EX postcode district map, Exeter
Supplier statuses last checked .
The EX postcode area covers 33 districts and 22,913 live postcodes, from EX1 to EX39. It is centred on Exeter and also covers Barnstaple, Bideford, Tiverton, Exmouth and Okehampton.
Districts here average 694 postcodes.
Where the EX districts sit
6 districts are plotted without a label where labels would overlap; every one is in the table below.
Where EX sits
It falls across Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.
Water supply across EX
All 33 EX districts are supplied by South West Water, which is notable at this size: an area with this many districts usually crosses at least one supply boundary, and this one does not.
South West Water has a hosepipe ban in force from 8 August 2026, covering the whole of EX.
The shape of the EX area
EX4 is the largest district with 1,464 postcodes around Exeter, and EX35 the smallest with 119. The area divides into 130 postcode sectors.
No single district dominates: the largest holds only about 6 per cent of the area's postcodes.
The numbering is not continuous. EX runs up to 39 but has only 33 districts, so 6 numbers are unused:.
Several districts share a settlement, which is a common source of confusion when a form rejects an address: EX1, EX2, EX4, EX5 and EX6 all point at Exeter, EX18 and EX19 all point at North Tawton and EX21 and EX22 all point at Holsworthy.
What borders EX
EX sits next to TA (Taunton) to the east, TQ (Torquay) to the south, PL (Plymouth) to the south west, CF (Cardiff) to the north and DT (Dorchester) to the east.
Its neighbours run in 4 different directions, so EX is landlocked by other postcode areas on most sides.
EX districts, settlements and water supply
| District | Principal settlement | Water company | Hosepipe ban status |
|---|---|---|---|
| EX1 | Exeter | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX2 | Exeter | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX3 | Topsham | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX4 | Exeter | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX5 | Exeter | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX6 | Exeter | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX7 | Dawlish | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX8 | Exmouth | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX9 | Budleigh Salterton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX10 | Sidmouth | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX11 | Ottery St Mary | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX12 | Seaton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX13 | Axminster | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX14 | Honiton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX15 | Cullompton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX16 | Tiverton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX17 | Crediton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX18 | North Tawton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX19 | North Tawton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX20 | Okehampton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX21 | Holsworthy | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX22 | Holsworthy | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX23 | Bude | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX24 | Colyton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX31 | Barnstaple | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX32 | Barnstaple | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX33 | Northam | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX34 | Ilfracombe | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX35 | Lynton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX36 | South Molton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX37 | South Molton | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX38 | Great Torrington | South West Water | Ban in force |
| EX39 | Bideford | South West Water | Ban in force |
Principal settlement is the town or city each district sits in or nearest to, derived from OS Open Names. It is not the Royal Mail post town, which is licensed data and not published openly. Status is resolved live from each company’s own notice.
Water hardness in EX
No water company covering EX publishes hardness figures as open data. The gap is named per district below so you know who to ask.
| District | Hardness | As published | Supply zone | Published by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EX1 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX2 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX3 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX4 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX5 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX6 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX7 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX8 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX9 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX10 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX11 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX12 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX13 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX14 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX15 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX16 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX17 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX18 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX19 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX20 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX21 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX22 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX23 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX24 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX31 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX32 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX33 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX34 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX35 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX36 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX37 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX38 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EX39 | Not published by South West Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
Hardness is published per census area, not per postcode, so these figures characterise a district rather than measuring one address. They are a scale and taste matter, not a safety one. Hardness data version wessex-water@2022-2025+yorkshire-water@2026.
Download the EX data
No signup, no email wall. GeoJSON carries the district points, the supplier and the live status, so it can be dropped straight into a map.
District positions are averaged postcode centroids from OS Code-Point Open. They show roughly where a district sits, not where its boundary runs, and are not legal boundaries.
Frequently asked questions
How many postcode districts are in the EX area?
There are 33 EX postcode districts, running from EX1 to EX39, and they contain 22,913 live postcodes across 130 sectors.
What towns does the EX postcode area cover?
EX covers Exeter, Barnstaple, Bideford, Tiverton, Exmouth and Okehampton. The area takes its name from Exeter, and each district is listed with its settlement in the table on this page.
Which water company supplies EX postcodes?
South West Water supplies all 33 EX districts. Supply boundaries follow the pipe network rather than postcode geography, so confirm against your water bill if you are near the edge of the area.
Why do EX1 and EX2 both say Exeter?
EX1, EX2, EX4, EX5 and EX6 all serve Exeter, covering different parts of it. A single town routinely needs more than one postcode district once it passes a few thousand delivery points, so this is normal rather than an error in an address.
Can I download a free EX postcode map?
Yes. This page offers the EX districts as GeoJSON, CSV and SVG, free and with no signup or email address required. The GeoJSON carries each district's position, its water company and its current restriction status, so it can be dropped straight into a mapping tool.
Which councils cover the EX postcode area?
EX reaches into Devon, Somerset and Cornwall. A postcode area is not a council area: they were drawn for different purposes and a single district can sit across a council boundary, so your postcode does not tell you which authority you pay.
Why is there no EX30 postcode district?
EX30 is not in use. Postcode districts are allocated as sorting requirements change rather than numbered straight through, and a code that is retired or never brought into service is not reissued, so gaps in the sequence are normal.