Area Code 701

About Area Code 701

Area code 701 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Fargo, North Dakota. It operates in the Central time zone and was first introduced in 1947. Original NANP code. State-wide North Dakota.

Within North Dakota, area code 701 is the only active area code, covering the entire state. The state's 783,609-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 1 active code, with 701 primarily responsible for the Fargo region. North Dakota's state capital is Bismarck, and its largest city is Fargo.

When you receive a call from a 701 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 701 area code — but be aware that Local Number Portability (in effect since 2003) means the caller could be physically located anywhere in the US or Canada. Area code 701 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 701 area code located?

Area code 701 is assigned to Fargo, North Dakota, in the Central time zone. The state of North Dakota uses 1 active area code, and 701 is the only one. Calls placed from the 701 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 701 prefix appears on Caller ID for both landline and wireless calls placed from this region.

The Central time zone observes Daylight Saving Time, shifting from UTC-6 to UTC-5 in summer. The local time shown above is always current, so you can quickly check whether it's a reasonable hour to call back.

What cities and counties use the 701 area code?

The 701 area code serves 15 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 701 territory is Fargo (126,748 residents in Cass County).

• Fargo, ND — 126,748 residents (26.9% of 701 numbers)
• Bismarck, ND — 74,448 residents (15.8% of 701 numbers)
• Grand Forks, ND — 59,166 residents (12.6% of 701 numbers)
• Minot, ND — 48,494 residents (10.3% of 701 numbers)
• West Fargo, ND — 40,766 residents (8.7% of 701 numbers)
• Williston, ND — 27,396 residents (5.8% of 701 numbers)
• Dickinson, ND — 24,409 residents (5.2% of 701 numbers)
• Mandan, ND — 24,206 residents (5.1% of 701 numbers)
• Jamestown, ND — 15,609 residents (3.3% of 701 numbers)
• Wahpeton, ND — 7,799 residents (1.7% of 701 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 701

All phone numbers within area code 701 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(701) NXX-XXXX. The NXX is the central office prefix (also called an "exchange") and XXXX is the subscriber line number. For long-distance calls within the NANP, dial 1 + 701 + NXX + XXXX. From outside North America, dial your country's international access code, then 1 (the NANP country code), then the 10-digit number.

If you need to verify whether a specific 701 number is wireless, landline, or VoIP, you can use our reverse phone lookup tool. Be aware that number portability means the area code no longer guarantees the caller's physical location — only where the number was first assigned.

History of area code 701

Original NANP code. State-wide North Dakota.

The original 86 area codes were assigned by AT&T and Bell Labs in 1947 as part of the North American Numbering Plan. At the time, rotary-dial phones meant codes with lower digits (like 212 for NYC, 213 for LA, 312 for Chicago) were given to the largest cities because they took less time to dial. Today's area code assignments still reflect those early choices, even though touch-tone and cell phones made the original reason obsolete.

Is the 701 area code safe to answer?

Area code 701 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 701 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.