804 Area Code – Location map, time zone, and phone lookup

Introduction

The 804 area code represents more than a numbering system—it embodies the Richmond region's cultural and commercial identity. Securing a 804 number helps establish credibility, foster community connections, and access local resources. Spanning the capital city of Richmond and its surrounding counties, the code covers a diverse mix of government, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing employers, and traces its roots to a 1973 split from Virginia's original 703 area code.

As Richmond's population and business base have grown, so has demand for local numbers — enough that regulators added the 686 overlay to the 804 territory in 2024. That shift changed how everyone in the region dials, which is exactly the kind of detail a business securing a new 804 number today needs to get right from the start. A full Virginia area codes breakdown maps how 804 fits alongside the rest of the state.

Key Takeaways

• 804 split from Virginia's original 703 area code in 1973 and now shares its territory with the 686 overlay, added in 2024
• Covers Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, and a wide swath of central and eastern Virginia out to the Chesapeake Bay
• A local number signals credibility for finance, healthcare, and government-facing businesses across the region

Geography and History of the 804 Area Code

804 covers the Richmond metro area and a wide stretch of central and eastern Virginia, running from the fall line at Richmond out toward the Middle Peninsula and the Northern Neck along the Chesapeake Bay.

• City of Richmond — the state capital, seat of Virginia government and the region's financial and healthcare core
• Henrico County — surrounding Richmond to the north and east, home to a large share of the metro's suburban population and corporate offices
• Chesterfield County — south of the James River, a major residential and light-industrial suburb
• Petersburg and Colonial Heights — historic cities south of Richmond along the I-95 corridor
• Hanover County — including Mechanicsville and Ashland, home to Randolph-Macon College
• The Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck — rural counties along the Chesapeake Bay at the eastern edge of the 804 footprint

804 traces back to 1973, when it split off from 703 — Virginia's original 1947 area code, which at the time covered the entire Commonwealth. The new 804 code took the eastern two-thirds of the state, including Richmond.

As Virginia kept growing, its numbering territory was split further: Hampton Roads and southeastern Virginia split off with 757 on July 1, 1996, and Charlottesville and south-central Virginia split off with 434 on June 1, 2001, each carve-out narrowing 804's footprint to the Richmond region it serves today. (703 itself later gave rise to 540 in 1995 and, from there, 276 in 2001, covering the Shenandoah Valley and southwestern Virginia — a separate branch of the same original code.) Richmond's own numbers kept growing too, and by the early 2020s the region was projected to run out of available 804 combinations.

The Virginia State Corporation Commission approved a fix in November 2022, and the 686 area code went live as an overlay on February 1, 2024 — meaning 804 is no longer a standalone code, and new numbers across the Richmond region can carry either prefix. The 703 area code guide covers the neighbouring ground.

How to Get a 804 Area Code Phone Number

Methods to Obtain a 804 Area Code Phone Number

• Traditional Phone Service Providers: Contact carriers like Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile for landline/mobile options
• VoIP Providers: Services like RingCentral, Grasshopper, Google Voice offer flexible internet-based solutions
• Virtual Phone Number Providers: Cloud-based options including letsdial enable virtual numbers without physical lines
• Number Porting: Transfer existing numbers to new carriers while retaining 804 area code

Step-by-Step Process

1. 1Visit the provider's website and check availability of 804 numbers
2. 2Choose a plan matching your business needs
3. 3Select your preferred 804 number from the available options
4. 4Complete registration and configure account settings to activate

Because 804 now shares its numbering pool with the 686 overlay, availability of a specific 804 prefix can be tighter than it was before 2024 — a cloud provider that searches both codes at once gives businesses more options than calling a single traditional carrier. More detail sits on our business phone system page.

Phone Number Format, Dialing Rules, and Calling Hours

Standard format: (804) XXX-XXXX, where the area code identifies the region, the next three digits identify a local exchange, and the final four digits are the unique line number.

Dialing Rules

• Local calls: dial the full 10-digit number (804-XXX-XXXX or 686-XXX-XXXX) — the 686 overlay made 10-digit dialing mandatory across the region, so 7-digit local dialing no longer works
• Long-distance calls: dial 1 + area code + number (1-804-XXX-XXXX)
• Toll-free calls: dial 1 + toll-free code + 10-digit number

The entire 804 area code observes Eastern Time — UTC-5 in winter (EST) and UTC-4 during Daylight Saving (EDT). The Richmond region shares the clock with Washington D.C., New York, and Atlanta, and is one hour ahead of Central Time neighbors and three hours ahead of Pacific. Businesses calling into the 804 footprint from the West Coast should plan for the time difference to reach government offices, healthcare providers, and financial firms during normal Richmond business hours — mid-morning to early afternoon Pacific, or late morning through mid-afternoon Central, is the safest window.

Benefits, Economic Impact, and Culture of the 804 Area Code

Business and Economic Benefits

• Local presence: businesses with an 804 number are instantly recognized as local, building community trust
• Increased customer trust: local numbers inspire more confidence than out-of-state alternatives, especially for finance and healthcare callers
• Targeted marketing: area-specific campaigns reach Richmond-region demographics more precisely

Major Industries in the 804 Region

• Finance and banking: Capital One anchors a significant financial-services presence in the metro
• Healthcare: VCU Health and other major medical centers drive regional employment and innovation
• Government: state government offices headquartered in Richmond, the Commonwealth's capital
• Manufacturing and logistics: food processing, paper products, and chemicals remain steady economic contributors along the I-95 corridor

That industry mix shapes what a business phone number needs to do in the 804 region. A finance or healthcare company fielding calls from state agencies, hospital networks, or Fortune 500 corporate offices in Henrico benefits from a number that looks and behaves like a local line — routing to the right department, supporting business hours that match Eastern Time, and standing up to scrutiny from compliance-conscious callers who screen out anything that looks like an out-of-state robocall.

Cultural Significance

Richmond's music and arts scene has produced genuine national names: Grammy-winning R&B artist D'Angelo is a Richmond native, and novelist David Baldacci, born and raised in the city, frequently sets scenes in the region. On screen, Richmond and nearby Petersburg served as filming locations for Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" (2012), trading on the region's preserved Civil War-era architecture. On the sports side, former NFL fullback Michael Robinson grew up in Richmond and played at Varina High School, and Mike London coached the University of Richmond Spiders before moving on to Virginia.

Together, this mix of finance, healthcare, government, and cultural institutions is why an 804 number reads as more than just a phone prefix to local customers — it signals a real stake in the region. That record is published in full as public record for area code 804.

Scams and Safety Precautions

Common Scams

• Phishing scams: fraudsters pose as local businesses or authorities to extract sensitive information
• Robocall scams: automated calls with misleading or malicious messages
• Spoofing scams: fake caller IDs mimicking local 804 or 686 numbers to seem trustworthy

Identifying Suspicious Calls and Staying Safe

• Verify caller ID and be cautious with unfamiliar or blocked numbers, even ones that look local
• Watch for red flags: urgent or threatening messages requesting personal or financial data
• Register on the National Do Not Call Registry and use call-blocking apps or carrier features
• Never share personal or financial details with an unsolicited caller, no matter how local the number looks

Reporting Suspicious Activity

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC): file scam complaints at reportfraud.ftc.gov
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC): report unwanted calls and texts
• Local authorities: contact Richmond-area police or sheriff's offices for scam-related concerns

Because Richmond is Virginia's capital, the region sees a specific flavor of impersonation scam on top of the usual robocalls: callers posing as the DMV, the Virginia Employment Commission, or state tax officials, banking on the fact that a real 804 number belongs to a government office somewhere in the metro. A genuine state agency will never demand immediate payment by gift card or wire transfer over the phone — treat any call that does as a scam regardless of how legitimate the caller ID looks, and confirm by calling the agency back on a number from its official website.

804 is officially documented under the North American Numbering Plan, which governs area code assignments across the US, Canada, and the Caribbean.

Conclusion

The 804 area code serves vital roles in regional communication, commerce, and culture. Benefits include enhanced business credibility, efficient communication, and a genuine stake in Richmond's cultural identity. Descended from Virginia's original 703 area code through a 1973 split, 804 has weathered decades of growth — most recently the 2024 addition of the 686 overlay — to remain the numbering identity of Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, and the surrounding central Virginia counties. As the region grows, this code remains a symbol of community pride and economic development, adapting to technological and regulatory changes while anchoring businesses in government, finance, and healthcare to their local market.

Frequently Asked Questions