701 Area Code: The Complete Guide to North Dakota's Only Phone Prefix (2026)

The 701 area code serves all of North Dakota, USA. AT&T created it in 1947 as one of the original 86 area codes. North Dakota has never split or overlaid the 701 area code, making it one of only about eleven U.S. states with a single area code. The area code covers two time zones, Central and Mountain, and serves major cities such as Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, and Williston.

What Is the 701 Area Code?

The 701 area code is the telephone dialing code assigned to the entire state of North Dakota under the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). Unlike most U.S. states, which have multiple area codes carved up by region, North Dakota has used a single code, 701, since the modern phone numbering system began.

Detail	Information
State served	North Dakota (entire state)
Year introduced	1947
Type	Original area code (one of the first 86 in North America)
Split or overlay?	Never split; no overlay code exists
Time zones	Central Time (most of the state) and Mountain Time (southwest counties)
Major cities	Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, Williston, Dickinson, Jamestown, Mandan, West Fargo
Local dialing	Seven-digit dialing is standard within the state
Number exhaustion forecast	Not expected before 2029

Key Facts at a Glance

Why Does North Dakota Only Have One Area Code?

Area code 701 location split or add an overlay when a region runs out of available phone numbers. North Dakota has one of the smallest populations of any U.S. state, so demand for new numbers has stayed low enough that it has never needed a second code.

Which Cities and Regions Does 701 Cover?

The area code 701 covers all 53 counties in North Dakota and every community in the state, well over 300 cities and towns in total. The major population centers include:

Fargo and West Fargo — the state’s largest metro area, anchoring the Red River Valley in the east
Bismarck and Mandan — the state capital region, in south-central North Dakota
Grand Forks — in the northeast, near the Minnesota border
Minot — serving north-central North Dakota
Williston — in the northwest, at the center of the state’s oil-producing Bakken region
Dickinson — in the southwest badlands area
Jamestown and Valley City — along the I-94 corridor
Devils Lake and Wahpeton — smaller regional hubs in the northeast and southeast

How Do You Dial a 701 Number?

Because North Dakota has only one area code, seven-digit local dialing has traditionally worked for in-state calls; you don’t need to dial “701” to call another North Dakota number from within the state.

How to Get a 701 Area Code Phone Number

Businesses and individuals who want a North Dakota presence without physically relocating can obtain a phone area code 701 location through several routes:

VoIP providers — Services that offer virtual local numbers let you choose a 701 number and route calls to any device, anywhere in the world. This is the fastest and most common option for businesses.
Mobile carriers — If you move to North Dakota or want to keep a local number, major carriers can assign a 701 number to a new SIM or line.
Number porting — If you already have a 701 number and are switching carriers, federal rules let you port (transfer) that number rather than losing it.
Toll-free with local presence — Some businesses pair a toll-free number with a 701 local number so North Dakota customers see a familiar area code while other customers can still reach the business for free.

What Time Zone Is the 701 Area Code In?

This is one of the more unusual facts about 701: it’s a two-time-zone area code.

Most of North Dakota, including Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck, and Minot, runs on Central Time (CT).
A cluster of southwestern counties near the Montana border, including parts of the Dickinson area, observes Mountain Time (MT), one hour behind Central Time.

701 Area Code Scams and Robocalls: What to Know

Like virtually every U.S. area code, 701 phone code has been used by scammers who spoof caller ID to make calls appear to come from a legitimate North Dakota number. A call showing a 701 number doesn’t guarantee the caller is actually in North Dakota or that the number hasn’t been spoofed.

701 vs. Nearby Area Codes

For context, here’s how area 701 compares to its geographic neighbors:

Area Code	State/Region	Status
701	North Dakota (entire state)	Original, never split
605	South Dakota (entire state)	Original, never split
406	Montana (entire state)	Original, never split
218	Northern Minnesota	Split from a larger original code
802	Vermont (entire state)	Original, never split — a close parallel to 701

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

Yes. 701 is a legitimate area code assigned by the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) to the state of North Dakota. It is not a premium-rate, toll, or international code.

No. North Dakota is one of only about eleven U.S. states served entirely by a single area code, and 701 covers all 53 counties.

Not in the near term. Numbering projections suggest the existing 701 code has enough available numbers to last until at least 2029. When that changes, North Dakota would likely receive either an overlay code (a second code layered onto the same region, requiring ten-digit dialing) or a geographic split.

Not necessarily. A caller can spoof the caller ID, so a 701 number does not guarantee that the caller is physically in North Dakota or calling from there.

Yes. VoIP and virtual phone number providers let individuals and businesses anywhere obtain a 701 number for a local North Dakota presence, without needing to live in the state.

Conclusion

The 701 area code is more than just a string of digits; it’s a rare piece of living telecom history. Assigned in 1947 and never once split or overlaid, it has covered every county, city, and small town in North Dakota for nearly eight decades, putting it in the same small club as neighboring states like South Dakota and Montana, and states like Vermont.