Area Code 970

About Area Code 970

Area code 970 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Fort Collins, Colorado. It operates in the Mountain time zone and was first introduced in 1995. Split from 303. Western & northern Colorado.

Within Colorado, area code 970 shares numbering capacity with 3 other area codes. The state's 5,839,926-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 4 active codes, with 970 primarily responsible for the Fort Collins region. Colorado's state capital is Denver, and its largest city is Denver.

When you receive a call from a 970 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 970 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 970 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 970 area code located?

Area code 970 is assigned to Fort Collins, Colorado, in the Mountain time zone. The state of Colorado uses 4 active area codes, and 970 is one of them. Calls placed from the 970 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 970 prefix appears on Caller ID for both landline and wireless calls placed from this region.

The Mountain time zone observes Daylight Saving Time, shifting from UTC-7 to UTC-6 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 970 area code?

The 970 area code serves 8 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 970 territory is Fort Collins (171,690 residents in Larimer County).

• Fort Collins, CO — 171,690 residents (7.4% of 970 numbers)
• Denver, CO — 715,522 residents (31% of 970 numbers)
• Colorado Springs, CO — 486,248 residents (21% of 970 numbers)
• Aurora, CO — 399,524 residents (17.3% of 970 numbers)
• Lakewood, CO — 156,706 residents (6.8% of 970 numbers)
• Thornton, CO — 142,442 residents (6.2% of 970 numbers)
• Arvada, CO — 123,436 residents (5.3% of 970 numbers)
• Westminster, CO — 115,625 residents (5% of 970 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 970

All phone numbers within area code 970 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(970) 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 + 970 + 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 970 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 970

Split from 303. Western & northern Colorado.

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 970 area code safe to answer?

Area code 970 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 970 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.