Area code
Area code 859 — Lexington, KY
Kentucky · in service since April 1, 2000
Area code 859 covers parts of Kentucky; the place with the most of its prefixes is Lexington. It was created from area code 606 on April 1, 2000 and no other code overlays it.
Local time in Lexington
Spam reports from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026
Average #172 of 461 codes
531 FTC complaints
Consumer reports, not verified by the FTC.
See the reports- Time zoneEastern Time
- Local calls10 digits
- Prefixes577 assigned
- Runs out~2Q 2059
- Unwanted call?Block & report
Spam call reports about 859 numbers
Complaints by week
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026Show as table
| Week starting | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Sep 7 (3 days) | 18 |
| Sep 14 | 103 |
| Sep 21 | 136 |
| Sep 28 | 85 |
| Oct 5 | 129 |
| Oct 12 | 137 |
| Oct 19 (4 days) | 99 |
Compared with all codes
- Robocalls
- 82%all codes 75%
- Callers with the same code
- 55%all codes 35%
- Rank by complaints
- #172of 461 · middle half
- FCC complaints, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026
- 5410 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 | 221 31% | |
| Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans) | 151 21% | |
| Medical & prescriptions | 50 7% | |
| Dropped call or no message | 40 6% | |
| Home improvement & cleaning | 7 1% | |
| Vacation & timeshares | 4 1% |
Where the people who complained live
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| State | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 425 60% | |
| California | 29 4% | |
| Florida | 19 3% | |
| Texas | 18 3% | |
| New York | 17 2% |
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 859 location and prefixes
| Exchange (NANPA) | Place | County | Prefixes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEXINGTON | Lexington | Fayette County | 164 |
| COVINGTON | Covington | Kenton County | 95 |
| BOONE | — | — | 32 |
| WINCHESTER | Winchester | Clark County | 29 |
| RICHMOND | Richmond | Madison County | 24 |
| DANVILLE | Danville | Boyle County | 16 |
| MTSTERLING | Mount Sterling | Montgomery County | 13 |
| BEREA | Berea | Madison County | 11 |
| HARRODSBG | Harrodsburg | Mercer County | 11 |
| ALEXANDRIA | Alexandria | Campbell County | 10 |
Plus 32 smaller exchange areas.
Source: NANPA CO codes of Oct 23, 2026; places: U.S. Census Bureau, matched by DialWhere (how).
Is 859 running out of numbers?
Previous forecast (October 2025): 2055, moved later by 4 years.
Forecast exhaust year by edition
Source: NANPA NRUF forecast, April 2026 edition.
Who holds 859 prefixes
The five largest of 40 original holders
As listed by NANPA, not today’s carrier.
| Holder (as listed) | Prefixes | |
|---|---|---|
| Windstream Kentucky East, Inc. - Lexington | 77 13% | |
| New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC | 66 11% | |
| Cincinnati Bell | 57 10% | |
| Verizon Wireless | 54 9% | |
| Onvoy, LLC | 51 9% |
Source: NANPA CO codes of Oct 23, 2026.
Questions about area code 859
What area code is 859?
A Kentucky area code, in service since April 1, 2000.
Where is 859 area code, and what time zone is it in?
Lexington, KY; Eastern Time.
Why am I getting spam calls from 859?
531 FTC complaints from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026, most often about impostors (not verified by the FTC; caller ID can be spoofed).
Will 859 get a new area code?
NANPA forecasts exhaust in 2Q 2059; no relief planning listed.