Area code 985

Area code 985 at a glance

Area code 985 is a geographic area code in Louisiana, in service since February 12, 2001, according to the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA). It is not part of an overlay, so every number in its territory starts with 985. It is in the Central time zone. The places with the most assigned exchanges include Houma, Hammond, Slidell, Covington, and Morgan City. By population, its largest named places are Houma, Slidell, Hammond, Thibodaux, and Mandeville.

Places served by 985

985 holds 16% of the 2,874 central office codes assigned in Louisiana, the 5th most of the state's 6 codes. 23 Census places could be matched to rate centers with 985 exchanges; the most populous are Houma (31,671), Slidell (28,440), Hammond (23,426), and Thibodaux (15,569). For a storefront or service area inside 985, the place pages show which prefixes are rated local there.

How calls are dialed in 985

According to NANPA's dialing-plan data, local calls within 985 are dialed as seven digits and toll calls as 1 plus ten digits. Seven-digit local dialing is still permitted here, but customers calling from other area codes, and every mobile contact list, use all ten digits.

Phone companies in area code 985

33 carriers hold the 447 central office codes assigned in 985. Bellsouth Telecomm INC d/b/a South Central Bell Tel has the most, with 108 (24%). 334 of the codes (75%) are pooled, meaning the code holder shares blocks of 1,000 numbers with other carriers instead of using all 10,000 itself. Numbers can move between carriers through porting, so a code's holder tells you where the block started, not where every number lives now.

Where 985 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. 985 has codes in 45 rate centers. The table lists the rate centers with the most codes, with the matching Census place where the abbreviation could be matched.

How full is area code 985?

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). 447 are assigned in 985, 56% of 800. 51 were assigned in 2020 or later.

Using area code 985 for business calls

Callata Office costs $99 per month for up to 5 people, and each additional user is $20 a month. That covers up to 3 local numbers, calling from a browser or your cell, transcribed voicemail, recorded calls with AI summaries, after-hours routing and E911 on each number.

If you already have a number in area code 985, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.