Area code 805

Area code 805 at a glance

Area code 805 is a geographic area code in California, in service since January 1, 1957, according to the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA). It is an overlay: 805 and 820 cover the same territory, so neighbors on the same street can have different area codes. It is in the Pacific time zone. The places with the most assigned exchanges include Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Santa Maria, and Simi Valley. By population, its largest named places are Bakersfield, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and Santa Maria.

Where 805 numbers are local

805 holds 3.6% of the 22,087 central office codes assigned in California, the 6th most of the state's 41 codes. 19 Census places could be matched to rate centers with 805 exchanges; the most populous are Bakersfield (417,000), Oxnard (201,000), Simi Valley (126,000), and Thousand Oaks (124,000). Each place page lists the exact prefixes and carriers for that town.

Dialing 805 numbers

According to NANPA's dialing-plan data, local calls within 805 are dialed as 1 plus ten digits and toll calls as 1 plus ten digits. Because local calls need the area code, business cards, signage and website copy should always show the full ten-digit number.

Phone companies in area code 805

43 carriers hold the 786 central office codes assigned in 805. Frontier California INC. has the most, with 140 (18%). 540 of the codes (69%) are pooled, meaning the code holder shares blocks of 1,000 numbers with other carriers instead of using all 10,000 itself. The code holder is not necessarily the carrier serving a given number today, since numbers can be ported between providers.

Where 805 numbers are rated

NANPA assigns each central office code to a rate center, the local calling area that decides whether a call is local or toll. 805 has codes in 41 rate centers. Rate center names in the file are abbreviations; where one matches a Census place, the table links to that city's local-number page.

How full is area code 805?

An area code has 800 possible central office codes that start with 2 through 9, a few of which are reserved (such as N11 service codes and 555). 786 are assigned in 805, 98% of 800. 33 were assigned in 2020 or later.

Using area code 805 for business calls

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

Porting a number you already use in area code 805 is free, and business texting is available once the carrier registration (10DLC) is approved; the registration carries a one-time $49 fee. Which specific numbers are open in a given area code depends on carrier inventory at the time you sign up.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.