334 Area Code: Montgomery, Alabama Location and Time Zone

Introduction

The 334 area code serves central and southeast Alabama, including Montgomery, Auburn, Opelika, Dothan and Phenix City. It was carved out of 205 in 1995, the first new area code Alabama had added since 1947, and in 2026 it gained an overlay, 483, on the same territory.

People often look up 334 after a missed call or while choosing a local number. This guide covers the cities and counties it serves, the Central Time exception near Columbus, Georgia, what 483 changed about dialing, how to vet a call and how a business can claim a 334 line.

Where Is the 334 Area Code?

Area code 334 covers the middle and southeast of Alabama. The Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC) lists Selma, Montgomery, Prattville, Pike Road, Tuskegee, Auburn, Opelika, Phenix City, Eufaula, Dothan, Enterprise, Troy and Greenville among the places it serves, along with a large area of central and southeast Alabama.

It started out much bigger. On January 15, 1995, area code 205 was split and the Montgomery and Mobile Local Access and Transport Areas (LATAs) moved to 334, which gave the new code the southern half of the state. Numbers in the new code could still be dialed with 205 until May 13, 1995, leaving time to reconfigure computers and fax machines.

Mobile and the rest of the southwest corner left in 2001 to become area code 251. For those neighbors, see our guides to the 205 area code and the 251 area code.

334 also has a footnote in numbering history. It was the first interchangeable area code, one whose middle digit is not 0 or 1, and it officially came one minute ahead of Washington state's 360.

Cities and Counties in the 334 Area Code

Montgomery, the state capital, is the best-known city in the 334 area code, so if you searched for the area code for Montgomery, Alabama, this is it. The table matches each place the PSC names with its county.

Auburn, Dothan and Prattville all share the capital's area code. The region was built around the Montgomery, Auburn-Opelika and Dothan metro areas, plus Phenix City on the Alabama side of the Columbus, Georgia, metro. The table lists places the PSC names, not every community in the code.

334 Area Code Time Zone (Central Time)

Alabama is one of ten states that sit entirely in the Central Time Zone, so the 334 area code keeps Central Standard Time (CST, UTC-6) in winter and Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC-5) starting the second Sunday of March and ending the first Sunday of November.

The exception is on the Georgia line. Phenix City neighbors Columbus, Georgia, which uses Eastern Time, and Phenix City and nearby communities such as Smiths Station unofficially keep Eastern Time too. A business there may be running an hour ahead of Montgomery.

The rest of the code keeps Montgomery's clock, which runs one hour behind New York and two hours ahead of San Francisco all year.

334 and 483: The Overlay Code

Area code 483 is an all-services overlay: it covers the same central and southeast Alabama territory as 334 instead of creating a new region. The PSC approved it on March 6, 2024, because 334 was running out of numbers, and the Commission's latest notice projected exhaust by the third quarter of 2026.

The rollout came in three stages. Permissive ten-digit dialing began July 23, 2025, so callers could practice while seven digits still worked. Ten-digit dialing became mandatory on January 23, 2026, and from February 23, 2026, new lines and services could be assigned 483 numbers.

Existing 334 numbers stayed as they were, and the PSC said the overlay would not affect current service. A 483 number is just as tied to the region as a 334 one; it was simply issued later. The PSC's January 2026 notice on ten-digit dialing has the official dates.

Is 334 a Country Code? What That Search Really Means

It isn't. 334 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan, and it points to part of Alabama, not to a nation. Every US number, this one included, uses the country code +1.

Written for international callers, a Montgomery number becomes +1 334 plus seven digits. That format explains searches like "1 334" and "334 country code": the leading 1 is the country code shared by the United States, Canada and several Caribbean countries, and 334 follows it.

It is an easy mix-up, since +33 is France's country code and +34 is Spain's. A number beginning +33 or +34 is European, while one beginning +1 334 comes from Alabama.

334 Area Code vs ZIP Codes

A 334 number won't reveal a ZIP code, and a ZIP code won't reveal an area code. Area codes are part of the telephone numbering plan, where the Alabama PSC approved the latest change for this region. ZIP codes are assigned by the US Postal Service for mail delivery, and the two maps were never designed to match.

Searches such as "what zip code is 334" usually want the postal code for an address in Montgomery, Auburn or Dothan. The ZIP code lookup on usps.com handles that: enter the full street address, or a city and state to see its ZIP codes.

How to Tell If a Call From 334 Is Legitimate (Spam Calls)

An unfamiliar 334 number could be a doctor's office returning your call or a stranger faking the digits. The FTC notes that scammers can spoof any number, so neither a 334 nor a 483 caller ID settles the question. What the caller wants matters more:

• The caller insists you decide now, before you can check anything.
• You're told to pay with a gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency or payment app.
• Someone says they're from a government agency and wants your Social Security number.
• You're asked for a verification code that just arrived by text.
• A recording prompts you to press a key to reach a person or be removed from a list, which the FTC advises against.

When in doubt, end the call and phone the organization yourself using a number you already trust. iPhone users can block a caller from Recents by tapping the number or Info button and choosing Block Caller. With the Google Phone app on Android, open More, then Call history, select the call and tap Block / report spam.

If you lost money or have details about the scammer, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. To report an unwanted call when nothing was lost, the FTC directs people to DoNotCall.gov.

How to Dial a 334 Phone Number

Every local call in the 334 region now takes all ten digits, area code first, even between two 334 phones or a 334 and a 483 phone. Long-distance calls still need a 1 before the ten digits. That rule has been mandatory since January 23, 2026.

Anything that stored a seven-digit number needed updating. A TDS customer notice listed life-safety and medical monitoring devices, fire and burglar alarms, security gates, contact lists, fax machines, call forwarding settings and voicemail.

How to Get a 334 Phone Number for Your Business

With a 334 number, customers in Montgomery, Auburn or Dothan have a familiar local number to call, wherever your team actually works. Getting one typically takes four steps:

1. 1Search for open numbers in 334, or accept a 483 number, which serves the same territory.
2. 2Decide who answers: an auto attendant menu, or teammates on the Ringflow apps for mobile and desktop.
3. 3Add business texting so customers can reach the same number by text.
4. 4Port a number you already use instead of printing a new one.

Ringflow sells local numbers across US area codes. The Alabama area codes page lists 334 with the state's other codes, and the full area code list covers every state. Incoming calls can ring through to Ringflow's mobile and desktop apps, business texting works on the same number, and a toll-free number can run alongside it. You can port an existing line and start with a free trial.

Conclusion

The 334 area code belongs to Montgomery and much of southeast Alabama, from Selma to Dothan. It split from 205 in 1995, handed Mobile to 251 in 2001 and, with numbers running low, gained the 483 overlay and mandatory ten-digit dialing in 2026.

Take an unexpected 334 call on its merits: weigh the request, call back through a trusted number and report scams to the FTC. For a local Alabama presence, Ringflow offers numbers in US area codes, can port the one you have and lets you start on a free trial.

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