The 686 area code covers the same area as 804, including Richmond, Petersburg and 45 more places in Virginia.
686 has been in service since 2024, on Eastern Time. 804 covers the same area, so two neighbours can have different area codes.
- Where
- 8 counties in Virginia, mostly City of Richmond County, Hanover County and Chesterfield County
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- In service since
- 2024
- Shares its area with
- 804 (since 1973)
- Prefixes in use
- 31
- How to dial
- Local calls need all 10 digits: 686-555-0142.
Find out who called you from a 686 number.
Enter the full 10-digit number to see who it is listed to, where it is registered, and whether it is a mobile, landline or VoIP line.
Richmond holds 52% of the phone prefixes in area code 686.
A prefix is the three digits after the area code, and NANPA assigns each one to a town. Counting the 31 prefixes in use shows where 686 numbers are actually given out.
- Richmond16 prefixes, 52%
- Chester2 prefixes, 6%
- Cartersville1 prefix, 3%
- Ashland1 prefix, 3%
- King William1 prefix, 3%
- Petersburg1 prefix, 3%
- Heathsville1 prefix, 3%
- Irvington1 prefix, 3%
Also served: Hopewell, Tappahannock, Warsaw and Powhatan and 35 smaller places.
686 started in 2024 as an overlay on 804, and its ground has not changed since.
2024
686 starts as an overlay on 804: new numbers on the same ground.
A 686 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.
These are the questions people ask most about area code 686.
Where is area code 686?
686 covers Richmond, Petersburg, Chester and Ashland and 43 more places in Virginia, in City of Richmond County, Hanover County and Chesterfield County.
What time zone is area code 686 in?
686 is on Eastern Time.
Is 686 the same area as 804?
Yes. 804 (since 1973) covers the same ground as 686. Nobody's number changed when it was added; new lines simply get whichever code has numbers left, so two neighbours can have different codes.
How do I dial a 686 number?
Local calls need all 10 digits: 686-555-0142.
Who called me from a 686 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 686 a scam?
686 is a real Virginia 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.
Source: NANPA, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator: its area code database and prefix assignments, as of October 1, 2026.