Area code 501 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for central Arkansas, including Little Rock and most of its suburbs. The numbering plan area (NPA) comprises most communities in Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, Garland, Hot Spring, Lonoke, Perry, Pulaski, Saline, White and Van Buren counties.
Area code 501 is one of the original North American area codes assigned in 1947 when the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) created a nationwide telephone numbering plan. Originally it served all of Arkansas. Due to Arkansas' relatively low population density, 501 remained the sole area code for the state until 1995, when area code 870 was created to serve north-central, northeast, eastern and southern Arkansas. In 2002, the northwestern part of the state, including Fort Smith and Fayetteville, was split off with area code 479.
Prior to October 2021, area code 501 had telephone numbers assigned for the central office code 988. In 2020, 988 was designated nationwide as a dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which created a conflict for exchanges that permit seven-digit dialing. This area code was therefore scheduled to transition to ten-digit dialing by October 24, 2021.[1]
Major cities in the numbering plan area include: