British Columbia area codes

British Columbia is Canada's westernmost province, a Pacific gateway with a diverse economy spanning forestry, mining, technology, film, and tourism.

Telephone numbering in British Columbia

British Columbia falls within the North American Numbering Plan and uses the +1 country code along with the rest of Canada and the United States. The province is currently served by 6 distinct area codes, of which 1 are original assignments and the remainder are overlays added to expand number capacity.

Because of overlay introduction, residents of most populated areas in British Columbia must dial all 10 digits even for local calls. Mobile portability rules also mean a phone bearing a British Columbia area code may physically be located anywhere in Canada — or anywhere in the world. The original area code remains a useful clue to a number's heritage but is no longer a reliable indicator of current location.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulates numbering policy in Canada, with day-to-day administration handled by the Canadian Numbering Administrator. New overlays are introduced when the existing pool of central office codes within an NPA reaches exhaustion thresholds defined by the NANP relief planning process.