Every ZIP code in the United States, with weather, radar, trivia and the numbers behind it. Five digits since 1963!

ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan. The codes went live on July 1, 1963.The lowest ZIP code is 00501 — the IRS in Holtsville, New York.The highest ZIP code is 99950, in Ketchikan, Alaska.Type 07734 into a calculator and turn it upside down: hELLO. It is Keansburg, New Jersey.12345 belongs to one company: General Electric in Schenectady, New York.The first digit is a region: 0 is New England and New Jersey, 9 is the West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii.Mr. ZIP, the cartoon mailman, was the mascot that sold the idea to America.ZIP+4 arrived in 1983 and can narrow a ZIP down to one side of one block.A ZIP code is a mail route, not a place: plenty of them cross county and even state lines.Play ZIP Hunt: guess the secret ZIP code of the day in six tries.
zipcodes.pro — AREA-CODE/256

256 area code

Area code 256 is in Alabama. It covers Huntsville, Madison, Decatur and 204 other places: 201 ZIP codes in Madison, Morgan, Calhoun and 17 other counties. Local time there is , Central Time. In service since 1998; 938 (2010) overlays it, so a number from there can have either code.

State
Alabama
Time zone
Central
Largest city
Huntsville
Overlays
938
In service since
1998
Rate centres
92
Prefixes assigned
786 (7,860,000 numbers)

Who calls from a 256 number

NANPA records the carrier each block of 256 numbers is assigned to. Of the 7.7 million 256 numbers assigned, 38% are with mobile carriers (AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile); 35% with cable, internet-calling, business and other carriers (Onvoy and Bandwidth); 26% with local phone companies (AT&T).

That is who the numbers were assigned to: people keep their number when they change carrier, so any one number may have moved since.

Carriers holding the most 256 numbers
CarrierKindShare
AT&TLandline18%
AT&T MobilityMobile18%
OnvoyCable, VoIP, other12%
Verizon WirelessMobile12%
T-MobileMobile8%
BandwidthCable, VoIP, other5%

An area code says where a number was issued, not where the caller is: people keep their numbers when they move, and caller ID can be set to show any number, which the FCC calls spoofing. If a call you did not expect asks for money or personal details, the FCC advises hanging up and calling the company back on a number you look up yourself. Unwanted calls can be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Places in area code 256

The 78 places with a telephone rate centre of their own using 256, largest first. Each links to its ZIP codes.

Places in area code 256
PlaceZIP codesPopulation
Huntsville, AL 24 222,791
Madison, AL 3 60,106
Decatur, AL 5 57,361
Florence, AL 5 41,701
Gadsden, AL 6 33,374
Athens, AL 4 29,002
Albertville, AL 2 22,813
Anniston, AL 6 21,271
Cullman, AL 4 19,319
Hartselle, AL 1 15,847
Scottsboro, AL 2 15,712
Fort Payne, AL 2 14,927
Talladega, AL 2 14,760
Jacksonville, AL 1 14,437
Sylacauga, AL 2 12,309
Boaz, AL 2 10,814
Russellville, AL 2 10,799
Sheffield, AL 1 9,340
Guntersville, AL 1 8,916
Arab, AL 1 8,679
Attalla, AL 1 5,775
Rainsville, AL 1 5,702
Union Grove, AL 1 4,860
Piedmont, AL 1 4,740
Childersburg, AL 1 4,655
Hazel Green, AL 1 3,940
Centre, AL 1 3,700
Flat Rock, AL 1 3,543
Heflin, AL 1 3,467
Bryant, AL 1 3,426
Moulton, AL 1 3,401
Hanceville, AL 1 3,270
Red Bay, AL 1 3,201
Dadeville, AL 1 2,993
New Hope, AL 1 2,911
Owens Cross Roads, AL 1 2,826
Lineville, AL 1 2,546
Henagar, AL 1 2,501
Bridgeport, AL 1 2,246
Crossville, AL 1 2,143
Stevenson, AL 1 1,995
Ashland, AL 1 1,797
Collinsville, AL 1 1,781
Cedar Bluff, AL 1 1,629
Falkville, AL 1 1,606
Munford, AL 1 1,508
Goodwater, AL 1 1,445
Ardmore, AL 1 1,384
Grant, AL 1 1,336
New Market, AL 1 1,314
Rogersville, AL 1 1,260
Camp Hill, AL 1 1,238
Fyffe, AL 1 1,190
Killen, AL 1 1,150
Ohatchee, AL 1 1,148
Skyline, AL — 1,126
Cherokee, AL 1 1,120
Section, AL 1 1,069
Geraldine, AL 1 1,011
Leesburg, AL 1 998
Town Creek, AL 1 979
Pisgah, AL 1 923
Wedowee, AL 1 899
Leighton, AL 1 893
Sand Rock, AL — 868
Wadley, AL 1 753
Courtland, AL 1 723
Woodland, AL 1 682
Valley Head, AL 1 669
Lexington, AL 1 638
Rockford, AL 1 622
Gurley, AL 1 607
Ranburne, AL 1 556
Fruithurst, AL 1 554
Mentone, AL 1 377
Elkmont, AL 1 264
Delta, AL 1 225
Gaylesville, AL 1 151

Nearby places using 256

These places have no rate centre of their own in NANPA's records; the nearest one uses 256. Near an area-code boundary that can be wrong for part of a town.

ZIP codes in area code 256

201 ZIP codes in 143 towns, by the town each is mailed to, largest first. Each links to its own page.

Where 256 numbers are issued

NANPA's rate centres with the most 256 prefixes (each prefix is 10,000 numbers), under NANPA's own abbreviated names.

Rate centres using area code 256
Rate centrePlacePrefixes
HUNTSVILLE Huntsville 158
DECATUR Decatur 50
ANNISTON Anniston 43
GADSDEN Gadsden 37
CULLMAN Cullman 36
FLORENCE Florence 29

Counties

The counties of its ZIP codes, most residents first, with how many of its ZIP codes each has.

Which code covers where you are now? What area code am I in? answers from your location.

Questions about area code 256

Where is area code 256?

Area code 256 is in Alabama. It covers Huntsville, Madison, Decatur and 204 other places: 201 ZIP codes in Madison, Morgan, Calhoun and 17 other counties.

What ZIP codes are in area code 256?

201 ZIP codes, by the town each is mailed to: Huntsville (24, 35801 to 35899), Madison (3, 35756 to 35758), Decatur (5, 35601 to 35699), Florence (5, 35630 to 35634) and 139 more towns. The full list is on this page.

What time zone is area code 256 in?

Central time.

Is a 256 number a mobile or a landline?

It can be either. 38% of 256 numbers are assigned to mobile carriers and 26% to local phone companies (NANPA, 2026-10-10); the rest are with cable, internet-calling, business and paging carriers. A number keeps its area code when it moves to another carrier.

What area codes overlay 256?

938. They cover the same area as 256, so a new number there can be given any of them.

Does a 256 number mean the caller is in Alabama?

Not necessarily. An area code says where the number was first issued. People keep their numbers when they move or switch carriers, and calling software can show any number, so a 256 call can come from anywhere.

Other area codes in Alabama

All 7 Alabama area codes, by area, with the cities each covers

Source: NANPA NPA database, central office code and thousands-block assignments, 2026-10-10. Places are matched to NANPA's rate centres by name; see sources.

Cite this page

zipcodes.pro. “Area code 256.” Data release 2026-10-12. Retrieved 2026-10-20. https://zipcodes.pro/area-code/256

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