KENTUCKY · AREA CODE GUIDE
859 area code location: Lexington and Covington, Kentucky
- Local date and time
- Eastern Time
Use arrow keys to pan. To zoom, use plus and minus, or hold Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll. On touch screens, use two fingers.
Download the 859 area code map
A printable area code 859 location map, with time zone and state. Use the PNG image in a document or slide; the SVG stays sharp at any size.
859 area code at a glance
- Country and calling code
- United States (+1)
- In service since
- Parent code
- 606
- New code planned
- No, as of 22 September 2026
An area code does not show where a caller is now.
Sources: NANPA area code listing, NANPA places by area code. Checked .
Time zone
- Eastern Time
- Standard time UTC−05:00
- Daylight saving time UTC−04:00
Where 859 reaches
859 numbers are issued across 42 communities. These are telephone exchange areas, which follow the phone network rather than city limits, so a place can sit just outside the boundary of the town it is named for.
- Lexington
- Covington
- Richmond
- Nicholasville
- Independence
- Winchester
- Danville
- Berea
- Alexandria
- Versailles
- Paris
- Harrodsburg
- Mount Sterling
- Cynthiana
- Wilmore
- Walton
- Lancaster
- Williamstown
- Springfield
- Junction City
- Falmouth
- Carlisle
- Midway
- Warsaw
- Burgin
17 more communities
- Perryville
- Millersburg
- Butler
- North Middletown
- Glencoe
- Willisburg
- Mackville
- Boone
- Bryantsville
- Cornishville
- Ford
- Kirksville
- Little Rock
- Mooresville
- Paint Lick
- Salvisa
- Waco
Notable places in 859
| Place | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| University of Kentucky | 4.0 km from Lexington | University, 35,216 12-month enrollment (2023–24) |
| Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport | 12.9 km from Covington | Commercial airport, 4,500,414 enplanements (2024) |
| Transylvania University | 3.4 km from Lexington | University, 1,029 12-month enrollment (2023–24) |
| Berea College | 1.9 km from Berea | College, 1,505 12-month enrollment (2023–24) |
| Creation Museum | 23.5 km from Covington | Museum |
| Blue Grass Airport | 10.5 km from Versailles | Commercial airport, 776,297 enplanements (2024) |
| Rupp Arena | 4.0 km from Lexington | Arena |
| Ark Encounter | 2.6 km from Williamstown | Amusement park |
| Kroger Field | 4.6 km from Lexington | Stadium |
| Cynthiana-Harrison County Airport | 2.5 km from Cynthiana | Airport |
Area code 859 covers central and northern Kentucky — Lexington and the Bluegrass, up to the Ohio River suburbs of Cincinnati. It entered service on 1 April 2000, split from 606. It has no overlay code.
Where 859 reaches
859 numbers are issued across 42 communities in central and northern Kentucky. These are telephone exchange areas, which follow the phone network rather than city limits, so a place can sit just outside the boundary of the town it is named for:
All 42 places, A to Z
- Alexandria
- Berea
- Boone
- Bryantsville
- Burgin
- Butler
- Carlisle
- Cornishville
- Covington
- Cynthiana
- Danville
- Falmouth
- Ford
- Glencoe
- Harrodsburg
- Independence
- Junction City
- Kirksville
- Lancaster
- Lexington
- Little Rock
- Mackville
- Midway
- Millersburg
- Mooresville
- Mount Sterling
- Nicholasville
- North Middletown
- Paint Lick
- Paris
- Perryville
- Richmond
- Salvisa
- Springfield
- Versailles
- Waco
- Walton
- Warsaw
- Williamstown
- Willisburg
- Wilmore
- Winchester
The northern end of the code sits inside the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metropolitan statistical area. Covington, Florence, and Independence are on the Kentucky side of the river.
Notable places in 859
Places a caller might name, and the community in the 859 list that reaches them.
| Place | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| University of Kentucky | Lexington | Public university |
| Keeneland | Lexington | Thoroughbred racetrack and auction house |
| Kentucky Horse Park | Lexington | Equestrian park and museums |
| Blue Grass Airport | Lexington | The region’s commercial airport |
| Blue Grass Army Depot | Richmond | US Army munitions depot |
| Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond | Public university |
| Fort Boonesborough State Park | Richmond | Reconstructed 1775 frontier fort on the Kentucky River |
| Centre College | Danville | Liberal arts college |
| Berea College | Berea | Tuition-free liberal arts college |
| Asbury University | Wilmore | Private university |
| Woodford Reserve Distillery | Versailles | Bourbon distillery |
| Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill | Harrodsburg | Historic Shaker settlement |
| Perryville Battlefield | Perryville | Civil War battlefield and state historic site |
No overlay code
859 has no overlay, and no second code is planned as of 22 September 2026, so new numbers in the 859 territory are issued in 859.
History
- 1 April 2000 — 859 enters service, split from 606 under Planning Letter 205 from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA). The split moved the Bluegrass and northern Kentucky into the new code, while 606 retained eastern Kentucky.
- No overlay since. 859 has served the territory as a single code since.
On a telephone keypad, 859 spells UKY.
Related Kentucky area codes
| Region | Area code |
|---|---|
| Eastern Kentucky — Ashland, Somerset, Middlesboro | 606 |
| Louisville, Frankfort, Shelbyville | 502 |
| Western Kentucky — Bowling Green, Owensboro, Paducah | 270 |
| Cincinnati, Ohio, across the river | 513 |
Questions about 859
What cities are in the 859 area code?
NANPA lists 42 communities in 859, including Lexington, Covington, Independence, Richmond, Nicholasville, Winchester, Danville, and Versailles. The full list is above.
Does 859 have an overlay?
No. 859 has no overlay, and no second code is planned as of 22 September 2026.
What time zone is 859 in?
Eastern Time throughout — UTC−5 in winter, UTC−4 during daylight saving. Kentucky as a whole spans two zones, but 859 sits entirely in the Eastern part.
Is Danville in 859 or 606?
- Danville sits near the boundary with 606, but NANPA lists it in 859.
Business phone numbers with Goodcall
Goodcall offers business phone numbers in area code 859 and an AI agent that answers them: an AI answering service and receptionist for Lexington, Covington, and the rest of central and northern Kentucky.
859 has no overlay. NANPA assigns no second code to its territory, so a new geographic number there is an 859 number — there is no companion code a customer might not recognize.
The two ends of it are different markets. Lexington and the Bluegrass sit at one end; Covington, Florence, and Independence sit at the other, inside the Cincinnati metropolitan area and across the river from another state. A business working both ends covers them with a single 859 number.
Goodcall provides a business phone number with an AI agent that answers calls. Depending on how it is configured, the agent can take caller details, answer questions you give it, route calls, and — with a supported calendar integration — book appointments. Whether a specific 859 number is available depends on what carriers have left.
Questions about 859
Where is the 859 area code?
859 is in Kentucky. Its numbers are issued in Lexington, Covington, Richmond, and 39 other communities.
What time zone is area code 859 in?
859 is in Eastern Time. Daylight saving time is observed.
Business phone numbers in area code 859, answered by an AI agent
A local number for Lexington, Covington, and Richmond, Kentucky, with an AI receptionist that takes caller details, answers the questions you give it, and books appointments. Numbers depend on what carriers have left.