Area codes 270 and 364

Area codes 270 and 364 are telephone overlay area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) serving western and south central Kentucky counties. Area code 270 was introduced in 1999 after splitting from the original 502 area code, which had covered the entire state since its introduction in 1947. The split followed the Eastern and Central time zone boundary, assigning 270 to Kentucky's Western Time Zone region. However, due to rapid growth in telephone usage, 270 faced number exhaustion by 2007.

Efforts to relieve this pressure began with plans to introduce area code 364 as a split in 2007, but these were repeatedly delayed. The delays were attributed to number conservation measures, economic factors, and reduced demand for dedicated telephone numbers. Eventually, on March 3, 2014, area code 364 was implemented as an overlay rather than a split, allowing existing 270 numbers to remain unchanged while requiring 10-digit dialing for local calls in the affected region. This decision aimed to balance the needs of wireless users and minimize service disruptions.

The area codes cover major cities including Bowling Green, Paducah, Owensboro, Henderson, and Madisonville. Both 270 and 364 operate as overlays, with no planned splits currently.