The 251 area code covers Mobile, Foley and 33 more places in Alabama.
Area code 251 is in Alabama, on Central Time. In the 251 area, phone numbers are given out most in Mobile County, then Baldwin and Escambia counties. It has been in service since June 18, 2001.
- Where
- 8 counties in Alabama, mostly Mobile County, Baldwin County and Escambia County
- Time zone
- Central Time
- In service since
- June 18, 2001
- Shares its area with
- No other area code
- Prefixes in use
- 528
- How to dial
- Local calls need all 10 digits: 251-555-0142.
Find out who called you from a 251 number.
Enter the full 10-digit number to see who it is listed to and the city and state on the listing. It is the same free check as our who called me lookup. To see only the caller ID name on the number, use our free CNAM lookup. To see whether it is a mobile, a landline or a VoIP line, use our free VoIP checker. To see which carrier a (251) number is on today, use our free carrier lookup.
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Mobile holds 44% of the phone prefixes in area code 251.
A prefix is the three digits after the area code, and NANPA assigns each one to a town. Counting the 528 prefixes in use shows where 251 numbers are actually given out.
- Mobile233 prefixes, 44%
- Foley73 prefixes, 14%
- Atmore16 prefixes, 3%
- Jackson15 prefixes, 3%
- Fairhope14 prefixes, 3%
- Bay Minette13 prefixes, 2%
- Brewton12 prefixes, 2%
- Evergreen10 prefixes, 2%
Also served: Mc Intosh, Flomaton, Monroeville and Mount Vernon and 23 smaller places.
BellSouth (AT&T) holds the most phone number prefixes in area code 251: 88 of 528.
NANPA, which runs the North American numbering plan, assigns each prefix (the three digits after the area code) to one carrier. Here is how the 528 prefixes in use in 251 divide between carriers; holders this page does not name are grouped as other carriers.
| Carrier | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| BellSouth (AT&T)AT&T's landline company | 88 | 17% |
| AT&T MobilityMobile network | 71 | 13% |
| BrightspeedLandline company | 35 | 7% |
| Eliska Wireless Ventures Subsidiary I | 29 | 5% |
| Level 3 (Lumen)Lumen's business and wholesale network | 19 | 4% |
| PAETEC (Windstream)Windstream's business phone network | 19 | 4% |
| 36 other carriers | 267 | 51% |
75% of these prefixes are pooled, which means the blocks of 1,000 numbers inside them can belong to other carriers. Any number can also have been moved to another carrier since, so this shows who holds the prefixes, not who serves a given number.
Want the carrier of one exact number? Our free carrier lookup checks it, because numbers move between carriers.
Source: NANPA central office code assignments, October 1, 2026.
251 has covered the same ground since 2001.
2001
251 starts on June 18, 2001, split off from 334.
A 251 number on your screen can still be a scam, because caller ID is easy to fake.
- Let an unknown call go to voicemail. A real caller leaves a message; a robocaller usually does not.
- Look the number up with the box above before you call back, because calling back tells a robocaller your line is live.
- Hang up on anyone who wants gift cards, crypto or a wire transfer, or asks you to read out a code that was just texted to you.
- Report unwanted robocalls at reportfraud.ftc.gov, or paste a suspicious message into our free scam checker.
The area codes closest to 251 are 334, 228 and 601.
This list measures the distance between the centres of each area, across state lines, and shows codes that share one area together.
Alabama has 6 other area codes.
These are the questions people ask most about area code 251.
Where is area code 251?
251 covers Mobile, Foley, Atmore and Jackson and 31 more places in Alabama. In the 251 area, phone numbers are given out most in Mobile County, then Baldwin and Escambia counties.
What state is area code 251 in?
Alabama. 251 is an Alabama area code on Central Time.
What cities use area code 251?
The places holding the most 251 prefixes are Mobile, Foley, Atmore, Jackson, Fairhope, Bay Minette, Brewton and Evergreen, out of 35 places in all. The count comes from NANPA's prefix assignments as of October 1, 2026.
Which phone company owns area code 251?
No single phone company owns 251. NANPA's records show BellSouth (AT&T) holds the most 251 prefixes, 88 of 528, followed by AT&T Mobility and Brightspeed. Numbers move between carriers, so check one exact number with a carrier lookup.
What time zone is area code 251 in?
251 is on Central Time.
When did area code 251 start?
251 went into service on June 18, 2001, when it was split off from 334.
How do I dial a 251 number?
Local calls need all 10 digits: 251-555-0142.
Is 251 a toll-free number?
No. 251 is a regular area code for Mobile and Foley in Alabama, not a toll-free one. The toll-free codes in North America are 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 and 888.
What area codes are near 251?
The closest are 334/483 (Montgomery, Alabama), 228 (Biloxi, Mississippi), 601/769 (Jackson, Mississippi) and 205/659 (Birmingham, Alabama), measured between the centres of each area.
Who called me from a 251 number?
Enter the full 10-digit number in the lookup above. It returns the listed owner where there is a public record, where the number is registered, and whether it is a mobile, a landline or a VoIP line.
Is area code 251 a scam?
251 is a real Alabama area code, so the code itself is not a warning sign. Scam callers fake local-looking numbers on purpose, so judge the call by what the caller asks for, and look the number up before calling back.
Put this lookup on your site: our free area code widget takes two lines of code and shows any US area code's state, time zone and local time.
Source: NANPA, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator: its area code database and prefix assignments, as of October 1, 2026.