Chattanoogans will soon have to add 423 area code to phone numbers to make local calls

Staff file photo / An equipment operator works on increasing data on certain cellphone towers in the downtown Chattanooga area in August 2019. Staff file photo / An equipment operator works on increasing data on certain cellphone towers in the downtown Chattanooga area in August 2019.

By Mike Pare June 1, 2023 3 min read

A state panel has approved a plan mandating 10-digit dialing for residents living in the 423 area code to make local phone calls.

The Tennessee Public Utility Commission earlier this week unanimously approved the move, which will affect callers within the sprawling area code that includes Chattanooga and most of the rest of East Tennessee except the Knoxville region.

John Hutton, telecom/utilities consultant for the commission, said Thursday that the changeover requiring the use of the 423 area code in front of a seven-digit telephone number likely will take about 13 months.

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” he said in a phone interview.