213 vs 323: how the two Los Angeles codes compare

Same area, same dialing

Since August 2017, 213 and 323 have covered the same territory: downtown Los Angeles, the neighborhoods around it, and all or part of nearby cities such as Alhambra, Glendale, Huntington Park, Inglewood, Pasadena and West Hollywood. A new line anywhere in that area can be given either code.

Dialing is the same for both. Every call takes 1, the area code and the seven-digit number, whether you are calling a 213 or a 323 line.

How they used to differ

Before the overlay the two codes had a border. From June 1998, 213 kept only the center of the city, an area about three miles across centered on downtown, and 323 took the ring of communities around it, an area that includes Griffith Park and the Hollywood Bowl as well as cities such as Montebello and Huntington Park.

So for nineteen years a 213 number meant a line in or near downtown. Since 2017 the code no longer says where a line is, but 213 is still the code downtown has had since 1947.

The codes side by side

• 213, since 1947: Los Angeles' original code. From 1998 to 2017 it covered only downtown and the neighborhoods closest to it.
• 323, since June 1998: split from 213 for the ring around downtown. Since 2017 it overlays the same area as 213.
• 738, in service since November 1, 2024: the third overlay code for the same area, used once 213 and 323 numbers run out.
• 310 (1991) and 818 (1984): earlier splits from 213 for the Westside and coast and for the San Fernando Valley. They are separate areas, not part of the 213 overlay.

When choosing 213 is worth it

Choose 213 when the number is part of how customers find you: the main line on a sign, a card, a menu or a website. It is the code of downtown Los Angeles, so it suits a business that wants its number to point to the center of the city, whether its office is downtown or somewhere else.

When the code makes no difference

For a fax line, an internal extension or a phone only your staff call, any code will do. A 323 or 738 number rings and dials exactly like a 213.