701 Area Code: North Dakota Location and Time Zone

Introduction

The 701 area code is the phone code for all of North Dakota. Numbers issued in the state, from Fargo and Grand Forks in the east to Bismarck, Minot and Dickinson farther west, start with 701, because it is still the only area code North Dakota has ever had.

That makes the location question easy. A few other details are less obvious: the state straddles two time zones, local calls still work with seven digits, and a North Dakota number on caller ID doesn't guarantee a North Dakota caller. This guide covers each of them.

Where Is the 701 Area Code?

Area code 701 is North Dakota's statewide area code. It covers all 53 counties and has no overlay, so the code follows the state line on every side.

The code dates to the first nationwide numbering plan in 1947, when it was assigned as one of the original area codes. Plenty of states have since been split into several codes or given overlays; North Dakota has kept 701 alone for its whole history.

Area codes stop at the border, so a caller from just across the Red River in Minnesota or over the Montana line won't show 701. The reverse also holds: a 701 number reveals where the line was issued, and someone who moved away can keep a North Dakota mobile number for years.

Cities and Counties in the 701 Area Code

Because the code is statewide, every North Dakota city and county falls under 701. The table lists a sample of larger communities with their county and time zone, which matters more here than in most single-code states.

Smaller places such as Devils Lake, Belcourt, Arnegard and Argusville share the same code. For a quick summary of the state's numbering, see Ringflow's North Dakota area code page.

701 Area Code Time Zone (Central and Mountain Time)

The 701 area code spans two time zones. Most of North Dakota, including Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck and Minot, is on Central Time. A cluster of counties in the southwest corner of the state, among them Adams and Grant counties, follows Mountain Time, one hour earlier.

Federal rules draw the line mostly along rivers and county borders. It follows the Missouri River and the Little Missouri River, the western line of Mercer County and the southwestern edge of Morton County, then runs down State Highway 31 through Sioux County, leaving the part of Sioux County west of the highway on Mountain Time.

That line has moved west over the decades. Central Time was extended over most of the state in 1929, and federal transportation officials later shifted 14 counties to Central Time in 1968, Oliver County in 1992, Morton County and eastern Sioux County in 2003, and Mercer County in 2010.

Both zones observe daylight saving time, so the one-hour gap between them never changes. Central Standard Time is UTC−6 and Mountain Standard Time is UTC−7, each moving an hour ahead from March to November. In practice, a 9 a.m. call to Bismarck reaches Dickinson at 8 a.m.

Why North Dakota Still Dials Seven Digits

North Dakota came close to changing how its residents dial. Once the FCC picked 988 as the nationwide short number for reaching the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, any area code where seven-digit local calls were allowed and 988 was working as a prefix had to move to ten digits. A 988 prefix was in use in 701.

Instead of adopting ten digits statewide, the North Dakota Public Service Commission worked with the state's phone companies to take numbers starting with 988 out of public use. A footnote on the FCC's roster of affected codes records that the 701-988 prefix had been handed back, which kept 701 off the roster and let seven-digit local calls carry on.

Keeping a single code takes effort as the supply of numbers shrinks. In 2021 the commission joined New Hampshire and Maine in asking the FCC for more flexibility in how numbers are assigned, with the aim of freeing unused numbers and keeping one area code for the state.

701 Area Code vs ZIP Codes

The number 701 identifies a telephone region, not a postal one. ZIP Codes are a Postal Service tool for sorting mail; area codes are handed out through the telephone numbering plan. The two were never designed to line up, in boundaries or in digits.

North Dakota shows the mismatch clearly: one area code for the whole state, but many ZIP Codes spread across it, so a phone number can't point to any one of them. For a street address in Fargo, Minot or a small town, the USPS ZIP Code search returns the right code.

How to Tell If a Call From 701 Is Legitimate

A call from 701 could be your co-op, a clinic in Bismarck or someone who has never set foot in North Dakota. Caller ID is easy to fake, and the FTC warns that scammers often borrow the area code of whoever they're dialing. In a state with a single area code, that means nearly every spoofed local-looking call will start with 701.

Then call the organization back at a number you've found on your own. Report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and unwanted telemarketing at DoNotCall.gov. Blocking tools help too: many cell phones can block a specific number, phone companies offer call-blocking or call-labeling services, and landlines can be fitted with a small call-blocking box.

How to Dial a 701 Phone Number

Within North Dakota, a local number can still be dialed with just its seven digits. From outside the state, add the area code, and the long-distance prefix where your phone needs it.

• Local call in North Dakota: the seven-digit number, for example 555-0118.
• From another US state or Canada: 1 + 701 + the seven-digit number, for example 1-701-555-0118.
• From another country: the international exit code, 1, 701 and the local number (+1 701 555 0118).

When you save North Dakota contacts on a mobile phone, store them with 701 or +1 701 in front, so the number works wherever you are when you call. Each group of digits is explained in our US phone number format breakdown.

How to Get a 701 Phone Number for Your Business

Since 701 covers the whole state, one number reads as local to customers in Fargo, Bismarck and Minot alike. That's handy for a company serving a large, spread-out state from a single office, or from outside North Dakota entirely.

1. 1Look through the area codes Ringflow offers, search for a North Dakota number and check what's available.
2. 2Choose how calls are answered, either straight to the mobile and desktop apps or through an auto attendant with options for each team.
3. 3Account for the time zone split when you set business hours, especially if you serve customers on both sides of the line.
4. 4Turn on business texting and, if customers already use a number of yours, port it rather than replacing it.

Want national reach as well? Add a toll-free number alongside your local line, or browse the US area code list for other markets. Ringflow's free trial lets you set everything up before committing.

Conclusion

Area code 701 is simple on the map, one code for all of North Dakota since 1947, and more nuanced in daily use. The state is divided between Central and Mountain Time, and seven-digit local calls outlasted the 988 change.

Screen unexpected 701 calls the way you would any unknown number, since spoofers favor local area codes. For businesses serving North Dakota, Ringflow can provide a local number from its available area codes, route calls to your apps and port the number you already have.

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