.gov

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Internet top-level domain used by the US government

title: ".gov" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["sponsored-top-level-domains", "domain-names-in-the-united-states", "general-services-administration", "internet-properties-established-in-1985"] description: "Internet top-level domain used by the US government" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.gov" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Internet top-level domain used by the US government ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Top level domain"]

FieldValue
namegov
background#FC0
imageLogo_for_.gov_TLD.svg
introduced
typeSponsored top-level domain
statusActive
registryCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
sponsorCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
intendeduseGovernmental entities
actualuseOnly the United States government; formerly only federal government but later expanded to include state and local government
restrictionsMust meet eligibility requirements and submit authorization letter
structureRegistrations at second level permitted
documentRFC 920; RFC 1591; RFC 2146
disputepolicyNone
website
dnssecYes
::

|name = gov |background = #FC0 |image = Logo_for_.gov_TLD.svg |caption = |introduced = |type = Sponsored top-level domain |status = Active |registry = Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency |sponsor = Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency |intendeduse = Governmental entities |actualuse = Only the United States government; formerly only federal government but later expanded to include state and local government |restrictions = Must meet eligibility requirements and submit authorization letter |structure = Registrations at second level permitted |document = RFC 920; RFC 1591; RFC 2146 |disputepolicy = None |website = |dnssec = Yes The domain name gov is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The name is derived from the word government, indicating its restricted use by government entities in the United States. The TLD is administered by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA),{{cite web |title=Delegation Record for .gov |publisher=Internet Assigned Numbers Authority |url=https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/gov.html |access-date=2021-07-11}} a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

gov is one of the original six top-level domains, defined in RFC 920. Though "originally intended for any kind of government office or agency", only U.S.-based government entities may register gov domain names, a result of the Internet originating as a U.S. government-sponsored research network.

Other countries typically delegate a second-level domain for government operations on their country-code top-level domain (ccTLD); for example, gov.uk is the domain for the Government of the United Kingdom, and gc.ca is the domain for the Government of Canada. The United States is the only country that has a government-specific top-level domain in addition to its ccTLD (us), a direct result of the United States federal government's role in the creation of the Internet.

gov domains are registered at get.gov.

History

gov is one of the original top-level domains created in 1984 (the other five being , , , , and ). The first site registered was in June 1985.

Beginning in 1997, the General Services Administration (GSA) began administering gov. In February 2011, the GSA selected Verisign to manage the registry services, replacing Native Technologies, Inc.

Responsibility for the TLD was transferred to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) under the DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act of 2020, part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

In January 2023, CISA selected Cloudflare to replace Verisign in providing registry services. Cloudflare also provides authoritative DNS services for the gov domain.

Use

Many governments in the United States use a gov domain, though most use .us (e.g., leg.state.nv.us), .com (e.g., myflorida.com), .org (e.g., lacity.org), or other TLDs (e.g., senate.mn). The full list of registered gov domains is published at get.gov/data.

During GSA's administration of gov, registration and annual renewal fees peaked at $400 per year. When CISA began managing the TLD in April 2021, all fees were removed.

Federal Executive branch policy requires the use of gov for civilian agencies, but some U.S. government-related websites use other domain names, including the United States Postal Service (e.g., usps.com) and various recruiting websites for armed services (e.g., goarmy.com). The United States Department of Defense and its subsidiary organizations typically use the mil sTLD instead of gov.

Eligibility

U.S.-based government organizations and publicly controlled entities are eligible to obtain a gov domain. This includes federal, state, local, or territorial government, as well as any tribal government recognized by the federal government or a state government.

To register a gov domain, an authorization letter must be submitted to CISA. The signer of the letter differs by entity type, but it is typically an agency's head, chief information officer (CIO), or highest-ranking or elected official.

Historically, only U.S. federal government agencies were allowed to register a gov domain. In May 2002, GSA proposed a change that would open registration to state, local, and tribal governments in the U.S.,{{cite web |url=https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/newsroom/news-releases/gsa-proposes-rule-to-make-dotgov-domain-available-to-nonfederal-government-entities |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905195217/https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/newsroom/news-releases/gsa-proposes-rule-to-make-dotgov-domain-available-to-nonfederal-government-entities |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 5, 2021 |title=GSA Proposes Rule to Make Dot-Gov Domain Available to Non-Federal Government Entities |publisher=General Services Administration |access-date=2 October 2021}} a change that went into effect in March 2003.

In November 2019, before the transfer of gov to CISA, GSA's authorization process was shown to be weak after someone impersonated the mayor of Exeter, Rhode Island in an authorization letter and successfully gained control of exeterri.gov. In response, GSA said it had implemented additional fraud prevention controls, and CISA advocated for transferring the TLD from GSA.

Policy

The DOTGOV Act requires that CISA maintain requirements that "minimize the risk of gov Internet domains whose names could mislead or confuse users". These include:

  • Requested names must correspond with the requesting entity's organization's name or services.
  • Generic terms are reserved for federal agencies, though generic words can be combined with state or local municipality names.
  • Most non-federal domain types require a two-letter United States postal abbreviations or state name equivalent, though exceptions are made. Rules have been established for municipalities whose names are unique, who are well-known, or that are among the most populous cities and counties in the nation.

The Act also requires that gov domains not be used for political campaign or commercial purposes, and that domains are registered only by authorized individuals.

gov has been used to serve certain policy goals. As an action following Executive Order 13571, President Barack Obama restricted executive branch agencies from registering new gov domains in an attempt to eliminate unnecessary, redundant, or outdated sites. US government agencies used the gov registrar to make it easy for new registrants to opt-in to HTTPS preloading and to make it easier for the public to report potential security issues.

Use by states and territories

, all states, the District of Columbia, and all territories except for the Northern Mariana Islands have operational domains in gov: ::data[format=table] | State or territory || Domain | |---| | Alabama | | Alaska | | American Samoa | | Arizona | | Arkansas | | California | | Colorado | | Connecticut | | Delaware | | District of Columbia | | Florida | | Georgia | | Guam | | Hawaii | | Idaho | | Illinois | | Indiana | | Iowa | | Kansas | | Kentucky | | Louisiana | | Maine | | Maryland | | Massachusetts | | Michigan | | Minnesota | | Mississippi | | Missouri | | Montana | | Nebraska | | Nevada | | New Hampshire | | New Jersey | | New Mexico | | New York | | North Carolina | | North Dakota | | Ohio | | Oklahoma | | Oregon | | Pennsylvania | | Puerto Rico | | Rhode Island | | South Carolina | | South Dakota | | Tennessee | | Texas | | Utah | | Vermont | | Virgin Islands | | Virginia | | Washington | | West Virginia | | Wisconsin | | Wyoming | ::

International equivalents

While the use of gov as a top-level domain is restricted to the United States, several other countries have second-level domains of the same name or similar semantics for governmental purposes, such as official government email systems or online information portals (like GOV.UK or u.ae). Note that the governments of some jurisdictions use alternate domains in public communications (for example, the Government of Canada adopted canada.ca as its main public-facing URL in the 2010s, and some Canadian provinces have made similar changes).

::data[format=table] | Country or Territory || Domain || Notes | |---| | Afghanistan | | Åland | | Albania | | Algeria | | Andorra | | Angola | | Antigua and Barbuda | | Argentina | | Armenia | | Australia | | Austria | | Azerbaijan | | Bahamas | | Bahrain | | Bangladesh | | Barbados | | Belarus | | Belgium | | Belize | | Benin | | Bhutan | | Bosnia and Herzegovina | | Botswana | | Brazil | | Brunei | | Bulgaria | | Burundi | | Cambodia | | Canada | | New Brunswick | | Quebec | | Other provinces and territories | | Chile | | China | | Hong Kong | | Macau | | Colombia | | Croatia | | Cyprus | | Czechia | | Egypt | | El Salvador | | Estonia | | Fiji | | Finland | | France | | Georgia | | Germany | | Ghana | | Greece | | Guatemala | | Hungary | | Iceland | | India | | Indonesia | | Iran | | Iraq | | Kurdistan Regional Government | | Ireland | | Israel | | Italy | | Jamaica | | Japan | | Jordan | | Kazakhstan | | Kenya | | Kuwait | | Latvia | | Lebanon | | Libya | | Lithuania | | Malaysia | | Maldives | | Malta | | Mexico | | Moldova | | Monaco | | Morocco | | Myanmar (Burma) | | Nepal | | Netherlands | | Aruba | | New Caledonia | | New Zealand | | Nigeria | | North Korea | | Oman | | Pakistan | | Palestine | | Paraguay | | Peru | | Philippines | | Poland | | Portugal | | Qatar | | Romania | | Russia | | Rwanda | | Saudi Arabia | | Senegal | | Serbia | | Singapore | | Slovakia | | Slovenia | | Somalia | | South Africa | | South Korea | | Spain | | Sri Lanka | | Sweden | | Switzerland | | Taiwan (Republic of China) | | Thailand | | Tonga | | Trinidad and Tobago | | Turkey | | Turkmenistan | | Ukraine | | United Arab Emirates | | United Kingdom | | Scotland | | Wales | | Guernsey | | Jersey | | Isle of Man | | Anguilla | | Bermuda | | British Virgin Islands | | Cayman Islands | | Falkland Islands | | Pitcairn Islands | | Turks & Caicos Islands | | Uruguay | | Uzbekistan | | Venezuela | | Vietnam | | Zambia | | Zimbabwe | ::

References

References

  1. (October 1984). "RFC 920 - Domain Requirements". Ietf Datatracker.
  2. Postel, John. (March 1994). "RFC 1591 - Domain Name System Structure and Delegation". Ietf Datatracker.
  3. [[rfc:920. RFC 920]], ''Domain Requirements'', J. Postel, J. Reynolds, The Internet Society (October 1984)
  4. (November 1997). "Hobbes' Internet Timeline". Network Working Group.
  5. (3 February 2011). "GSA selects VeriSign to manage .gov domain name registry". GCN.
  6. (December 27, 2020). "DOTGOV Act of 2020".
  7. (16 January 2023). "Verisign loses prestige .gov contract to Cloudflare". DomainIncite.
  8. Schreiber, Paul. (April 4, 2021). "State legislature websites, compared".
  9. ".gov data". get.gov.
  10. "Gov Domain Fee Increase FAQs". [[General Services Administration]].
  11. (27 April 2021). "A new day for .gov". get.gov.
  12. "Memorandum 17-06: Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites and Digital Services". [[Office of Management and Budget]].
  13. "Eligibility, .gov domain requirements". get.gov.
  14. (March 28, 2003). "Federal Management Regulation; Internet GOV Domain". [[Federal Register]].
  15. Krebs, Brian. "It's way too easy to get a gov domain name". [[KrebsOnSecurity.com]].
  16. "6 USC 665".
  17. ".gov domain requirements". get.gov.
  18. (April 27, 2011). "Executive Order 13571".
  19. Phillips, Macon. (13 June 2011). "TooManyWebsites.gov".
  20. (29 October 2018). "GSA steps up security for .gov". Digital.gov.
  21. (2 September 2020). "Binding Operational Directive 20-01". [[Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

sponsored-top-level-domainsdomain-names-in-the-united-statesgeneral-services-administrationinternet-properties-established-in-1985