What a SAME code does
SAME stands for Specific Area Message Encoding. Every county in the United States has its own 6-digit number. A weather radio that knows your number stays quiet for warnings far away and sounds the alarm for the ones that are about you. Without it, the radio goes off for every warning the transmitter sends out, and that can be a lot of counties. And a radio that wakes you for other people's storms is a radio you will want to switch off.
Which transmitter to pick
Many counties are covered by more than one transmitter. The National Weather Service says a reliable signal "typically extends in about a 40 mile radius from the transmitter, assuming level terrain", and that hills and distance can block it. So the nearest transmitter on the map is not always the clearest one in your kitchen. Try each frequency in the table and keep the one with the least hiss.
All counties in one table, per state
Prefer a full list? These state pages show every county with its code and transmitters. More states follow.
- Texas SAME codes254 counties
- Florida SAME codes67 counties
- Alabama SAME codes67 counties
- Louisiana SAME codes64 parishes
- Oklahoma SAME codes77 counties
Still need a radio?
The code only helps if the radio can use it. Our guides: 5 best NOAA weather alert radios and best emergency weather radios.
Where this comes from: the county codes and the transmitter list are a copy of the National Weather Service's NOAA Weather Radio county coverage listing, copied on October 11, 2026. We added nothing and estimated nothing. Transmitters go off the air for repairs and come back, so for today's status the official listing is the one to trust.
