JACKSON — Mississippi is getting a new area code.

The Mississippi Public Service Commission has approved a new area code, 471, to be assigned to the same area occupied by the current 662 code — including Sharkey and Issaquena counties.

According to the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), numbering resources for the 662 area code are anticipated to be exhausted by the third quarter of 2026.

The 471 area code will serve all of the Public Service Commission Northern District counties: Alcorn, Attala, Benton, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Coahoma, DeSoto, Grenada, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee, Leflore, Lowndes, Marshall, Montgomery, Monroe, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Union, Webster, Winston and Yalobusha counties.

In addition, the 471 area code will serve a large area of the Public Service Commission Central District including Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, parts of Kemper, Noxubee, Sharkey, Sunflower, Washington and Yazoo counties.

Existing 662 customers will keep their current telephone numbers, but new customers, or requests for additional lines, might be assigned the new 471 area code once it’s activated.

Customers will continue to use 10-digit dialing — the area code plus the seven-digit phone number — to make local calls.

At this time, no changes need to be made by customers. The Public Service Commission said updates will be announced as the implementation process begins in late 2025 or early 2026.

The new 471 area code will be Mississippi’s fifth. The 601 area code covered the entire state from its creation in 1947 until 1997, when the 228 code was added for the Gulf Coast counties of Harrison, Hancock and Jackson. The 662 area code was added in 1999 to cover the northern half of the state.

In 2006 the 769 area code was created as a second code for areas around the city of Jackson. Ten-digit dialing became mandatory at the same time.