam call reports about 281 numbers
Complaints by week
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026Show as table
| Week starting | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Sep 7 (3 days) | 50 |
| Sep 14 | 202 |
| Sep 21 | 284 |
| Sep 28 | 183 |
| Oct 5 | 160 |
| Oct 12 | 210 |
| Oct 19 (4 days) | 128 |
Compared with all codes
- Robocalls
- 56%all codes 75%
- Callers with the same code
- 73%all codes 35%
- Rank by complaints
- #44of 461 · top tenth (most complaints)
- FCC complaints, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026
- 15132 about text messages
What the calls were about
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| Subject | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Medical & prescriptions | 171 14% | |
| Dropped call or no message | 142 12% | |
| Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends | 134 11% | |
| Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans) | 69 6% | |
| Warranties & protection plans | 26 2% | |
| Home improvement & cleaning | 13 1% |
Where the people who complained live
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| State | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1,047 86% | |
| Florida | 20 2% | |
| Oregon | 15 1% | |
| Illinois | 13 1% | |
| Oklahoma | 13 1% |
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 281 location and prefixes
| Exchange (NANPA) | Place | County | Prefixes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOUSTON | Houston | spans 4 counties | 148 |
| HSTNSUBURB | — | — | 131 |
| BAMMEL | — | — | 60 |
| SUGAR LAND | Sugar Land | Fort Bend County | 44 |
| SPRING | Spring | Harris County | 35 |
| APOLLO | — | — | 28 |
| HUMBLE | Humble | Harris County | 24 |
| LANGHAMCRK | — | — | 24 |
| BAYTOWN | Baytown | spans 2 counties | 21 |
| BARKER | — | — | 20 |
Plus 35 smaller exchange areas.
Source: NANPA CO codes of Oct 23, 2026; places: U.S. Census Bureau, matched by DialWhere (how).
NANPA record
- Location
- Texas
- Assigned by NANPA
- August 19, 1994
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (NANPA: 10D)
- NANPA planning letters
- PL-623, PL-006
Source: NANPA, NPA database of Oct 24, 2026.
Is 281 running out of numbers?
Previous forecast (October 2025): 2038, moved later by 1 year.
Forecast exhaust year by edition
Source: NANPA NRUF forecast, April 2026 edition.
Who holds 281 prefixes
The five largest of 29 original holders
As listed by NANPA, not today’s carrier.
| Holder (as listed) | Prefixes | |
|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Bell | 283 35% | |
| Verizon Wireless | 66 8% | |
| Frontier Comm Of Texas | 57 7% | |
| New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC | 50 6% | |
| Windstream Sugar Land, LLC | 38 5% |
Source: NANPA CO codes of Oct 23, 2026.
Questions about area code 281
What area code is 281?
A Texas area code, in service since November 2, 1996.
Where is 281 area code, and what time zone is it in?
Houston, TX; Central Time.
Why am I getting spam calls from 281?
867 FTC complaints from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026, most often about medical & prescriptions (not verified by the FTC; caller ID can be spoofed).
Will 281 get a new area code?
NANPA forecasts exhaust in 2Q 2039; no relief planning listed.