Area code 825

825 is an Alberta area code, issued since April 9, 2016. Like 587 before it, 825 covers the whole province, so an 825 number can come from Calgary, Edmonton or a village in the Peace River country. The CRTC reserved 825 for Alberta in 2007, nearly nine years before the first number went out.

• April 9, 2016825 numbers first issued
• 2007Year the CRTC reserved 825 for Alberta
• 337Exchange areas, all in Alberta
• 2029Alberta's forecast exhaust year, in May

Where 825 numbers are issued

825 shares Alberta's 337 exchange areas with 403, 780, 587 and 368, from Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer to Fort McMurray, Peace River and Waterton Park.¹ The CRTC laid it over the whole province, so carriers can use 825 anywhere in Alberta.^3,4

That's why an 825 number on your screen says Alberta and nothing more. The older codes keep some meaning: 403 started as the southern code, including Calgary, and 780 as the northern one, including Edmonton.³

Reserved in 2007, switched on in 2016

When the CRTC approved 587 in June 2007, it reserved 825 for Alberta's next shortage at the same time.⁵ In January 2012 the forecast exhaust date for 403, 587 and 780 moved two years closer, to June 2018, and by July 2013 it was July 2016.⁶

On Oct. 30, 2013, the CRTC set 825's start for April 9, 2016, and set aside 368 for the round after.^4,6 Alberta already dialled ten digits, so no permissive dialling period was needed. The administrator reported that 825 went in on April 9, 2016, with no known issues.^4,6

Exact dates are NANPA in-service dates, plus the CRTC's approved date for 568. The administrator's history gives years for the older codes.^2,3,7

The code after 825 took a detour. The CRTC first set 368 for May 15, 2021, then agreed to move it to April 23, 2022, after a new forecast pushed exhaust out to November 2023.^8,9

Next for Alberta: 568 in 2028

The CRTC set aside 568 for Alberta in November 2022 and approved it on Sept. 29, 2026, with a start date of June 10, 2028.^7,10 The administrator's July 2026 forecast has the current five codes running out in May 2029.¹¹ Nobody will have to change numbers.⁷

Alberta is second in line in Canada. Only eastern Quebec is forecast to run out sooner, in November 2028, and its new code, 273, starts on Feb. 27, 2027.¹¹ Our area code lookup lists the forecast for all 18 areas.

Calls and texts from 825 numbers

The CRTC says callers can change what shows on your call display, including copying the first six digits of your own number so a call looks like it comes from a neighbour.¹² The code on your screen tells you where a number was issued. It doesn't tell you who is calling.

• Don't trust call display. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says never to assume the number on your screen is accurate, for calls or texts.¹³
• Call back on a number you find yourself. If a caller says they're from your bank, a service provider, the police or a government agency, hang up and call the number on your card, your statement or the organization's website.^12,13
• Don't tap links in texts. Forward suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM), then delete them.^13,14
• Report it. Report fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or to your local police, even if you didn't lose money.^12,14
• Cut down on telemarketing. Register your number on the National Do Not Call List and file a complaint about unwanted telemarketing calls.¹²

What people are saying

We read Alberta threads on Reddit about 825 numbers. Ten years on, several commenters said they still don't recognize it.

• "When I moved back to Alberta temporarily I got an 825 and people thought I was a scammer. Try to get 780"

  Commenter on r/Edmonton, Jan. 14, 2026¹⁵

  825 is as Albertan as 780. The CRTC laid it over the whole province in 2016.⁴

• "I didn't know 825 was Edmonton. I always assumed they were scam calls from another province"

  Commenter on r/Edmonton, Jan. 15, 2026¹⁵

  825 isn't only Edmonton. It covers all of Alberta, Calgary included.³

• "For the record, the newest one is 368."

  Commenter on r/Edmonton, Jan. 14, 2026¹⁵

  Correct at the time. 368 started on April 23, 2022, and 568 is now approved for June 10, 2028.^2,7

• "I just got a new 825 number and anyone who tries to text me from the USA gets this error"

  Poster on r/Calgary, March 2, 2022¹⁶

  We couldn't confirm the cause with an official source, and the thread doesn't say whether it was fixed. By then 825 had been in service for almost six years.²

Claims we checked

• Out of date
  825 shares its territory with two older codes, 403 and 780.

  Teloz's 825 guide says 825 shares the province "with two older prefixes" and that it has "the same footprint as area codes 403 and 780."¹⁷ The footprint is right, but Alberta has five codes in service: 403, 780, 587, 825 and 368, which started on April 23, 2022.^2,3 A sixth, 568, is approved for June 10, 2028.⁷

Questions people ask

How we did this

We counted exchange areas in the Canadian Numbering Administrator's listing dated Oct. 7, 2026, and took the history from the administrator's relief history, its archived 403/587/780 relief report, the NANPA database and CRTC decisions 2007-42, 2013-574, 2019-130, 2021-101, 2022-308 and 2026-252. The forecast comes from the administrator's Sept. 29, 2026 status report. Advice on calls comes only from the CRTC, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the Government of Canada. Reddit quotes are verbatim, with usernames left out. The clock uses fixed offsets and Alberta's 2026 time rules, not your device's settings.

Area codes change slowly, but new codes, forecasts and time rules do move. Each change goes in the update log below.

Update log

• Oct. 7, 2026, 10:19 p.m. ETFirst published. Data checked against the numbering administrator's and NANPA's files dated Oct. 7, 2026.