Area code
Area code 686 — Richmond, VA
Virginia · in service since February 1, 2024
Area code 686 covers parts of Virginia; the place with the most of its prefixes is Richmond. It is an overlay: 804 serves the same area, so neighbors can have different area codes.
Overlay, same area: 804
Local time in Richmond
Spam reports from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026
Too few reports for a level #407 of 461
18 FTC complaints
Consumer reports, not verified by the FTC.
See the reports- Time zoneEastern Time
- Local calls10 digits
- Prefixes45 assigned
- Runs out~4Q 2055
- Unwanted call?Block & report
Spam call reports about 686 numbers
Complaints by week
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026Show as table
| Week starting | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Sep 7 (3 days) | 1 |
| Sep 14 | 8 |
| Sep 21 | 6 |
| Sep 28 | 6 |
| Oct 5 | 1 |
| Oct 12 | 3 |
| Oct 19 (4 days) | 2 |
Compared with all codes
- Robocalls
- 8 of 18
- Callers with the same code
- 0%all codes 35%
- Rank by complaints
- #407of 461 · bottom quarter
- FCC complaints, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026
- 62 about text messages
What the calls were about
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| Subject | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends | 4 15% | |
| Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans) | 3 11% | |
| Dropped call or no message | 1 4% | |
| Energy, solar, & utilities | 1 4% | |
| Medical & prescriptions | 1 4% | |
| Other | 17 63% |
Where the people who complained live
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| State | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 10 37% | |
| Ohio | 6 22% | |
| Florida | 3 11% | |
| Alabama | 1 4% | |
| Illinois | 1 4% |
October 2026 (partial) report · most reported
Consumer reports, not verified by the FTC · source
Source: FTC Do Not Call complaints created Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026. They are reported by consumers and are not verified by the FTC; caller ID can be spoofed (how we count).
Source: FCC Consumer Complaints data, unwanted calls filed Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026, by caller ID; not verified by the FCC.
Area code 686 location and prefixes
| Exchange (NANPA) | Place | County | Prefixes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RICHMOND | Richmond | Richmond city | 16 |
| CHESTER | Chester | Chesterfield County | 2 |
| ASHLAND | Ashland | Hanover County | 1 |
| BETHIA | — | — | 1 |
| CARTERSVL | — | — | 1 |
| CHARLES CY | Charles City | Charles City County | 1 |
| DAWN | — | — | 1 |
| HEATHSVL | Heathsville | Northumberland County | 1 |
| IRVINGTON | Irvington | Lancaster County | 1 |
| KILMARNOCK | Kilmarnock | spans 2 counties | 1 |
Plus 5 smaller exchange areas.
Source: NANPA CO codes of Oct 23, 2026; places: U.S. Census Bureau, matched by DialWhere (how).
NANPA record
- Location
- Virginia
- Assigned by NANPA
- November 16, 2022
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (NANPA: 10D)
- NANPA planning letters
- PL-608
Source: NANPA, NPA database of Oct 24, 2026.
Is 686 running out of numbers?
Previous forecast (October 2025): 2056, moved earlier by 1 year.
Forecast exhaust year by edition
Source: NANPA NRUF forecast, April 2026 edition.
Who holds 686 prefixes
The five largest of 13 original holders
As listed by NANPA, not today’s carrier.
| Holder (as listed) | Prefixes | |
|---|---|---|
| Onvoy, LLC | 13 29% | |
| Multiple Ocn Listing | 9 20% | |
| New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC | 9 20% | |
| 5 11% | ||
| AT&T - Local | 1 2% |
Source: NANPA CO codes of Oct 23, 2026.
Questions about area code 686
What area code is 686?
A Virginia area code, in service since February 1, 2024.
Where is 686 area code, and what time zone is it in?
Richmond, VA; Eastern Time.
Why am I getting spam calls from 686?
18 FTC complaints from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026, most often about impostors (not verified by the FTC; caller ID can be spoofed).
Will 686 get a new area code?
NANPA forecasts exhaust in 4Q 2055; no relief planning listed.