CallataGuidesGet a local business phone number in Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz's area code, prefixes and carriers from NANPA records, and how to put a Santa Cruz number in front of your customers.
- Area code
- 831
- Exchanges
- 76NANPA-assigned
- Carriers
- 20
- Population
- 62,581Census 2024 est.
Santa Cruz area codes
Santa Cruz, in Santa Cruz County, California, had a Census-estimated population of 62,581 in July 2024. All 76 exchanges NANPA lists for its rate center are in area code 831. Santa Cruz is in the Pacific time zone.
According to NANPA's dialing-plan data, local calls within 831 are dialed as seven digits and toll calls as seven digits.
| Area code | Exchanges here | Share | In service since | Overlay with | Time zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 831 | 76 | 100% | 1998 | none | Pacific |
Source: NANPA utilized central office code file and NPA report, dated 10/01/2026.
Who holds Santa Cruz phone exchanges
20 carriers hold the 76 exchanges assigned to Santa Cruz's rate center. Pacific Bell has the most, with 30. 52 of them are pooled codes, which the holder shares with other carriers in blocks of 1,000 numbers. The table counts codes by the operating company NANPA assigned them to, not by who serves each number today.
| Carrier (NANPA operating company) | Exchanges | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Bell | 30 | 39% |
| Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless - CA | 11 | 14% |
| New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC | 6 | 7.9% |
| Onvoy, LLC - CA | 6 | 7.9% |
| Metropcs, INC. | 3 | 3.9% |
| T-mobile USA, INC. | 3 | 3.9% |
| Level 3 Communications, LLC - CA | 2 | 2.6% |
| U.s. Telepacific Corp. d/b/a TPX Communications | 2 | 2.6% |
| Fractel, LLC | 2 | 2.6% |
| AT&T Enterprises, LLC | 1 | 1.3% |
| North County Communication Corporation - CA | 1 | 1.3% |
| Shelcomm | 1 | 1.3% |
Carrier names are the operating company (OCN) names on NANPA's utilized central office code file dated 10/01/2026. A carrier holding a code may port numbers to other carriers.
Santa Cruz phone prefixes
Each prefix below is a block of up to 10,000 numbers that NANPA assigned to Santa Cruz's rate center (SANTA CRUZ). The earliest assignment date recorded in the file for these codes is 2001. 7 of the 76 were assigned in 2020 or later.
| Area code | Prefixes (NXX) |
|---|---|
| 831 | 201, 212, 226, 227, 234, 239, 247, 255, 266, 281, 291, 295, 314, 316, 325, 331, 332, 334, 340, 345, 346, 359, 365, 400, 419, 420, 421, 423, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430, 431, 435, 438, 439, 440, 454, 457, 458, 459, 460, 461, 462, 464, 465, 466, 469, 471, 475, 476, 477, 479, 480, 502, 515, 529, 535, 566, 576, 588, 600, 621, 706, 713, 777, 818, 824, 854, 888, 889, 900, 946, 999 |
Source: NANPA utilized central office code file.
When Santa Cruz's exchanges were assigned
The table groups Santa Cruz's exchanges by the decade NANPA recorded them as assigned.
| Decade assigned | Exchanges | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4 | 22% |
| 2010s | 7 | 39% |
| 2020s | 7 | 39% |
Assignment dates as recorded in NANPA's utilized code file; codes without a recorded date are excluded.
What makes a number local to Santa Cruz
NANPA ties every exchange to a rate center. For Santa Cruz that is SANTA CRUZ, so a number from one of these exchanges reads as local to people in and around Santa Cruz.
New local numbers are drawn from carrier inventory, so the exact 831 numbers available change over time; porting an existing number is free.
The local business market
Santa Cruz is part of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, home to 262,000 people in 2024. County Business Patterns counted 7,136 business establishments in the Santa Cruz, CA metro area in 2023, employing 80,209 people. The largest sectors by establishment count are health care and social assistance (959), professional, scientific, and technical services (910), and construction (899).
| Industry | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-service restaurants | 235 | 4,675 | 19.9 |
| Residential remodelers | 216 | 630 | 2.9 |
| Limited-service restaurants | 206 | 3,656 | 17.7 |
| Physician practices | 177 | 2,136 | 12.1 |
| Offices of real estate agents and brokers | 140 | 297 | 2.1 |
| Landscaping services | 140 | 1,471 | 10.5 |
| Dental offices | 134 | 1,024 | 7.6 |
| Child day care services | 131 | 621 | 4.7 |
Selected small-business industries (six-digit NAICS) covered by these guides. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.
A Santa Cruz number on Callata
For $99 a month, Callata puts a team of up to 5 on one plan ($20 for each person after that): up to 3 local numbers, unlimited inbound calls, a pooled allowance of 1,500 outbound US and Canada minutes per user, browser and cell calling, voicemail transcription with urgency triage, recorded calls with AI summaries and business-hours routing, with E911 on every number.
Porting a number you already use in Santa Cruz 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.
Per-seat phone plans multiply by headcount. For the rounded average establishment size in the Santa Cruz, CA metro area, 11 users on RingCentral RingEX Core come to $330.00 a month and on Ooma Office Pro $274.45, at month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026. Callata comes to $219.00 a month for 11 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.
| Provider (plan) | Pricing basis | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Callata (Callata Office) | $99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user | $219.00 | $2,628.00 |
| Quo (Starter) | $19.00 per user | $209.00 | $2,508.00 |
| Nextiva (Core) | $23.00 per user | $253.00 | $3,036.00 |
| Ooma (Office Pro) | $24.95 per user | $274.45 | $3,293.40 |
| Dialpad (Standard) | $27.00 per user | $297.00 | $3,564.00 |
| RingCentral (RingEX Core) | $30.00 per user | $330.00 | $3,960.00 |
Competitor prices are each vendor's published month-to-month list price per user for its lowest plan that includes business calling and texting, checked September 28, 2026: Quo Starter $19, Nextiva Core $23, Ooma Office Pro $24.95 (Essentials excludes texting; one-time $29.95 activation not included), Dialpad Standard $27, RingCentral RingEX Core $30 ($20 billed annually). Prices exclude taxes and fees and may change; annual contracts lower some competitors' prices.
Frequently asked questions
What area code is Santa Cruz, CA?
831. All exchanges NANPA lists for Santa Cruz are in 831.
How many phone companies have exchanges in Santa Cruz?
20, holding 76 exchanges between them, according to NANPA's 10/01/2026 file.
Can I keep my existing Santa Cruz business number?
Yes. Porting an existing number to Callata is free. Texting from it starts after carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee.
How much is a business phone line in Santa Cruz?
Callata is $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user, with up to 3 local numbers; 11 users come to $219.00 a month. For comparison, 11 users on RingCentral RingEX Core list at $330.00 a month (checked September 28, 2026).