Area code 872

Area code 872 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan for Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is an overlay code for a numbering plan area that comprises those of area codes 312 and 773. The overlay commenced service on November 7, 2009.¹ It is the third overlay area code in the region and the tenth area code to serve northeast Illinois.¹

As early as 1998, the North American Numbering Plan Administration had recommended a third area code for Chicago, estimating that 312 and 773 would both be exhausted by 2001. However, the Illinois Commerce Commission implemented a series of conservation measures that staved off the need for a new area code. By 2008, a combination of population growth and a large growth in cell phone usage forced the implementation of 872.¹

With the implementation of 872, all local calls in Chicago must be dialed with the full 11-digit phone number (10 digits from cell phones).¹

The Illinois side of the Chicago area–312/773/872, 708/464, 847/224, 630/331 and portions of 815/779–is one of the largest local calling areas in the United States; with few exceptions, no long-distance charges are applied from one portion of the metro area to another.²