In one embodiment of managing the use of channelization codes during soft handoff of a mobile station from a transferring network station to a candidate network station, a determination is made as to whether a field associated with an existing channelization code used by the candidate network station is unused and meets timing criteria associated with a corresponding field received by the mobile station from the transferring network station. Based on this determination, a channelization code for use by the candidate network station in communicating with the mobile station is assigned.