| State | Florida |
|---|---|
| Timezone | Eastern |
| Is Area Code 727 Toll Free? | No |
Where is Area Code 727?
Area code 727's service area covers the majority of Pinellas County in the state of Florida. It is the only area code for this geographic area and has no overlays. It covers larger cities and smaller communities alike including St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park, Hudson, Largo, Safety Harbor, Feather Sound, Tierra Verde, Seminole, Lealman, Elfers, Hillsborough County, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs and Clearwater. This area code does not cover Oldsmar, even though it is in the area. It covers most cities and towns in the Western portion of Pasco County, including the cities of New Port Richey and Port Richey. In addition, it covers the city of Holiday.
A History of the 727 Area Code
The entire Tampa Bay area was originally covered by 813 area code. This includes cities such as Sarasota, Ellenton, and Port Charlotte. This area code covered all 13 counties in this region for 43 years. Over time, the area grew too large, and the need for additional numbers increased. As a result, Pinellas County and the western part of Pasco County were given a new area code. They split, forming 727, a standalone area code. They whole area code is located in the eastern time zone and it is not a toll-free number.
The original plan for this area was not to split off like this, though. Rather, the region was to have an overlay created, which would mix the new area code with the 813 existing area code. At the time, though, overlays were less common and a newer concept. More so, for an overlay to be applied, it would have required 10-digit phone numbers to be implemented in the area. Consumers were not receptive to the concept of overlaying in the area. They deemed it too confusing to know who to call when it came to numerous area codes (In overlays, the region gets an additional phone number area code that is added to the existing area code. This leads to new phone numbers in the area being given the new area code rather than the old. Additionally, consumers did not like the idea of having to move to 10-digit dialing.
North American area codes are part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), which includes America, Canada, and some countries in the Caribbean. To dial a number within the NANP a country code is necessary when dialing from outside the country. This is generally followed by the area code, Numbering Plan Area (NPA) Code, the Central Office Code or NXX and the 4 digit subscriber number.
At the time, GTE was the dominant carrier. GTE is now part of Frontier Communications. Instead of the overlay plan, GTE moved to a split plan, which divided the area. The split followed the county lines for the most part. The one key exception to this was the city of Oldsmar. It remained in the 813-area code. This was done because the trunk for the city was wired into the Tampa line. GTE determined that this would make a move too expensive to manage.
727 Area Code Scams
Phone scammers from the Tampa area of Florida may use the 727 area code to contact people for telemarking purposes or phishing. There are a number of scams associated with the area. One involved a caller that leaves a return number that has the 727 area code and requests personal information from the call who returns the call. Other scams involve individuals pretending to be law enforcement agencies trying to get personal information or donations from unsuspecting individuals.
Like all phone numbers, those who receive a call from someone in the 727 area code that they do not know, requesting personal information or money, should be reported and ignored.
