424 Area Code: West Los Angeles Location and Time Zone

Introduction

The 424 area code serves West Los Angeles and the South Bay in Los Angeles County, California, along with Santa Catalina Island and a small piece of Ventura County. It is not a separate region: 424 is an overlay that covers exactly the same territory as area code 310, and it has been handing out numbers there since August 2006.

People usually look up 424 after an unfamiliar call, or when a new line arrives with 424 instead of 310. This guide covers its communities, the overlay's long history, the time zone and how to check an unknown 424 call.

Where Is the 424 Area Code?

Area code 424 is in Southern California. The numbering plan area it shares with 310 takes in the West Los Angeles and South Bay parts of Los Angeles County, a small portion of Ventura County, and Santa Catalina Island, which lies 26 miles (42 km) to the south. Avalon, the island's only city, is among the places on the list.

On the mainland, the region follows the coast from Malibu past the Palos Verdes Peninsula to San Pedro and Wilmington, and reaches inland to Culver City, Inglewood, Gardena, Compton and Lynwood.

424 is used only in California, so searches for a “424 area code Texas” come up empty. For the history of the region itself, including how 310 came out of 213, see our 310 area code guide.

Cities and Counties in the 424 Area Code

The area codes 310 and 424 serve the same places, and nearly all of them are in Los Angeles County.

A few edge communities share ground with neighboring codes. Beverly Hills, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lynwood, Ladera Heights, West Hollywood and Willowbrook are partly in 323, South Gate and West Athens are mostly in 323, and part of Topanga uses 818. There, an address alone won't tell you which code a line carries.

For codes elsewhere in the state, the California area codes page lists each one with the region it serves.

424 Area Code Time Zone (Pacific Time)

Every 424 number is on Pacific Time. In winter that means Pacific Standard Time, eight hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-8). Daylight saving starts on the second Sunday in March, moving clocks to UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time), and runs until the first Sunday in November; both changes happen at 2 a.m.

Santa Monica is three hours behind New York and two behind Chicago, so a 9 a.m. meeting in Manhattan starts at 6 a.m. in Torrance.

424 and 310: One Area, Two Codes

An overlay adds a second code on top of an existing one instead of redrawing the map. Two neighbors on one street can have 310 and 424 numbers, and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said existing numbers, call prices and coverage areas would not change.

Getting there took years. Earlier proposals would have split 310 along Imperial Highway, the southern boundary of Los Angeles International Airport, with the South Bay taking 424. South Bay governments and businesses objected to reprinting cards, stationery and signs eight years after the last change, so an overlay was announced in early 1999 instead.

That plan met protests on the Westside, partly over ten-digit local dialing and partly over wasted numbers, which carriers still received in blocks of 10,000. On September 9, 1999, the California State Assembly passed the Consumer Area Code Relief Act of 1999, and the overlay was tabled.

The CPUC unanimously approved the overlay on August 25, 2005. The new dialing became optional on December 31, 2005 and mandatory on July 26, 2006, and 424 numbers were issued from August 26, 2006. For the 1991 and 1997 splits, see the 310 guide.

Is 424 a Country Code? What That Search Really Means

No. 424 is a US area code, not a country code. Every North American Numbering Plan country, including the US and Canada, uses country code +1, so the international form of a West LA number is +1 424 followed by seven digits.

In a “1 424” or +1 (424) caller ID, the 1 points to North America and 424 narrows the call to the 310 region. As a country calling code, 424 is unassigned; the nearby codes +420, +421 and +423 belong to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Liechtenstein.

424 Area Code vs ZIP Codes

A search for the “424 area code ZIP code” blends two separate numbering schemes. Area codes steer phone calls; ZIP Codes are five-digit numbers the US Postal Service uses for mail. Their boundaries were drawn separately, and in an overlay region any ZIP Code can contain both 310 and 424 numbers.

If you need the ZIP Code of a Culver City or Redondo Beach address, the Postal Service's online ZIP Code lookup at usps.com has it.

How to Tell If a Call From 424 Is Legitimate

The 424 code says nothing about whether a call is trustworthy. Caller ID can be faked, a trick the FTC calls spoofing, so the digits on your screen matter less than what the caller wants from you.

• A number you don't know. Let it go to voicemail; a genuine caller can leave a message.
• A rush. The FTC says most honest businesses give you time to think an offer over.
• An unusual way to pay. Being told to pay by gift card, crypto, a payment app or a wire is a scam sign, since that money is hard to recover.
• Requests for sensitive details. A government agency won't phone unprompted to ask for your Social Security number, and a verification code should never be read to a caller.
• A robocall menu. Don't press any numbers.

When someone says they're calling from your bank or a public agency, end the call and ring the organization back on a number you find yourself. Report scams that cost you money at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and unwanted calls with no loss at DoNotCall.gov.

iPhone owners can stop repeat calls from Recents in the Phone app: tap the 424 number (in Classic view, tap its Info button), scroll to the bottom and pick Block Caller. Android phones running Phone by Google do it through More, then Call history, where you open the call and choose Block / report spam.

How to Dial a 424 Phone Number

Since July 26, 2006, every call within the 310/424 region has needed 1 + area code + the seven-digit number, including a call from a 310 phone to a 424 neighbor. The CPUC notes that a local call remains a local call.

• From anywhere in the US or Canada, including the region itself: 1 + 424 + the seven-digit number.
• From outside North America: start with the international access code where you are, or tap +, then 1 424 and the seven digits.

When the FCC listed the area codes that had to drop seven-digit dialing for the 988 lifeline, 310 and 424 weren't on it, because callers here already dialed the area code.

Written down, a 424 number looks like (424) XXX-XXXX in US style or +1 424 XXX XXXX in international style. Our US phone number format guide explains what each group of digits means.

How to Get a 424 Phone Number for Your Business

A 424 number reads as local in Santa Monica, El Segundo and Torrance, just as a 310 number does, so pick whichever available number is easiest to remember:

1. 1Search for available 424 numbers and shortlist a few that are easy to say out loud.
2. 2Decide who answers: a single phone, a group that rings together, or an auto attendant menu that directs callers to sales, support or billing.
3. 3Install the mobile and desktop apps so the line rings wherever your team works, and turn on texting for customers who would rather send a message.
4. 4If you already have a 310 or 424 number with another carrier, port it instead of switching to a new one.

Ringflow provides local numbers in California area codes, 424 included, and you can browse codes nationwide in its area code directory. Calls reach your team on Ringflow's apps for phone and desktop, an auto attendant greets and routes callers, the same number sends and receives business texts, and number porting brings an existing line over. A free trial lets you test the setup first.

Conclusion

The 424 area code is the second code for West Los Angeles and the South Bay, layered over 310 in 2006 after a long public argument over whether to split the region. It serves the same cities, from Malibu and Santa Monica to Torrance, San Pedro and Avalon, keeps Pacific Time, and needs the area code on every call.

Handle an unknown 424 call the way you would any other: let voicemail screen it, don't pay or hand over codes because someone is pushing you, and block and report numbers that cross the line. For a local West LA presence, Ringflow can set up a 424 number that rings on your apps and handles texts, or port the number you already use.

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