Texas's 983 Area Code: Sheppard AFB & UNT Territory

Quick answer: The 983 area code is an overlay that shares the exact same footprint as 940, covering north Texas — Wichita Falls, Denton, Sherman-Denison, and Gainesville among them. It runs on Central Time and requires 10-digit dialing for every local call.

Introduction

North Texas outside the immediate Dallas-Fort Worth core has its own distinct identity, and 983 covers all of it. The region stretches from Wichita Falls near the Oklahoma border, home to Sheppard Air Force Base, through the fast-growing university city of Denton, out to smaller communities like Gainesville, Sherman-Denison, and Bowie.

It's a mix that doesn't fit neatly into a single label: military aviation training at Sheppard, two major universities in Denton, historic small-town squares along old cattle-trail routes, and — closer to the Metroplex — some of the fastest-growing suburban counties in the state. That growth, particularly in Denton County, is what eventually pushed the original 940 area code toward exhaustion.

This guide covers exactly where 983 reaches, how it came to share north Texas with 940, the cities it serves, how to dial it correctly, the business case for a local number, and how to stay safe from the scams that increasingly target the region.

Where the 983 area code reaches

The 983 area code covers the same territory as 940: a broad stretch of north Texas running from Wichita Falls near the Oklahoma border, east through Sherman-Denison and Gainesville, and south into Denton, one of the fastest-growing counties on the edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Because 983 is an overlay rather than a split, it does not claim a separate patch of the map. Every one of those cities has some numbers on 940 and some on 983, assigned as carriers exhaust each available block. The pattern is similar to what happened around another university-heavy overlay region — the 975 area layered onto 217 in central Illinois for much the same reason: steady population growth around a major public university eventually outpaces the original number pool.

A short history of Texas's 983 code

North Texas was originally served by 817, the same code covering Fort Worth and its suburbs, dating back to the earliest days of the North American Numbering Plan.

As the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex expanded through the 1990s, regulators split the region repeatedly to keep up: 972 split off in 1996 to cover parts of the Dallas suburbs, and in 1997, 940 split off to cover the more rural and small-city stretch of north Texas outside the immediate Metroplex, including Wichita Falls, Denton, and Sherman-Denison.

For more than two decades, 940 served that region on its own. But Denton County's population nearly tripled in that time, driven by suburban growth spilling north from Dallas-Fort Worth and steady enrollment growth at the University of North Texas. Rather than split the region again, Texas regulators approved an overlay. The 983 area code was added on top of 940's existing footprint, and 10-digit dialing became mandatory across the region from that point forward.

Major cities in the 983 area code

The 983/940 overlay spans a wide stretch of north Texas. The largest and most notable cities include:

Denton anchors the fast-growing southern end of the region, drawing national attention for its live music scene and two large universities. Wichita Falls, further west, carries a different identity built around Sheppard Air Force Base, one of the largest pilot-training installations in the country.

How to dial a 983 number

Because 983 and 940 overlay the same territory, every call in the region — even a call to your next-door neighbor — must include the area code.

Seven-digit dialing has not worked in north Texas since the overlay took effect. The region runs on Central Time — Central Standard Time (UTC−6) in winter and Central Daylight Time (UTC−5) in summer, the same clock as Dallas-Fort Worth. At noon in Denton it is 1 PM in New York, 11 AM in Denver, and 10 AM in Los Angeles. Far to the south, the 956 area covers the Rio Grande Valley border region on the same Central Time schedule.

Why choose a 983 number

A 983 number puts a business inside a fast-growing corridor on the edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex without requiring an office in Denton or Wichita Falls. Local numbers earn higher answer rates than unfamiliar out-of-area codes, and a 983 or 940 prefix reads as "local" across north Texas, even though most callers can't tell the two codes apart.

That local read matters for service businesses expanding north from the Metroplex, vendors working with the University of North Texas community, and remote teams supporting north Texas clients without relocating there. A virtual provider issues the number and forwards calls to whatever device is already in use — a mobile phone, a desk line, or a softphone app. My Country Mobile can activate a 983 number the same day, letting a business start answering as a local north Texas line immediately.

Staying safe from 983 scam calls

Overlay regions like 983/940 are attractive spoofing targets, since the mix of university, military, and small-town numbers using both codes makes a faked caller ID easy to blend in. Common scams include callers impersonating Sheppard Air Force Base personnel or contractors, fake university tuition and financial-aid calls targeting students and parents, and "neighbor spoofing" robocalls designed to look local.

Carriers increasingly rely on the FCC's STIR/SHAKEN framework to flag calls with spoofed caller ID, which is why some incoming 983 numbers now show up automatically labeled "Spam Risk." Still, the safest habit is manual verification: if an unexpected 983 caller demands payment, gift cards, or personal information, hang up and contact the organization directly using a number you already trust.

Conclusion

The 983 area code exists because north Texas's mix of university growth, military presence, and Metroplex-adjacent suburban expansion outgrew what 940 could hold on its own. Sharing its entire footprint with 940, it now covers everything from Denton's university campuses to Wichita Falls' airbase, all under a single mandatory 10-digit dialing rule.

For businesses, that growth is an opportunity: a 983 number puts you inside one of Texas's fastest-growing corridors instantly, with no office lease required. Whether the goal is university-town reach, a north Texas identity, or remote flexibility, a provider like My Country Mobile can have that number live the same day.

Key takeaways

• The 983 area code is an overlay on 940, covering north Texas.
• It includes Denton, Wichita Falls, Sherman-Denison, and Gainesville.
• 940 split from 817 in 1997; 983 was added later as an overlay to relieve growth.
• 983 runs on Central Time, matching Dallas-Fort Worth.
• A local 983 number builds instant north Texas credibility and can be activated from anywhere.
• Scammers spoof 983 numbers, so verify unexpected callers before sharing money or personal details.

Frequently asked questions