Getting a new phone number in Northern Colorado? It might come with the new 748 area code.

Getting a new phone number in Northern Colorado? It might come with a new area code.

With parts of Colorado outgrowing its 970 area code, some customers who request a new phone number or additional phone line will be assigned a new area code — 748. The change, which was approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, started July 7. Large-scale use of the new area code won’t begin until late 2026, according to a news release from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies.

Colorado’s 970 region is mostly made up of communities in the state’s northern and western stretches, from Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley to Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Durango and others, according to the state.

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The new area code will cover the same geographic region currently covered by the 970 code. The change will not affect the price of calls or coverage areas, and local calls in the 970 region will remain local calls in the 748 region.

The new 748 area code is projected to be filled in about 38 years, according to past Coloradoan reporting.

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Coloradoan reporter Sady Swanson contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado starts switching over 970 region to new area code