Area code
Area code 843 — Charleston, SC
South Carolina · in service since March 22, 1998
Area code 843 covers parts of South Carolina; the place with the most of its prefixes is Charleston. It is an overlay: 854 serves the same area, so neighbors can have different area codes.
Overlay, same area: 854
Local time in Charleston
Spam reports from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026
Average #198 of 461 codes
461 FTC complaints
Consumer reports, not verified by the FTC.
See the reports- Time zoneEastern Time
- Local calls10 digits
- Prefixes800 assigned
- Runs out~1Q 2053
- Unwanted call?Block & report
Spam call reports about 843 numbers
Complaints by week
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026Show as table
| Week starting | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Sep 7 (3 days) | 20 |
| Sep 14 | 128 |
| Sep 21 | 140 |
| Sep 28 | 71 |
| Oct 5 | 115 |
| Oct 12 | 91 |
| Oct 19 (4 days) | 95 |
Compared with all codes
- Robocalls
- 74%all codes 75%
- Callers with the same code
- 53%all codes 35%
- Rank by complaints
- #198of 461 · middle half
- FCC complaints, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026
- 12931 about text messages
What the calls were about
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| Subject | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans) | 125 19% | |
| Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends | 84 13% | |
| Medical & prescriptions | 48 7% | |
| Dropped call or no message | 29 4% | |
| Warranties & protection plans | 18 3% | |
| Lotteries, prizes & sweepstakes | 8 1% |
Where the people who complained live
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| State | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 377 57% | |
| California | 33 5% | |
| Florida | 25 4% | |
| North Carolina | 21 3% | |
| Texas | 19 3% |
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 843 location and prefixes
| Exchange (NANPA) | Place | County | Prefixes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLESTON | Charleston | spans 2 counties | 187 |
| FLORENCE | Florence | Florence County | 57 |
| MYRTLE BCH | Myrtle Beach | Horry County | 56 |
| BEAUFORT | Beaufort | Beaufort County | 31 |
| HILTONHEAD | Hilton Head Island | Beaufort County | 28 |
| MTPLEASANT | Mount Pleasant | Charleston County | 19 |
| WMYRTLEBCH | — | — | 17 |
| GEORGETOWN | Georgetown | Georgetown County | 16 |
| SUMMERVL | Summerville | spans 3 counties | 16 |
| BLUFFTON | Bluffton | Beaufort County | 13 |
Plus 82 smaller exchange areas.
Source: NANPA CO codes of Oct 23, 2026; places: U.S. Census Bureau, matched by DialWhere (how).
NANPA record
- Location
- South Carolina
- Assigned by NANPA
- September 5, 1997
- Created from
- 803
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (NANPA: 10D)
- NANPA planning letters
- PL-474, PL-463, PL-086
Source: NANPA, NPA database of Oct 24, 2026.
Is 843 running out of numbers?
Previous forecast (October 2025): 2049, moved later by 4 years.
Forecast exhaust year by edition
Source: NANPA NRUF forecast, April 2026 edition.
Who holds 843 prefixes
The five largest of 51 original holders
As listed by NANPA, not today’s carrier.
| Holder (as listed) | Prefixes | |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Bell Tel & Tel | 143 18% | |
| Verizon Wireless | 103 13% | |
| T-Mobile USA | 65 8% | |
| Paetec Itel, LLC | 58 7% | |
| Frontier Communications Of The Carolinas Inc. | 57 7% |
Source: NANPA CO codes of Oct 23, 2026.
Questions about area code 843
What area code is 843?
A South Carolina area code, in service since March 22, 1998.
Where is 843 area code, and what time zone is it in?
Charleston, SC; Eastern Time.
Why am I getting spam calls from 843?
461 FTC complaints from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026, most often about debt reduction (not verified by the FTC; caller ID can be spoofed).
Will 843 get a new area code?
NANPA forecasts exhaust in 1Q 2053; no relief planning listed.