Toronto area codes
| Area codes | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 416 | Toronto | The original code for the city, in use since the 1940s. |
| 647 | Toronto | Overlay added in 2001 on top of 416. |
| 437 | Toronto | Overlay added in 2013 on top of 416 and 647. |
The three Toronto area codes
Toronto numbers use 416, 647 or 437. All three cover the same territory, so a new phone number in the city today could be assigned any of them. A number’s area code is therefore a poor guide to how long someone has lived in Toronto.
The suburbs surrounding the city, including Mississauga, Brampton, Markham and Vaughan, use 905, 289 and 365 instead. If you are testing a form that should recognise the whole Greater Toronto Area, include those codes as well; our Ontario generator covers them.
A short history of 416
The 416 area code was one of the original codes created in 1947 and once covered a large part of southern Ontario. In 1993 the area surrounding Toronto was moved to 905, leaving 416 for the city itself. Population growth and mobile phones then exhausted the supply, and 647 was introduced as an overlay in 2001, followed by 437 in 2013.
Because the new codes were overlays rather than a second split, nobody had to change their number. The trade-off is that local calls in Toronto require ten-digit dialling.
Formats you will see for Toronto numbers
Toronto numbers are written in several ways: +1 416 555 0123 (international, spaced), (416) 555-0123 (national, with brackets), 416-555-0123 (dashes) and +14165550123 (E.164, with no spaces, used for databases and APIs). The generator above can output all of these, so you can test how your system handles each one.
For storage, use the E.164 form. For display to Canadian users, the bracketed or dashed national form is the most familiar.
Frequently asked questions
What are the area codes for Toronto?
Toronto uses 416, 647 and 437. They all cover the same area.
Is 905 a Toronto area code?
Not for the city itself. 905, 289 and 365 serve the Greater Toronto Area surrounding Toronto, including Mississauga, Brampton and Markham.
Why does Toronto have three area codes?
Demand for numbers outgrew 416, so overlay codes 647 and 437 were added in the same territory in 2001 and 2013.
Are these Toronto numbers safe to use in test data?
In the default test mode, yes: they use the 555-0100 to 555-0199 range reserved for fictional use. Do not call or text numbers generated in realistic mode.