Area code 810

Area code 810 was implemented on December 1, 1993, with a permissive dialing period that ended on August 10, 1994.[1] The initial numbering plan area included the counties Oakland, Macomb, Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, and Sanilac, as well as small sections of Saginaw, Shiawassee, Livingston, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties north of Detroit. The split created Michigan's first new area code since 1961.

Only three years later, Ameritech applied to the North American Numbering Plan Administrator for additional relief because of substantial number growth in the area by splitting the 810 numbering plan area. As a result Oakland County received the new area code 248, with a start of permissive dialing on May 10, 1997.[2] Thus, the Oakland County numbering plan area was surrounded on three side by area code 810, and by 313 in the south.

On December 11, 2000 the Michigan Public Service Commission approved splitting area code 810 to create another numbering plan area in south east Michigan Area code 586 was assigned to eleven rate centers that approximate the area of Macomb County. This included primarily the communities of Mt. Clemens, Roseville, Warren and Utica. The commission permitted the permanent grandfathering of wireless central office codes residing in rate centers that moved to the new NPA.[3]

Area code 810 was originally one of three US regional area codes for the AT&T TWX (TeletypeWriter eXchange) network, sold to Western Union in 1969, and renamed as Telex II. The area of TWX service included Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the US South (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Kentucky).

The original TWX area codes were 510 in the US and 610 in Canada. The addition of 710 in the Northeast (New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia and West Virginia), 810 from Michigan southward and 910 west of the Mississippi allowed each major city one or more local exchange prefixes in the special area code.[4]

The special US TWX area codes (510, 710, 810, 910) were decommissioned in 1981; Canada moved its remaining 1-610 numbers to area code 600 in 1992.

The numbering plan area includes all of Genesee and Lapeer counties and portions of Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Sanilac and Livingston counties. This area included the following communities.

Selected areas in north Oakland County areas of Oxford, Addison, Brandon, Groveland, and Holly are also partially served by 810.

Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith (Eminem) refers to area code 810 while free-styling as he fixes his car in the movie 8 Mile to insult "posers" who live in upperclass southern Macomb County suburbs (which were part of the area code in 1995 when the movie was set) instead of the lower income area code 313, which serves Detroit and Wayne County.

The number "810", which is the area code for Flint, Michigan, the band's hometown, was used in the band name King 810 after they left Equal Vision.[5]

• NANPA area code map of Michigan
• List of exchanges from AreaCodeDownload.com, 810 Area Code