New area code is approved for Southern Nevada starting in 2014

New telephone customers in the Las Vegas area will be assigned a new area code starting in 2014.

Phone numbers for the present 702 area code are all but used up, and the state Public Utilities Commission on Thursday approved a petition to install a new 725 area code in Clark County.

Existing customers will retain the 702 area code for their telephone numbers.

At one time all of Nevada had an area code of 702. But with growth, Northern Nevada was given a 775 code while Clark County retained the 702 prefix.

NeuStar, the organization that administers area code use, says the 702 area code exchange will be exhausted during the third quarter of 2014. Starting in June 2014, residents will have to dial the 10-digit numbers between the two areas. There will be no long-distance charges for calls between the 702 and 725 area codes in Southern Nevada.

Calls to 911 or 411 will not change. The commission says if a call is local, there will be no added charge for communication connection.