In the original configuration of the first nationwide telephone numbering plan, the numbering plan area 217 included most of Metro East, the Illinois side of the St. Louis metropolitan area. In 1951, a slight boundary shift reassigned most of the southern portion of Metro East to area code 618, leaving the northern portion in 217. The only other significant change in boundaries was after September 1956,[1] when its northern portion (Peoria, Bloomington-Normal) was combined with part of the region of area code 815 to form a new numbering plan area with area code 309.[2]
In 2006, the Illinois Commerce Commission approved an all-services overlay for the numbering plan area, adding new area code 447 in 2021.[3][4] As of March 27, 2021, new central office codes are available for activation by service providers. A permissive dialing period was in effect from August 29, 2020, to February 27, 2021, when ten-digit dialing for local calls became mandatory.
Service area
Smaller municipalities in the numbering plan area are: