Charleston, SC Area Codes

Area codes serving Charleston

Charleston sits in South Carolina, part of the South region and the Eastern Time zone. Its numbers are spread across an overlay of 2 codes that all cover the same ground: 843, 854.

The original code is 843 (in service since 1998). As the area ran low on numbers, regulators added overlay codes on top instead of splitting the city, so longtime residents kept their numbers while new lines received a newer code.

Code	Area served	In service
843	Coastal South Carolina, from Hilton Head through Charleston to Myrtle Beach and Florence	March 22, 1998
854	Coastal South Carolina, from Hilton Head through Charleston to Myrtle Beach and Florence	October 19, 2015

Nearby cities sharing these area codes

• North Charleston
• Mount Pleasant
• Myrtle Beach
• Summerville
• Florence
• Hilton Head Island
• Goose Creek
• Conway
• Bluffton
• Beaufort
• Hanahan
• Georgetown
• Darlington

How to pick an area code for a new number

When you activate a new line in Charleston, the carrier assigns whichever code has numbers available — you usually can't choose. If a specific code matters to you (for example the prestige of 843), ask the carrier whether any blocks remain, or request a number transfer. All codes here dial identically and cost the same.

Dialing in Charleston

Because Charleston is an overlay area, 10-digit dialing is mandatory: always dial the area code plus the seven-digit number, even for a neighbor. See 10-digit dialing and overlay area codes for the background. For every code in South Carolina, visit the South Carolina area codes page.