Louisville, KY Area Codes

Area codes serving Louisville

Louisville sits in Kentucky, 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: 502, 761.

The original code is 502 (in service since 1947). 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
502	Louisville metro and north-central Kentucky including Frankfort	January 1, 1947
761	Louisville metro and north-central Kentucky including Frankfort	Planned (date not yet set)

Nearby cities sharing these area codes

• Jeffersontown
• Frankfort
• Shelbyville
• Shepherdsville
• St. Matthews
• Bardstown
• La Grange
• Mount Washington
• Lyndon

How to pick an area code for a new number

When you activate a new line in Louisville, 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 502), ask the carrier whether any blocks remain, or request a number transfer. All codes here dial identically and cost the same.

Dialing in Louisville

Because Louisville 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 Kentucky, visit the Kentucky area codes page.