Choosing your .gov domain name
What’s in a name?
Your domain name represents your organization and your services to the world online. Good domain names are memorable and easy to say out loud, like over the phone or in a presentation.
The names of government organizations across the nation can be similar or even identical, so our domain naming rules aim to prevent confusion. Names that uniquely apply to your organization are likely to be approved over names that could also apply to other organizations. In most instances, this requires including your state’s two-letter abbreviation in the domain name.
We recommend against using dashes and numbers in a domain name because they can be hard to interpret when heard out loud and are often forgotten when typed.
Check availability
Search to see if the .gov domain you want is available.
Naming requirements for specific organization types
.Gov domain names must follow the naming requirements for your type of organization.
Federal agencies may request generic domain names. Generic names may not be approved when an agency lacks significant or singular authority over a thematic topic.
Federal agencies in the executive branch are subject to M-23-10 and its implementation guidance.
This includes the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
State .gov domains must include the two-letter state abbreviation or clearly spell out the state name.
Likely to be approved:
Unlikely to be approved:
Names that uniquely apply to your organization are likely to be approved over names that could also apply to others.
Tribal governments recognized by the federal or a state government.
Tribal domains may include the suffix -nsn, for native sovereign nation.
Likely to be approved:
Unlikely to be approved:
Names that uniquely apply to your organization are likely to be approved over names that could also apply to others.
This organization type includes counties, parishes, or boroughs.
Most county .gov domains must include the two-letter state abbreviation or the full state name. County names that aren’t shared by any other city, county, parish, town, borough, village or equivalent in the U.S. (at the time a domain is granted) don’t have to refer to their state in their domain name. Counties can include “county” in their domain to distinguish it from other places with similar names.
We use the Census Bureau’s National Places Gazetteer Files to determine if county names are unique.
Likely to be approved:
Unlikely to be approved:
Names that uniquely apply to your organization are likely to be approved over names that could also apply to others.
This organization type includes cities, towns, townships, villages, etc.
Most city domains must include the two-letter state abbreviation or clearly spell out the state name. Using phrases like “City of” or “Town of” is optional.
Cities that meet one of the criteria below don’t have to refer to their state in their domain name.
- The city name is not shared by any other U.S. city, town, village, or county. We use the Census Bureau’s National Places Gazetteer Files to determine if names are unique.
- The city is so well known that it doesn’t need a state reference to communicate location. We use the list of U.S. “dateline cities” in the Associated Press Stylebook as part of our decision.
- It’s one of the 150 largest cities by population, according to the Census Bureau.
Likely to be approved:
Unlikely to be approved:
Names that uniquely apply to your organization are likely to be approved over names that could also apply to others.
These are independent organizations within a single state.
Domain names must represent your organization or institutional name, not solely the services you provide. It also needs to include your two-letter state abbreviation or clearly spell out the state name.
Likely to be approved:
Unlikely to be approved:
Names that uniquely apply to your organization are likely to be approved over names that could also apply to others.
Requests for your organization’s initials alone may not be approved.
School districts that aren’t part of a local government are eligible for .gov domains. However, consider the following when deciding whether .gov is a good fit for your school district:
- While school district employees work in the public sector, most of their external interactions (e.g., teacher-to-parent/student, or administration-to-vendor) are different in nature from typical government interactions.
- Students should never be given email addresses that use a .gov domain.
Domain names must represent your organization or institutional name. Names that uniquely apply to your organization are likely to be approved over names that could also apply to others.
Requests for your organization’s initials or an abbreviated name are unlikely to be approved.
These are organizations officially established by two or more states.
Names that uniquely apply to your organization are likely to be approved over names that could also apply to others. Requests for your organization’s initials alone may not be approved.
