Area code 506 — New Brunswick
All of New Brunswick. Original assignment, in service since 1955.
At a glance
- Country
- Canada
- Province / territory
- New Brunswick
- Service area
- All of New Brunswick
- Time zone
- Atlantic Time (AST/ADT, UTC-4/-3) · current offset -03:00
- Type
- Original
- In service since
- 1955
- Country code
- +1 (NANP)
Map
Cities served by 506
Related & overlay area codes
Area code 506 shares geography with one other code serving the same region. A call placed inside this overlay must dial all 10 digits regardless of which code your own line uses.
Carriers operating in 506
The following national and regional telecommunications carriers hold central office (CO) code assignments within numbering plan area 506. Number portability means a phone number originally issued by one carrier may now ride on another carrier's network.
About area code 506
Area code 506 is a Canadian numbering plan area covering All of New Brunswick. It was placed into service in 1955 as one of the original Canadian assignments, and today operates under the Atlantic Time (AST/ADT, UTC-4/-3) time zone.
Numbers in the 506 NPA are issued in central office (CO) blocks of 10,000 to local exchange carriers, who then assign them to subscribers. Because Canada uses a competitive carrier model under CRTC oversight, multiple carriers — both incumbent and competitive — hold blocks within 506. The current carrier of record for any specific number can be looked up via the Canadian Local Number Portability Consortium, but the originally issued carrier is no longer a reliable signal of who actually serves that line.
If you receive a call from a number beginning with 506, the caller is either physically located in or has historically been associated with All of New Brunswick. The same applies to overlay codes 428: any of these area codes can correspond to a phone in the same geography, and many households carry numbers from two or three different overlays simultaneously across landlines and mobile devices.
To call a number in 506 from outside Canada and the United States, dial your country's international access prefix, then +1 506 followed by the 7-digit local number. Within the NANP, simply dial 1 followed by all 10 digits — or just the 10 digits if you are also located in an overlay region where 7-digit local dialling is no longer permitted.
Frequently asked questions
Where is area code 506?
Area code 506 serves All of New Brunswick in New Brunswick, Canada.
What time zone is 506?
Numbers in 506 are in the Atlantic Time (AST/ADT, UTC-4/-3) time zone.
Is 506 a toll-free or mobile-only code?
No. Canadian area codes are geographic — they apply to both landline and mobile numbers in All of New Brunswick. Toll-free codes in the NANP (800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, 888) are a separate category.
Why do I see calls from 506 if I do not know anyone there?
Two reasons. First, mobile portability: someone who moved away from New Brunswick can keep their 506 number anywhere in the world. Second, scam callers frequently spoof Canadian area codes to appear local. If you do not recognise the number, it is generally safe to let it go to voicemail.