Area Code 442

Area code 442 is a California area code that was activated on November 21, 2009, as an all-services distributed overlay of area code 760. The code serves the desert regions of southeastern California, including the Imperial Valley, the Coachella Valley, the High Desert, and the Mojave Desert, covering Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Salton Sea. The North American Numbering Plan Administration Source: NANPA assigned 442 on July 22, 1999 as a future relief overlay, and the California Public Utilities Commission Source: CPUC authorized the implementation under Decision D.08-09-046 in September 2008.

Key milestones:

• 1999: On July 22, NANPA assigned area code 442 as a future overlay of area code 760 in the 442/760 overlay complex. Source: NANPA Planning Letter PL-380
• 2007-2008: The CPUC held public input hearings under proceeding A.07-05-023, gathering testimony from carriers, consumer groups, and local officials across the sparsely populated desert region and the rapidly growing High Desert communities. Source: CPUC D.08-09-046
• 2008: On September 25, the CPUC issued Decision D.08-09-046, approving the 442/760 all-services distributed overlay and authorizing mandatory 1+10-digit dialing throughout the region. Source: CPUC D.08-09-046
• 2009: On November 21, area code 442 entered service as an all-services distributed overlay of area code 760. New telephone numbers in the region could now be assigned under either prefix. Source: NANPA Planning Letter PL-380 (implementation)
• 2010: Mandatory 1+10-digit dialing became enforced throughout the 760/442 overlay region in early 2010, completing the transition to overlay numbering under the framework of FCC 47 CFR 52.19. Source: CPUC D.08-09-046

Area code 442 has been managed through California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) proceedings. The regulatory record shows the administrative history of this area code from its initial assignment through subsequent relief actions. Source: NANPA