Canadian Area Codes by Province and Territory

Canada uses three-digit area codes that are part of the North American Numbering Plan. Each area code covers a geographic region, and a province may have many of them. Busy cities often have more than one code sharing the same territory, called an overlay. In Toronto, for example, 416, 647 and 437 all serve the same area.

Use the table below to find the area codes for each province or territory. You can also use the search box to filter by code or place name.

Area code table

Province / Territory Area codes Main regions
Alberta 403, 587, 825, 368, 780 403/587/825 Calgary and southern Alberta; 780/587/825 Edmonton and northern Alberta; 368 across the province
British Columbia 604, 778, 236, 250, 672 604/778 Vancouver and Lower Mainland; 250/778/236 Victoria, Okanagan and the rest of BC; 672 province-wide overlay
Manitoba 204, 431, 584 Winnipeg and the whole province
New Brunswick 506, 428 The whole province
Newfoundland and Labrador 709, 879 The whole province
Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon 867 All three territories share one area code
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island 902, 782 Both provinces share these codes
Ontario 416, 647, 437 Toronto
Ontario 905, 289, 365 Greater Toronto Area outside the city (Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Niagara)
Ontario 613, 343 Ottawa and eastern Ontario
Ontario 519, 226, 548 Southwestern Ontario (London, Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo)
Ontario 705, 249 Northern and central Ontario (Sudbury, Barrie, Muskoka)
Ontario 807 Northwestern Ontario (Thunder Bay)
Quebec 514, 438 Montreal
Quebec 450, 579 Montreal suburbs (Laval, Longueuil) and surrounding regions
Quebec 418, 581 Quebec City, Saguenay and eastern Quebec
Quebec 819, 873 Western, central and northern Quebec (Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières)
Quebec 367, 468 Overlays added for growth in the Quebec City and Laval/Montreal-suburb regions
Saskatchewan 306, 639, 474 The whole province (Regina, Saskatoon)

Area code assignments change as new overlays are introduced. For the authoritative and current list, check the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNAC) at cnac.ca.

How area codes work in Canada

Area codes were originally assigned in the 1940s, when numbers were dialled on rotary telephones, so the earliest codes use lower digits and tend to cover the largest regions. As cell phones and data devices multiplied, many areas ran out of numbers and regulators added new codes without splitting the territory.

Splits and overlays

When a region runs out of numbers, there are two ways to add capacity. A split divides the old region, and one half gets a new code. An overlay adds a second code to the same region, so two neighbours can have different area codes. Overlays are now the standard approach in Canada, which is why you must dial all ten digits for local calls in most places. Toronto (416, 647, 437) and Vancouver (604, 778, 236, 672) are classic overlay examples.

Do area codes tell you where someone lives?

Not any more. Since number portability and mobile plans allow people to keep their number when they move, someone with a 416 number may live in Calgary. Treat an area code as a hint about where the number was originally issued, not a reliable location.

Using area codes in your own projects

If you are testing a form that should only accept Canadian numbers, you need a list of valid area codes to check against. See our validation guide for code examples, and try the generator to create sample numbers using these codes.