A public safety answering point, or PSAP, is the 911 center designated to receive emergency calls and route them to emergency services personnel. Your phone company doesn't answer a 911 call. It routes the call to an emergency answering point that serves your location.
\n","summary":"A public safety answering point, or PSAP, is the 911 center designated to receive emergency calls and route them to emergency services personnel. A primary PSAP gets the call first, and a secondary PSAP takes calls transferred from a primary. The caller's location decides which PSAP a call reaches, which is why the address a VoIP provider holds for a phone matters at the PSAP's end.","publishedAt":"2026-05-12T16:31:56.115","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","editorialStatus":"APPROVED","lastReviewedAt":"2026-10-10T02:57:29.036","nextReviewDueAt":"2026-10-17T00:00:00","templateVersion":"v2","aliases":["What does PSAP stand for?","What is a public safety answering point?","PSAP meaning in 911","What is a 911 call center called?","Primary versus secondary PSAP","Who answers 911 calls?","PSAP definition under FCC rules","What is an emergency communications center?","How do 911 calls get routed to a PSAP?","PSAP versus dispatch center","What is a 911 answering point?","PSAP definition in telecom"],"confidenceScore":93,"confidenceLabel":"High","canonicalUrl":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"contributorOrganizationProfile":null,"contributorPerson":null,"sections":[{"id":"89d3b332-c6ab-437e-bfea-89de2e787e98","sectionKey":"what_a_psap_does","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"What a PSAP does","introMarkdown":"Under [the FCC's definition](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/9.3), a PSAP receives the 911 call and gets it to emergency services personnel. The center that answers can dispatch responders itself, or it can transfer the call to another center that does, which is where the primary and secondary labels come from.\n\nA PSAP doesn't have to be a single building. The word in the rule is \"designated,\" and it describes a role. NENA, the association that writes 911 standards, [defines a PSAP](https://kb.nena.org/wiki/PSAP_%28Public_Safety_Answering_Point%29) as \"a physical or virtual entity where 9-1-1 calls are delivered by the 9-1-1 Service Provider.\" Its glossary includes a consolidated PSAP, where several public safety agencies operate as a single 911 entity. It also includes a virtual PSAP, where the call takers work from different places and connect over an IP network. NENA ties that model to [Next Generation 911](https://www.answerstack.io/q/what-is-next-generation-911-ng911-and-how-is-it-different-from-e911) features or network-hosted PSAP equipment.","introHtml":"Under the FCC's definition, a PSAP receives the 911 call and gets it to emergency services personnel. The center that answers can dispatch responders itself, or it can transfer the call to another center that does, which is where the primary and secondary labels come from.
\nA PSAP doesn't have to be a single building. The word in the rule is "designated," and it describes a role. NENA, the association that writes 911 standards, defines a PSAP as "a physical or virtual entity where 9-1-1 calls are delivered by the 9-1-1 Service Provider." Its glossary includes a consolidated PSAP, where several public safety agencies operate as a single 911 entity. It also includes a virtual PSAP, where the call takers work from different places and connect over an IP network. NENA ties that model to Next Generation 911 features or network-hosted PSAP equipment.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":10},{"id":"d9e38a0b-4f0b-4a06-8676-8a16053be3d3","sectionKey":"primary_and_secondary","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Primary and secondary PSAPs","introMarkdown":"The difference between a primary and a secondary PSAP is the order in which they get the call. NENA defines a primary PSAP as one that 911 calls are routed to directly. A secondary PSAP is one that receives calls transferred from a primary.\n\nNorth Carolina's 911 Board [states the same split](https://it.nc.gov/about/boards-councils/nc-911-board/public-safety-answering-points) in terms of the work each one does. A primary PSAP is \"the first point of reception of a 911 call by a public safety agency.\" A secondary PSAP can receive the voice and data of a 911 call transferred from a primary, and it completes the process by dispatching police, ambulances, firefighters or other responders.\n\nThe Board's statewide list shows how that looks in one county. In Alamance County, Alamance County Central Communications is listed as a primary PSAP, and the Burlington Police Department is listed as a secondary. So the county has both kinds: a center classed as a first point of reception and a police department classed as one that takes transferred calls.\n\nThat means the person who answers a 911 call and the person who sends the police car can sit in different centers.","introHtml":"The difference between a primary and a secondary PSAP is the order in which they get the call. NENA defines a primary PSAP as one that 911 calls are routed to directly. A secondary PSAP is one that receives calls transferred from a primary.
\nNorth Carolina's 911 Board states the same split in terms of the work each one does. A primary PSAP is "the first point of reception of a 911 call by a public safety agency." A secondary PSAP can receive the voice and data of a 911 call transferred from a primary, and it completes the process by dispatching police, ambulances, firefighters or other responders.
\nThe Board's statewide list shows how that looks in one county. In Alamance County, Alamance County Central Communications is listed as a primary PSAP, and the Burlington Police Department is listed as a secondary. So the county has both kinds: a center classed as a first point of reception and a police department classed as one that takes transferred calls.
\nThat means the person who answers a 911 call and the person who sends the police car can sit in different centers.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":20},{"id":"1b5d29b6-7c0d-49ed-a622-939d7cea262f","sectionKey":"answering_point_types","sectionType":"table_section","heading":"The kinds of answering point","introMarkdown":null,"introHtml":null,"outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{"rows":[{"cells":["Primary PSAP","Receives 911 calls routed to it directly","NENA"]},{"cells":["Secondary PSAP","Receives 911 calls transferred from a primary PSAP","NENA"]},{"cells":["Alternate PSAP","Receives calls when the primary PSAP is unable to","NENA"]},{"cells":["Statewide default answering point","Designated by the state to receive 911 calls for the whole state, or for the parts no local PSAP serves","FCC rules"]},{"cells":["Appropriate local emergency authority","Not officially designated a PSAP, but able to receive 911 calls and dispatch responders or relay the call","FCC rules"]}],"columns":["Answering point","What it is","Defined by"]},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":30},{"id":"abafd2f2-e5de-4c3f-9246-6e74afbe9bdb","sectionKey":"no_local_psap","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"When no local PSAP takes the call","introMarkdown":"Where no local PSAP serves an area, a state can designate a default answering point for it. The FCC's rules also recognize that a police department, sheriff, fire department or emergency medical provider can receive 911 calls and dispatch without holding the PSAP designation.","introHtml":"Where no local PSAP serves an area, a state can designate a default answering point for it. The FCC's rules also recognize that a police department, sheriff, fire department or emergency medical provider can receive 911 calls and dispatch without holding the PSAP designation.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":40},{"id":"6a9f5c7e-c7f1-491c-81f0-c97a2308e88d","sectionKey":"how_a_call_reaches_the_psap","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"How a 911 call reaches the right PSAP","introMarkdown":"A 911 call is routed by the caller's location. For internet phone service, which has to connect 911 calls, [the FCC's E911 rule](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/9.11) requires the provider to send the call, the calling number and the location to the PSAP \"that serves the caller's dispatchable location.\" Dispatchable location means a validated street address, plus a suite, apartment or similar detail where that's needed to find the caller.\n\nLocation is used twice on the way. It decides which PSAP gets the call, and then it tells the call taker where to send help. [Microsoft's Teams documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/configure-dynamic-emergency-calling) describes both uses. The emergency service provider uses the location to pick the appropriate PSAP and route the call there. It then gives the PSAP dispatcher the caller's location.\n\nAtlantech Online, a business phone provider in Silver Spring, Maryland, [describes E911 the same way](https://www.atlantech.net/blog/nomadic-e911) from the provider's side. E911 identifies the caller's location and routes the call to the appropriate local PSAP. It then gives the PSAP that location, and Atlantech uses its own address, 1010 Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring, as the example.\n\nThis is why the address on file with a VoIP provider matters at the PSAP's end. With [Atlantech's static option](https://www.atlantech.net/blog/store-911-location-data-pidf-lo), the address assigned to a phone number is stored and sent to the 911 call center when that number dials 911. Atlantech warns that if you move the phone and don't update the address, the 911 center receives the wrong location.\n\nAn Atlantech customer can hear the address on file by [dialing 933](https://care.atlantech.net/kb/articles/testing-e911), one of the steps in [registering a VoIP phone for 911](https://www.answerstack.io/q/how-do-i-register-a-voip-phone-for-911).","introHtml":"A 911 call is routed by the caller's location. For internet phone service, which has to connect 911 calls, the FCC's E911 rule requires the provider to send the call, the calling number and the location to the PSAP "that serves the caller's dispatchable location." Dispatchable location means a validated street address, plus a suite, apartment or similar detail where that's needed to find the caller.
\nLocation is used twice on the way. It decides which PSAP gets the call, and then it tells the call taker where to send help. Microsoft's Teams documentation describes both uses. The emergency service provider uses the location to pick the appropriate PSAP and route the call there. It then gives the PSAP dispatcher the caller's location.
\nAtlantech Online, a business phone provider in Silver Spring, Maryland, describes E911 the same way from the provider's side. E911 identifies the caller's location and routes the call to the appropriate local PSAP. It then gives the PSAP that location, and Atlantech uses its own address, 1010 Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring, as the example.
\nThis is why the address on file with a VoIP provider matters at the PSAP's end. With Atlantech's static option, the address assigned to a phone number is stored and sent to the 911 call center when that number dials 911. Atlantech warns that if you move the phone and don't update the address, the 911 center receives the wrong location.
\nAn Atlantech customer can hear the address on file by dialing 933, one of the steps in registering a VoIP phone for 911.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":50},{"id":"863975d1-36d2-4c86-a5bd-513d6733571b","sectionKey":"what_a_psap_may_not_receive","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"What a PSAP may not receive","introMarkdown":"A PSAP can only work with the information that arrives, and two things can reduce it.\n\nThe first is the PSAP's own capability. The E911 rule says that if a PSAP isn't capable of receiving and processing the calling number or the location, the provider doesn't have to send the information that PSAP can't handle. The call still has to be delivered.\n\nThe second is the detail in the record. Atlantech says its static option doesn't carry a floor, suite or room number, so a call from a phone on that option arrives with a street address alone. Its dynamic option takes each phone's location from the LAN switch or WiFi access point it's connected to, and that location can include the floor or suite.\n\nNeither gap is visible to you when you dial. So when the call taker answers, say where you are, including the floor or suite.","introHtml":"A PSAP can only work with the information that arrives, and two things can reduce it.
\nThe first is the PSAP's own capability. The E911 rule says that if a PSAP isn't capable of receiving and processing the calling number or the location, the provider doesn't have to send the information that PSAP can't handle. The call still has to be delivered.
\nThe second is the detail in the record. Atlantech says its static option doesn't carry a floor, suite or room number, so a call from a phone on that option arrives with a street address alone. Its dynamic option takes each phone's location from the LAN switch or WiFi access point it's connected to, and that location can include the floor or suite.
\nNeither gap is visible to you when you dial. So when the call taker answers, say where you are, including the floor or suite.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":60}],"citations":[{"title":"47 CFR 9.3 Definitions (2024 edition)","url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2024-title47-vol1/pdf/CFR-2024-title47-vol1-sec9-3.pdf","excerpt":"Public safety answering point or PSAP. An answering point that has been designated to receive 911 calls and route them to emergency services personnel.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Regulatory definitions of PSAP, designated PSAP, statewide default answering point, appropriate local emergency authority, dispatchable location, ALI, ANI, MLTS notification contents, and the wireline E911 network built around a selective router.","domain":"govinfo.gov","publisherName":"U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo)"},{"title":"Location-Based Routing for Wireless 911 Calls, Report and Order (FCC 24-4)","url":"https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-24-4A1.pdf","excerpt":"The latest NENA data indicate that 5,748 PSAPs operate in the United States.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"National count of 5,748 primary and secondary PSAPs; roughly 12 percent wireless misroute rate; 158 million wireless 911 calls in 2022; about a minute of transfer delay per misroute; six month and 24 month compliance windows for location-based routing.","domain":"docs.fcc.gov","publisherName":"Federal Communications Commission"},{"title":"Facilitating Implementation of Next Generation 911 Services, Report and Order (FCC 24-78)","url":"https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-24-78A1.pdf","excerpt":"data collected in our annual 911 fee report indicate that over 217 million calls are made to 911 in the United States each year","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"More than 217 million 911 calls placed each year; 911 availability to over 98 percent of the population and 97 percent of counties; the two-phase NG911 transition framework; ESInet and NGCS description and the post-transition end state.","domain":"docs.fcc.gov","publisherName":"Federal Communications Commission"},{"title":"Facilitating Implementation of Next Generation 911 Services; Improving 911 Reliability, Second Report and Order (FCC 26-39)","url":"https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-26-39A1.pdf","excerpt":"since then, 911 Authorities have issued more than 190 requests to begin Phase 1 service and one request for Phase 2 service. The requests cover parts or all of twenty-eight states and encompass more than 2,200 PSAPs.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Status of the NG911 transition as of June 2026, including more than 190 Phase 1 requests covering 28 states and more than 2,200 PSAPs; documented PSAP outages in the National Capital Region and West Virginia; roughly $535 million in reported 2024 NG911 expenditures.","domain":"docs.fcc.gov","publisherName":"Federal Communications Commission"},{"title":"NENA Master Glossary of 9-1-1 Terminology (NENA-00-001)","url":"https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nena.org/resource/collection/87746f21-d7d1-4907-bc5a-685a1d047b0a/NENA_00-001_V15_Master_Glossary.pdf","excerpt":"Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP): A set of call takers authorized by a governing body and operating under common management which receives 9-1-1 calls and asynchronous event notifications for a defined geographic area and processes those calls and events according to a specified operational policy.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Operational definition of a PSAP; secondary PSAP as a transfer destination; backup PSAP as a non co-located disaster recovery answering point; direct dispatch, call relay, and call transfer handling patterns.","domain":"cdn.ymaws.com","publisherName":"National Emergency Number Association (NENA)"},{"title":"NENA i3 Standard for Next Generation 9-1-1 (NENA-STA-010.3b-2021)","url":"https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nena.org/resource/resmgr/standards/nena-sta-010.3b-2021_i3_stan.pdf","excerpt":"NENA i3 introduces the concept of an Emergency Services IP network (ESInet), which is designed as an IP-based inter-network (network of networks) that can be shared by all public safety agencies that may be involved in any emergency and a set of core services that process 9-1-1 calls on that network (NGCS).","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Definition of the ESInet and NG9-1-1 Core Services; the i3 PSAP; legacy PSAP gateways for centers that have not migrated; decommissioning of selective routers and ALI with routing by the Emergency Call Routing Function over SIP.","domain":"cdn.ymaws.com","publisherName":"National Emergency Number Association (NENA)"},{"title":"47 CFR 9.10 911 Service (2024 edition)","url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2024-title47-vol1/pdf/CFR-2024-title47-vol1-sec9-10.pdf","excerpt":"The requirements set forth in paragraphs (d) through (h)(2) and in paragraph (j) of this section shall be applicable only to the extent that the administrator of the applicable designated PSAP has requested the services required under those paragraphs and such PSAP is capable of receiving and using the requested data elements and has a mechanism for recovering the PSAP's costs associated with them.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Enhanced 911 obligations apply only where the designated PSAP has requested the service, is capable of using the data, and has cost recovery; text-to-911 valid request criteria and the six month routing deadline; automatic bounce-back messages.","domain":"govinfo.gov","publisherName":"U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo)"},{"title":"47 CFR 9.15 and 9.16 Multi-Line Telephone Systems: direct 911 dialing, notification, and dispatchable location (2024 edition)","url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2024-title47-vol1/pdf/CFR-2024-title47-vol1-sec9-16.pdf","excerpt":"unless such system is pre-configured such that, when properly installed ... a user may directly initiate a call to 911 from any station equipped with dialing facilities, without dialing any additional digit, code, prefix, or post-fix, including any trunk-access code such as the digit 9","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"PRIMARY","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"MLTS obligations to permit direct 911 dialing without a prefix, to provide dispatchable location to the PSAP, and to send MLTS notification; applicability to systems manufactured, sold, leased, or installed after February 16, 2020.","domain":"govinfo.gov","publisherName":"U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo)"},{"title":"Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), King County 911 Program Office","url":"https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/kcit/data-information-services/911-program-office/psaps","excerpt":"King County is served by 11 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), including 10 primary and 1 secondary center.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"INDEPENDENT","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"A working example of local PSAP structure: 11 PSAPs serving one county, 10 primary and 1 secondary; 24/7 operation; telecommunicator staffing; transfer to a secondary center for fire or medical assistance.","domain":"kingcounty.gov","publisherName":"King County, Washington"},{"title":"Public Safety Answering Points, North Carolina 911 Board","url":"https://it.nc.gov/about/boards-councils/nc-911-board/public-safety-answering-points","excerpt":"A secondary PSAP can receive voice and data from an enhanced 911 call transferred from a primary PSAP and complete the 911 process by dispatching law enforcement, ambulances, firefighters or other responders.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"INDEPENDENT","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"State-level description of a primary PSAP as the first point of reception that must handle enhanced 911 calls from all voice providers, and of a secondary PSAP as the center that receives transferred voice and data and completes dispatch.","domain":"it.nc.gov","publisherName":"North Carolina Department of Information Technology"},{"title":"States Focus on Bolstering the 911 Workforce","url":"https://www.ncsl.org/transportation/states-focus-on-bolstering-the-911-workforce","excerpt":"the average vacancy rate for public safety telecommunicators and emergency dispatchers nationwide was approximately 25% from 2019 to 2022","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"INDEPENDENT","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Telecommunicator vacancy rate near 25 percent from 2019 through 2022; 82 percent of PSAPs reporting staffing shortages in 2024; 25 states classifying telecommunicators as first responders or a related public safety occupation.","domain":"ncsl.org","publisherName":"National Conference of State Legislatures"},{"title":"Deep Intel on Nomadic E911 Service","url":"https://www.atlantech.net/blog/nomadic-e911","excerpt":"Calls to 911 are routed to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). E911 identifies the location of the caller and routes the call to the appropriate local PSAP.","quoteText":null,"sourceRole":"SUPPORTING","verifiedAt":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","supportsText":"Practitioner description of how VoIP and nomadic deployments attach location to a call as a PIDF-LO object in SIP signaling so it routes to the correct PSAP. Corroborated on the regulatory definition of dispatchable location by [1] and on MLTS obligations by [8].","domain":"atlantech.net","publisherName":"Atlantech Online"}],"revisions":[{"revisedAt":"2026-07-20T16:31:56.115+00:00","versionLabel":"Originally published","note":"","reviewedBy":null}],"relatedAnswers":[{"id":"b03c7fc2-b75b-407b-94c2-28d16792a61d","slug":"how-do-i-register-a-voip-phone-for-911","question":"How do I register a VoIP phone for 911?","publishedAt":"2026-07-20T16:31:58.611","confidenceScore":85,"confidenceLabel":"High","industry":{"id":"ff619d7c-d7d7-485e-a05a-53fba07f33ed","slug":"telecommunications","label":"Telecommunications","description":"Business voice, fiber, UCaaS, and network services"},"topic":{"slug":"emergency-calling","label":"Emergency Calling","description":"911, E911, and NG911 for VoIP and SIP: registration, location accuracy, and call routing.","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"Registering a VoIP phone for 911 means giving your provider the street address where the phone is used, plus the suite or floor if responders would need it, so the provider can tie that location to the phone. Atlantech Online documents two options: a static address per phone number for a desk phone, and location taken from switches and access points for phones that move inside a building. It also documents a support-ticket route for corrections, and a 933 call that reads the registered address back.","url":"/q/how-do-i-register-a-voip-phone-for-911"},{"id":"d646fe66-5b68-41ac-9f7a-3a885825df52","slug":"what-is-next-generation-911-ng911-and-how-is-it-different-from-e911","question":"What is Next Generation 911 (NG911), and how is it different from E911?","publishedAt":"2026-06-17T16:31:53.296","confidenceScore":92,"confidenceLabel":"High","industry":{"id":"ff619d7c-d7d7-485e-a05a-53fba07f33ed","slug":"telecommunications","label":"Telecommunications","description":"Business voice, fiber, UCaaS, and network services"},"topic":{"slug":"emergency-calling","label":"Emergency Calling","description":"911, E911, and NG911 for VoIP and SIP: registration, location accuracy, and call routing.","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"NG911 is an IP-based system for receiving, routing and delivering 911 calls. It replaces the circuit-switched network behind legacy E911, which delivers a voice call with the caller's number and location. The functions carry over and the architecture changes: NG911 routes on a location carried inside the call. Each 911 authority moves to it when its own network is ready.","url":"/q/what-is-next-generation-911-ng911-and-how-is-it-different-from-e911"},{"id":"dc46b870-84ce-4ca3-97d2-5d91dd4818de","slug":"what-is-enhanced-911-e911","question":"What is Enhanced 911 (E911)?","publishedAt":"2026-04-16T16:31:50.28","confidenceScore":90,"confidenceLabel":"High","industry":{"id":"ff619d7c-d7d7-485e-a05a-53fba07f33ed","slug":"telecommunications","label":"Telecommunications","description":"Business voice, fiber, UCaaS, and network services"},"topic":{"slug":"emergency-calling","label":"Emergency Calling","description":"911, E911, and NG911 for VoIP and SIP: registration, location accuracy, and call routing.","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"E911 sends the caller's phone number and location to the 911 center with the call. For business phone systems the standard is a dispatchable location, which the business records for each device, keeps current and tests.","url":"/q/what-is-enhanced-911-e911"}],"contributorStats":{"verifiedAnswers":149,"openDisputes":0},"schemaJson":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Question","name":"What is a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point)?","text":"What is a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point)?","url":"https://www.answerstack.io/q/what-is-a-psap-public-safety-answering-point","answerCount":1,"datePublished":"2026-05-12T16:31:56.115","about":[{"@type":"Thing","name":"Emergency Calling"},{"@type":"Thing","name":"Telecommunications"}],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A public safety answering point, or PSAP, is the 911 center designated to receive emergency calls and route them to emergency services personnel. Your phone company doesn't answer a 911 call. It routes the call to an emergency answering point that serves your location.","url":"https://www.answerstack.io/q/what-is-a-psap-public-safety-answering-point","upvoteCount":0,"datePublished":"2026-05-12T16:31:56.115","dateModified":"2026-07-17T00:00:00","citation":[{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"47 CFR 9.3 Definitions (2024 edition)","url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2024-title47-vol1/pdf/CFR-2024-title47-vol1-sec9-3.pdf"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Location-Based Routing for Wireless 911 Calls, Report and Order (FCC 24-4)","url":"https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-24-4A1.pdf"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Facilitating Implementation of Next Generation 911 Services, Report and Order (FCC 24-78)","url":"https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-24-78A1.pdf"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Facilitating Implementation of Next Generation 911 Services; Improving 911 Reliability, Second Report and Order (FCC 26-39)","url":"https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-26-39A1.pdf"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"NENA Master Glossary of 9-1-1 Terminology (NENA-00-001)","url":"https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nena.org/resource/collection/87746f21-d7d1-4907-bc5a-685a1d047b0a/NENA_00-001_V15_Master_Glossary.pdf"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"NENA i3 Standard for Next Generation 9-1-1 (NENA-STA-010.3b-2021)","url":"https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nena.org/resource/resmgr/standards/nena-sta-010.3b-2021_i3_stan.pdf"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"47 CFR 9.10 911 Service (2024 edition)","url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2024-title47-vol1/pdf/CFR-2024-title47-vol1-sec9-10.pdf"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"47 CFR 9.15 and 9.16 Multi-Line Telephone Systems: direct 911 dialing, notification, and dispatchable location (2024 edition)","url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2024-title47-vol1/pdf/CFR-2024-title47-vol1-sec9-16.pdf"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), King County 911 Program Office","url":"https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/kcit/data-information-services/911-program-office/psaps"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Public Safety Answering Points, North Carolina 911 Board","url":"https://it.nc.gov/about/boards-councils/nc-911-board/public-safety-answering-points"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"States Focus on Bolstering the 911 Workforce","url":"https://www.ncsl.org/transportation/states-focus-on-bolstering-the-911-workforce"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Deep Intel on Nomadic E911 Service","url":"https://www.atlantech.net/blog/nomadic-e911"}]}}}