Area code 281

Area code 281 Houston, Texas

Area code 281 is in Texas, with numbers assigned in Houston, Sugar Land, Spring and 29 more places. It’s 11:10 PM there now.

State: Texas29 area codes in Texas
Time zone: Central11:10 PM there now
Exchanges: 78632 places
Overlay: 346, 621, 713 and 832Same area, 10-digit dialing

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Where area code 281 is

Numbers in 281 are assigned to 32 places in 10 counties: Harris County, Fort Bend County, Montgomery County, Waller County, Galveston County, Chambers County, plus 4 more.

Houston has the most, 46% of the exchanges; the rest are spread across 31 other places.

Houston363
Sugar Land44
Spring35
Humble24
Baytown21
Tomball19
Kemah18
Katy16
Deer Park12
Friendswood11
Dickinson10
League City9
Cleveland8
Alvin8
Channelview8
La Porte8
Porter Heights7
Stafford6
Pinehurst6
Sheldon5
Seabrook5
Beach City5
Arcola5
Manvel5

Phone companies in 281

786 blocks of numbers in 281 are held by 26 phone companies. The most belong to AT&T (283), Verizon Wireless (66) and Frontier (57).

Mostly landline: about 54% of blocks belong to local phone and cable companies, 18% to wireless networks and 28% to other carriers.

A block’s holder is the company it was first assigned to; numbers can move to other carriers since.

History and overlays

281 went into service in 1996, added to the area of 713.

346 (since 2014), 621 (since 2025), 713 (since 1947) and 832 (since 1999) share the same area, so a new number there can get any of these codes and local calls are dialed with all 10 digits.

8 new exchanges were assigned since 2021, the latest in February 2026.

Calling 281

It’s 11:10 PM Central time in 281 right now.

From elsewhere in the U.S., dial 1, 281 and the 7-digit number; inside the area, all 10 digits too.

Nearby area codes

Texas has 29 area codes: 210, 214, 254, 281, 325, 346, 361, 409, 430, 432, 469, 512, 621, 682, 713, 726, 737, 806, 817, 830, 832, 903, 915, 936, 940, 945, 956, 972 and 979.

From the North American Numbering Plan Administrator’s area code and exchange records (10/22/2026) and U.S. Census place and county names. Places and companies are where number blocks were assigned, not where anyone lives or which carrier a number uses today.

Map of the 281 area code

Map of the 281 area code around Houston, Sugar Land and Spring, Texas.

Interactive map © OpenStreetMap contributors

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Questions about 281

Where is area code 281?

In Texas, covering Houston, Sugar Land and Spring and other places across 10 counties.

What time zone is 281 in?

Central time. It was 11:10 PM there when this page loaded.

Is 281 an overlay?

Yes. 346, 621, 713 and 832 serve the same area, so dial all 10 digits for local calls.

Which phone companies have 281 numbers?

26 companies hold blocks; the most belong to AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Frontier. About 18% of blocks are wireless.

Is 281 running out of numbers?

Not on record. 8 new exchanges have been assigned since 2021.