At 4 a.m. at the Port of Long Beach, cranes are already moving containers off ships that crossed the Pacific, and dispatchers are on the phone coordinating truckers, customs brokers, and warehouse managers across the Southeast Los Angeles basin. Almost every one of those calls starts with three digits: 562.
The 562 area code is the telephone signature of Long Beach and the communities that ring it. If you’ve received a call from a 562 number and want to know whether it’s legitimate, if you’re considering a local number for a business in the region, or if you’re simply researching California area codes, this guide covers everything — the exact location and cities, the time zone, the 1997 history, dialing rules, and how to stay safe from phone scams spoofing the code.
562 Area Code at a Glance
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| Region | Southeastern Los Angeles County + northwestern Orange County |
| Anchor city | Long Beach |
| Created | January 25, 1997 |
| Split from | 310 area code |
| Time zone | Pacific Time (UTC−8 standard / UTC−7 daylight) |
| Overlay codes | None — 562 is the sole code in its territory |
| Dialing | 10-digit required for all local calls |
| Population served | Approximately 1.5 million |
Where Is the 562 Area Code Located?
The 562 area code covers southeastern Los Angeles County, anchored by the city of Long Beach, plus a small slice of northwestern Orange County. It sits between the dense urban core of Los Angeles (213/323 and 310) to the west and northwest and Orange County (714/657) to the southeast. This is one of Southern California’s most commercially active suburban corridors — a mix of port logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and residential neighborhoods.
Cities in the 562 Area Code
Around 30 communities use 562 numbers. The major ones include:
- Long Beach — the anchor city and California’s seventh-largest, home to the Port of Long Beach, one of the busiest container ports in the United States.
- Downey — a major commercial and healthcare hub, home to large hospital campuses and retail centers.
- Whittier — historic city along the San Gabriel foothills with a strong small-business downtown.
- Norwalk — home to county government facilities including the LA County registrar’s office.
- Lakewood — one of the first large postwar planned suburbs in the U.S., now a retail powerhouse.
- Cerritos — anchored by the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and a major auto mall.
- Bellflower — a growing suburban city along the Lakewood Boulevard corridor.
- Paramount — an industrial and residential city between Long Beach and Downey.
- Pico Rivera — a former Ford factory town turned logistics hub.
- La Mirada — home to Biola University and a quiet suburban base.
- Santa Fe Springs — heavily industrial, with dense manufacturing and distribution activity.
- Signal Hill — a small city entirely surrounded by Long Beach, famous for its oil-derrick history.
- Seal Beach and Los Alamitos — coastal and border communities in Orange County’s portion of the code.
The territory also touches parts of La Habra in Orange County, where telephone exchange boundaries cross the county line.
Counties and ZIP Code Ranges
Nearly all 562 numbers sit in Los Angeles County, with the remainder in Orange County. Major ZIP code ranges include 90601–90810, 90638–90899, and 90701–90899. If you’re dialing from outside the region, a 562 caller is almost certainly in the Long Beach corridor of southeast LA County.
History of the 562 Area Code
Before 1997, Long Beach and its neighbors shared the 310 area code, which itself had only split off from 213 in 1991. The mid-1990s brought an explosion in demand for phone numbers — mobile phones were going mainstream, and fax machines, pagers, and dial-up modems were consuming number blocks at a rapid pace. The 310 territory was running out of prefixes.
Regulators chose a geographic split rather than an overlay. On January 25, 1997, the 562 area code went into service covering the southeastern portion of 310’s territory, centered on Long Beach. The split gave Long Beach its own distinct telephone identity, separate from the Westside and coastal communities that kept 310.
Since then, 562 has remained a single-code region — no overlay has ever been added. That makes 562 unusual in Southern California, where codes like 213, 310, and 818 have all picked up overlays. Every 562 number unambiguously signals the Long Beach corridor.
One important change did arrive: on October 24, 2021, ten-digit dialing became mandatory in 562 (as it did nationwide in areas with 7-digit numbers conflicting with the new 988 crisis line). Residents now dial the full 10-digit number for every local call.
What Time Zone Is the 562 Area Code?
The entire 562 area code operates in the Pacific Time Zone (PT):
- Winter (early November – mid-March): Pacific Standard Time (PST), UTC−8
- Summer (mid-March – early November): Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), UTC−7
Practical offsets:
| Your time zone | 562 (Pacific) is… |
|---|---|
| Eastern (ET) | 3 hours behind |
| Central (CT) | 2 hours behind |
| Mountain (MT) | 1 hour behind |
If you’re calling a Long Beach business from the East Coast at 9 a.m. Eastern, it’s 6 a.m. Pacific — likely before the office opens. For business calls, aim for late morning Eastern onward.
How to Dial a 562 Number
- Local calls within 562: Dial all 10 digits — 562 + the 7-digit number. Ten-digit dialing is mandatory.
- Long-distance calls from elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada: Dial 1 + 562 + the 7-digit number.
- International calls: Dial your country’s exit code (011 from the U.S.), then 1 + 562 + the 7-digit number. From most countries the format is
+1 562 XXX XXXX. - Toll-free: 562 is not a toll-free code — it’s a standard geographic area code. Standard long-distance or plan rates apply.
You can get a 562 number without living in Long Beach. Virtual phone and VoIP providers assign 562 numbers to businesses anywhere, routing calls to any device. That’s popular with companies wanting a Southeast LA local presence.
Is the 562 Area Code a Scam?
No — 562 is a legitimate area code, not a scam prefix. It serves roughly 1.5 million real residents and businesses in the Long Beach area. However, like every U.S. area code, 562 numbers are sometimes spoofed by scammers using “neighbor spoofing” — displaying a local-looking number so you’re more likely to pick up.
Common scams reported from spoofed 562 numbers include:
- IRS or tax debt threats demanding immediate payment by gift card or wire transfer.
- Utility shutoff scams claiming your electricity or gas will be cut off today.
- Tech support scams warning that your computer is infected.
- Package delivery scams asking you to confirm personal details for a “missed delivery.”
Protect yourself with these habits:
- Don’t trust caller ID alone — scammers can display any number, including 562.
- Never give personal or financial information to an unexpected caller.
- Hang up and call back on the organization’s official published number.
- Don’t press buttons or call back unknown numbers — it confirms your line is active.
- Report scams to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and block the number.
A genuine Long Beach business will never pressure you into instant payment over the phone.
562 Area Code FAQs
What cities are in the 562 area code?
Long Beach is the anchor city, joined by Downey, Whittier, Norwalk, Lakewood, Cerritos, Bellflower, Paramount, Pico Rivera, La Mirada, Santa Fe Springs, Signal Hill, Seal Beach, and Los Alamitos, plus roughly 30 communities across southeastern Los Angeles County and a small part of northwestern Orange County.
What time zone is the 562 area code in?
Pacific Time. It observes Pacific Standard Time (UTC−8) from early November through mid-March and Pacific Daylight Time (UTC−7) from mid-March through early November — 3 hours behind Eastern Time.
When was the 562 area code created?
The 562 area code was created on January 25, 1997, when it split from the 310 area code to meet growing number demand in Southeast Los Angeles during the mobile phone boom of the mid-1990s.
Does the 562 area code have an overlay?
No. As of 2026, 562 is a single-code region with no overlay. Ten-digit dialing is still required, but that’s because of the nationwide 988 transition, not an overlay.
Is the 562 area code toll-free?
No. 562 is a standard geographic area code for California. Calls to 562 numbers are billed according to your carrier’s normal long-distance or plan rates — toll-free codes are 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833.
Can I get a 562 phone number if I don’t live in California?
Yes. Virtual phone providers and VoIP services can assign a 562 number that routes to any phone, anywhere. Many businesses use this to establish a Long Beach-area presence without a physical office.
Conclusion
The 562 area code is Long Beach’s own telephone territory — carved from 310 in January 1997 and serving the industrial, port-driven, and suburban heart of southeastern Los Angeles County ever since. It runs on Pacific Time, requires ten-digit dialing, and stands out as one of Southern California’s few remaining single-code regions.
Whether you received a call from a 562 number, you’re setting up a local line for a Southeast LA business, or you’re mapping California’s area codes, you now know exactly where 562 reaches, when it was created, and how to dial it. Bookmark this guide the next time an unfamiliar 562 number appears on your screen — you’ll know precisely where it’s from.