EAST BAY (KRON) — Phone calls in parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties are about to change. 

State officials are introducing a new area code to replace the current 510 area code used in much of the East Bay. 

Starting July 22, all new phone lines issued in the region will be assigned the 341 area code. 

Existing phone numbers with the 510 area code will not be affected.

Beginning June 22, residents with a 510 phone number will have to start dialing the area code with every phone call, regardless of where the phone call is being made from.

The 510 area code includes parts of western Alameda and Contra Costa counties, which includes the cities of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Hercules, Newark, Oakland, Piedmont, Pinole, Richmond, San Leandro, San Pablo and Union City.

The area code change was approved back in January 2017 by the California Public Utilities Commission, who said the 510 area code would likely run out of available phone numbers by June 2019. 

The 510 area code was created in 1991, split off from the 415 area code. The 510 area code was split again in 1998 to create the 925 area code. 

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