The 859 area code covers Lexington, Covington and 34 more places in Kentucky.
Area code 859 is in Kentucky, on Eastern Time. In the 859 area, phone numbers are given out most in Fayette County, then Kenton and Madison counties. It has been in service since April 1, 2000.
- Where
- 8 counties in Kentucky, mostly Fayette County, Kenton County and Madison County
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- In service since
- April 1, 2000
- Shares its area with
- No other area code
- Prefixes in use
- 563
- How to dial
- Local calls need all 10 digits: 859-555-0142.
Find out who called you from an 859 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 (859) number is on today, use our free carrier lookup.
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Lexington holds 29% of the phone prefixes in area code 859.
A prefix is the three digits after the area code, and NANPA assigns each one to a town. Counting the 563 prefixes in use shows where 859 numbers are actually given out.
- Lexington164 prefixes, 29%
- Covington95 prefixes, 17%
- Winchester29 prefixes, 5%
- Richmond24 prefixes, 4%
- Danville16 prefixes, 3%
- Mount Sterling13 prefixes, 2%
- Berea11 prefixes, 2%
- Harrodsburg11 prefixes, 2%
Also served: Cynthiana, Nicholasville, Paris and Independence and 24 smaller places.
Windstream holds the most phone number prefixes in area code 859: 77 of 563.
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 563 prefixes in use in 859 divide between carriers; holders this page does not name are grouped as other carriers.
| Carrier | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| WindstreamLandline company | 77 | 14% |
| AT&T MobilityMobile network | 66 | 12% |
| Cincinnati Bell (altafiber)Landline company | 57 | 10% |
| Level 3 (Lumen)Lumen's business and wholesale network | 57 | 10% |
| T-MobileMobile network | 42 | 7% |
| BellSouth (AT&T)AT&T's landline company | 41 | 7% |
| 28 other carriers | 223 | 40% |
68% 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.
859 has covered the same ground since 2000.
2000
859 starts on April 1, 2000, split off from 606.
An 859 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 859 are 502, 606 and 513.
This list measures the distance between the centres of each area, across state lines, and shows codes that share one area together.
Kentucky has 4 other area codes.
These are the questions people ask most about area code 859.
Where is area code 859?
859 covers Lexington, Covington, Winchester and Richmond and 32 more places in Kentucky. In the 859 area, phone numbers are given out most in Fayette County, then Kenton and Madison counties.
What state is area code 859 in?
Kentucky. 859 is a Kentucky area code on Eastern Time.
What cities use area code 859?
The places holding the most 859 prefixes are Lexington, Covington, Winchester, Richmond, Danville, Mount Sterling, Berea and Harrodsburg, out of 36 places in all. The count comes from NANPA's prefix assignments as of October 1, 2026.
Which phone company owns area code 859?
No single phone company owns 859. NANPA's records show Windstream holds the most 859 prefixes, 77 of 563, followed by AT&T Mobility and Cincinnati Bell (altafiber). Numbers move between carriers, so check one exact number with a carrier lookup.
What time zone is area code 859 in?
859 is on Eastern Time.
When did area code 859 start?
859 went into service on April 1, 2000, when it was split off from 606.
How do I dial an 859 number?
Local calls need all 10 digits: 859-555-0142.
Is 859 a toll-free number?
No. 859 is a regular area code for Lexington and Covington in Kentucky, 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 859?
The closest are 502 (Louisville, Kentucky), 606 (Corbin, Kentucky), 513/283 (Cincinnati, Ohio) and 937/326 (Dayton, Ohio), measured between the centres of each area.
Who called me from an 859 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 859 a scam?
859 is a real Kentucky 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.