The area code 980 is located in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Area code 980 serves the greater Charlotte, North Carolina region as an overlay to the long‑standing 704 area code. Located in south-central NC, Charlotte is a major business, sports, and travel hub, anchored by Uptown Charlotte, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, and key interstates I‑77 and I‑85. The 980 overlay was introduced in the early 2000s (with 10‑digit dialing) to add numbering capacity for the fast-growing metro. It covers the same geography as 704, so both area codes appear across the same neighborhoods and suburbs.
Major cities and communities in the 980/704 overlay include:
You’ll find landmarks like the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Bank of America Stadium, the Spectrum Center, UNC Charlotte, and Lake Norman within the 980 service area. Because 980 is an overlay, 10-digit dialing is required for local calls, but calling areas remain local. New phone numbers in the Charlotte region may receive either 980 or 704, and both area codes point to the same region—so the area code alone doesn’t reveal an exact neighborhood. Notably, 980/704 formed North Carolina’s first area code overlay, a common solution to expand available phone numbers in high-growth cities.
"Area codes 980 and 704 operate as an overlay serving the Charlotte region, requiring 10-digit dialing." — Source: North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA)