What is the 206 area code?

The 206 area code is an original 1947 numbering plan area serving Seattle, Washington. It is one of the oldest area codes still in service.

Where is the 206 area code located?

The 206 area code covers Seattle and neighboring communities in Washington, including Seattle (Downtown), Capitol Hill, Ballard. See the cities and counties table above for the full list.

What time zone is the 206 area code in?

The 206 area code is in Pacific Time (UTC−8 / UTC−7), the same time zone as Seattle.

Is the 206 area code a scam?

No, the 206 area code is a regular geographic code used by residents and businesses in Washington. Some scam calls spoof the 206 area code, so judge each call by its content, not its code.

How do I call a 206 area code number?

Dial 1 plus the ten-digit number, for example +1 206 555 0123. Inside the territory, local calls also require ten digits. From outside North America, use your exit code, then +1.

Can I find out who owns a 206 number?

This guide identifies numbering areas, not subscribers. To identify a caller, use a callback, an official contact channel, or a reverse-lookup service — and stay cautious with unexpected calls.

206 Area Code: Location, Cities, Time Zone & Phone Lookup

Where the 206 area code is used, which cities and counties it covers in Washington, its time zone, overlay codes and the exact dialing format.

Quick answer

The 206 area code serves Seattle and surrounding communities in Washington, United States, in the Pacific Time zone (UTC−8 / UTC−7). It has been in service since 1947. Dial it as (206) 555-0123 locally or +1 206 555 0123 from abroad.

Free reference, no signup. Data reviewed against NANPA records.

Popular lookups

929 727 954 437 951

Location: Seattle, WA
Country: United States
Time zone: Pacific Time (PT)
In service: Since 1947
Code type: Original 1947 code
Local format: (206) 555-0123
Population served: ≈ 800,000 residents
Service span: 79 years

Where Is the 206 Area Code?

The 206 area code is a geographic numbering plan area in the North American Numbering Plan.

The 206 area code is assigned to Seattle, the anchor city of the region, together with the surrounding communities listed below. When the 206 area code was introduced, regulators drew its boundary around the calling communities that shared a local calling area, which is why the territory follows county lines rather than city limits.

In everyday terms, if you see the 206 area code on an incoming call, the number was originally assigned in the Seattle area of Washington. Landlines, mobile phones and business lines in that territory can all carry the 206 area code.

The cities below are the principal municipalities served by the 206 area code. County names are included because numbering plan boundaries in Washington traditionally follow county lines.

Top cities at a glance

Seattle (Downtown)King County
Capitol HillKing County
BallardKing County
West SeattleKing County
Mercer IslandKing County

Full city and county list for the 206 area code below.

206 Area Code Cities and Counties

Major cities covered by the 206 area code, including Seattle (Downtown), Capitol Hill, Ballard and more.

The 206 area code covers the communities in the table below. Together they form the local calling community for Seattle, the primary city of the numbering plan area in Washington.

City	County
Seattle (Downtown)	King County
Capitol Hill	King County
Ballard	King County
West Seattle	King County
Mercer Island	King County
Bainbridge Island	Kitsap County
Vashon Island	King County
Burien	King County

City and county coverage reflects published numbering plan boundaries; individual carriers may assign numbers slightly differently within the territory.

If you are calling any of these cities from outside North America, prefix the 206 area code number with the US/Canada country code +1. Numbers are ten digits long: three for the area code plus seven for the line.

206 Area Code Time Zone

The 206 area code observes Pacific Time (PT), the same clock as Seattle.

Communities in the 206 area code follow Pacific Time: UTC−8 / UTC−7 with daylight saving time in effect from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November. When scheduling a call into the 206 area code territory from Europe or Asia, check both clocks first.

A quick reference: when it is 12:00 noon in the 206 area code, it is 17:00 in London and 01:00 the next day in Tokyo during standard time. The 206 area code shares its clock with the rest of its region.

How to Dial a 206 Area Code Number

Ten digits for local calls, +1 for international calls.

Every number in the 206 area code follows the North American format: a three-digit area code plus a seven-digit local number. From inside the US or Canada, dial 1, then the 206 area code, then the seven digits — for example (206) 555-0123. In overlay regions, the ten-digit form is required even for next-door calls.

From abroad, replace the leading 1 with your international exit code and add the country code: +1 206 555 0123. Mobile phones in most countries let you store the number with the + sign so the 206 area code number dials correctly from anywhere.

Dialing format

Local / national

(206) 555-0123

International

+1 206 555 0123

555 numbers are reserved for examples; real 206 area code lines use working exchange prefixes.

Who Is Calling From the 206 Area Code?

What the 206 area code does — and does not — tell you about a caller.

A call from the 206 area code most often comes from a person or business in the Seattle area of Washington. The 206 area code is used by ordinary households, government offices and companies across the territory, so the code alone is not a sign of spam.

However, the 206 area code cannot prove where a caller physically is. Number portability lets a customer keep a 206 area code number after moving away, and internet calling services can assign 206 area code numbers to users anywhere in the world. Scammers can also display a fake 206 area code through caller-ID spoofing.

The safe rule: treat the 206 area code as a hint about the number's origin, never as caller verification. Let unfamiliar calls go to voicemail, and contact organizations through official numbers rather than ones that called you.

206 Area Code History

How the 206 area code came to serve Washington.

The 206 area code is one of the original area codes created in 1947 for the Bell System's nationwide numbering plan, making it one of the longest-serving codes in the country. Regulators have since pared its territory down as demand for numbers grew, leaving the 206 area code centered on Seattle.

Demand for telephone numbers keeps growing because every mobile line, fax machine and internet phone needs one. When a numbering plan area approaches exhaustion, regulators either split the territory or overlay a new code on top of it — which is why the 206 area code boundary looks the way it does today.

206 Area Code Overlays and Neighbors

Codes that share territory with the 206 area code or border its region.

Neighboring codes

425253360564

FAQ

206 Area Code FAQ

The most common questions about the 206 area code, answered briefly.

Data sources: NANPA (North American Numbering Plan Administration) numbering plans and public regulator announcements. Reviewed October 2026. Lookup results describe number assignment areas and cannot be used to infer the true location of a caller.

By the Area Code Lookup editorial team · Updated October 12, 2026

Sources & citations

NANPA — North American Numbering Plan Administrationwww.nationalnanpa.com
List of North American Numbering Plan area codes (Wikipedia)en.wikipedia.org
Local Calling Guide — NANP prefix databasewww.localcallingguide.com

Every guide on this site is verified against these sources and carries its own review date. Lookup results describe number assignment areas and never prove where a caller is located.