The Virginia State Corporation Commission authorized the addition of 826 to the numbering plan area for implementation in May 2022.
[1] Due to the continued growth of telecommunication services in the area, it was necessary to split 540 as well.
For relief, the Virginia State Corporation Commission approved a plan in June 2020 to add area code 826 to form an all-services overlay, with an in-service date of May 14, 2022.
[2] The numbering plan area includes the communities of Bedford, Berryville, Blacksburg, Buchanan, Buena Vista, Cave Spring, Clifton Forge, Covington, Fincastle, Floyd, Fredericksburg, Front Royal, Greenville, Harrisonburg, Hot Springs, Lexington, Louisa, Luray, Madison, Mineral, Orange, Pulaski, Radford, Roanoke, Rocky Mount, Salem, Staunton, Warrenton, Little Washington, Waynesboro, and Winchester.
It serves the counties of Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Clarke, Craig, Culpeper, Fauquier, Floyd, Franklin, Frederick, Giles, Highland, King George, Louisa, Madison, Montgomery, Orange, Page, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Rockingham, Rockbridge, Shenandoah, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren, as well as portions of Bedford County, and a small portion of Albemarle County consisting of Afton and Greenwood that is in a LATA served by Verizon landline service rather than CenturyLink.