The 904 area code is Jacksonville and Florida’s First Coast — all or most of Duval, Nassau, Baker, Bradford, Clay, St. Johns, and Union counties — and since February 26, 2024, the identical territory is also served by the brand-new 324 overlay.
That second sentence is the one most pages about 904 still get wrong. The overlay is recent enough that plenty of directories, PDFs, and “area code lookup” articles describe Jacksonville as a one-code town. It isn’t anymore — and if a 324 number just called you, that gap in the record is probably why you’re here.
Where is the 904 area code?
Northeast Florida: Jacksonville and its beaches, Fernandina Beach, Yulee, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Ponte Vedra Beach, Macclenny, Starke, and the St. Johns County communities around St. Augustine.
The footprint is the Jacksonville metro plus its rural western edge — the stretch of coast Floridians call the First Coast. Everything runs on Eastern Time. Daytona Beach and Lake City sit just outside in 386, Gainesville and Ocala in 352, and southeast Georgia across the state line uses 912.
What is the 324 area code?
324 is the overlay of 904 — same Northeast Florida territory, in service since February 26, 2024, assigned to new lines as Jacksonville’s 904 inventory runs out.
The Florida Public Service Commission approved the overlay on June 3, 2022 (Docket No. 20220036-TP), and NANPA’s implementation schedule brought mandatory ten-digit dialing to the region on January 29, 2024, a month before the first 324 prefixes could activate. No existing number changed. A 324 caller is exactly as local to Jacksonville as a 904 one — the mechanics are the standard overlay playbook covered in our area code guide.
Why 324 numbers are still rare
The overlay came with a built-in brake: under NANPA’s planning letter, prefixes in 324 are assignable only after every assignable prefix in 904 is gone. That makes 324 a reserve tank, not a parallel pool — which is why, more than two years in, the overwhelming majority of First Coast numbers still start with 904, and why a 324 number can look “fake” to people (and to stale lookup sites) that haven’t caught up.
From half of Florida to the First Coast
904 started enormous. Florida was a single 305 territory in 1947; Tampa’s 813 was carved out in 1953; and in 1965 the whole northern half of the state — Pensacola to Jacksonville to Daytona — became 904.
Growth then shrank it in three cuts:
- 1995: Gainesville and Ocala left for the new 352.
- June 23, 1997: the Panhandle — Tallahassee, Pensacola, Panama City — split off as 850.
- 2001: Daytona Beach, Lake City, and the remaining outlying sections became 386.
What remained is the compact Jacksonville-centered code of today. Miami, where the whole story began, was shrinking the same way — 305 lost Orlando to 407 in 1988 and Broward to 954 in 1995 — before regulators switched to the 786 overlay in 1998, the same fix Jacksonville has now adopted with 324.
Screening an unfamiliar 904 or 324 call
Context first: the First Coast’s calling patterns have a distinct flavor. Jacksonville hosts two major Navy installations — Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport — plus the JAXPORT seaport, major hospital systems, and large banking and logistics back offices. Military housing offices, base contractors, port logistics coordinators, and shipping-line customer service are all routine 904 traffic.
Then apply the non-negotiable rule: the area code proves nothing about the caller. Caller ID spoofing can write 904 onto a screen from anywhere on earth — neighbor spoofing goes further and copies your own prefix — and even honest numbers port, travel, and originate over VoIP. If an unexpected call asks for money, credentials, or urgency, hang up and phone the organization back on a number you find yourself. That habit beats every lookup tool, including this page.
Holding a 904 number without a Jacksonville office
Numbers in 904 are issued against the rate center, so the office can be anywhere — a business serving the First Coast can present a Jacksonville identity regardless of address, the standard local presence dialing play. Jacksonville customers answer Jacksonville numbers; a contractor chasing Navy or port work benefits from digits that look like they’re from the same base of operations.
SIPNEX provisions local DIDs in 904 and across every US market, terminates them on SIP trunks sized for dialer traffic, and signs each outbound call at A-level STIR/SHAKEN attestation — the signal that separates legitimate local presence from the spoofing it superficially resembles.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the 904 area code located?
Northeast Florida — Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Fernandina Beach, Orange Park, Green Cove Springs, Ponte Vedra Beach, and the St. Johns County communities around St. Augustine. Since February 2024 the same territory is also served by the 324 overlay, so both codes reach the same local calling area. The region is on Eastern Time.
Why did I get a 324 number instead of a 904 one?
Your carrier drew from the overlay pool. New 324 prefixes activate only as 904 prefixes exhaust, so newer lines in the Jacksonville area increasingly land in 324. The number is identical to a 904 one in coverage, cost, and localness — see our DID provisioning if you specifically want 904 digits while they last.
Did Jacksonville ever have a different area code?
Yes — 305. Florida was one giant 305 territory from 1947 until Tampa’s 813 split off in 1953, and Jacksonville carried 305 until the northern half of the state became 904 in 1965. Jacksonville has kept 904 through every later split (352 in 1995, 850 in 1997, 386 in 2001).
Do calls to 324 numbers cost more than calls to 904?
No. An overlay changes nothing about rating or routing — a 324 number sits in the same Northeast Florida rate centers as its 904 neighbors, so local stays local and toll stays toll. Any price difference you’re quoted for “the new code” is a red flag, not a telecom fact.
Is a call from a 904 number really from Jacksonville?
Not necessarily. The number was issued for a First Coast rate center, but numbers port and travel, VoIP dials from anywhere, and spoofing can display digits the caller doesn’t own. Verify any unexpected caller by phoning the organization back on its published number.
SIPNEX is an FCC-licensed carrier providing local DID numbers across Florida and every US market, toll-free numbers as a registered RespOrg, and high-volume SIP trunking — every call signed with our own STIR/SHAKEN certificate. Talk to an operator at (833) 665-2220 or see rates.
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