Government Domains Outside .Gov and .Mil
Overview
Most U.S. government websites end in .gov or .mil, but some end in .com, .org, .net, or other top-level domains. To enhance discoverability and public trust, we maintain a list of known government domains that don’t end in .gov or .mil. Federal executive branch agencies must ensure their non-.gov or .mil domains are on the list. Read more in the Federal Zero Trust Strategy and Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites and Digital Services.
The list is used by several U.S. government services, including USA.gov to support their all-of-government search, and the .gov Registry to support an inventory of government domains.
Anyone can submit a domain to the list.
What domains are in scope of this list?
All non-.gov and non-.mil domain names registered by your agency, or by a contractor on behalf of your agency, must be included in this list. This includes domains that are not even used on the internet but are merely registered.
| Domain Description | Example |
|---|---|
| Registered to facilitate redirects | agency.com which may redirect to agency.gov |
| Serve some infrastructure purpose, even if not public-facing |
agencyapi.com agency-dashboard.net |
| Registered by a contractor on behalf of the agency | agencycampaignsite.us |
| Registered long ago and is not expired | legacyagency.org |
| Registered to prevent others from obtaining it (sometimes called “defensive registrations”, which includes “typo” domains) |
ouragency.com 0uragency.com houragency.com |
Do not add individual subdomains or hostnames within a domain that’s already on the list. For example, report agency.com, but do not also report saas.agency.com.
Report a “subdomain” if (1) your agency has a domain registered on a country-code top-level domain (or other “public suffix”) or (2) your agency publishes federal information on nongovernmental domains that you do not operate.
| Domain Description | Example |
|---|---|
| Registered on a country-code top level domain | us-agency.org.uk |
| Subdomains publishing federal information | exampleagency.university.edu |
Domains registered by grantees
Generally, report a domain if it is registered pursuant to the terms of a grant and used for federal purposes, but do not report domains registered by grantees which your agency does not oversee or technologically support.
What domains are out of scope of this list?
This list excludes the domains of third-party online services where the agency is merely a user or a customer, not the domain’s registrant.
| Domain Description | Example |
|---|---|
| Software-as-a-service sites | agency-my.sharepoint.com agency-service.slack.com |
| Cloud-managed resources | s3.amazonaws.com |
| Social media sites | twitter.com linkedin.com |
| Code repositories | github.com/agency |
How to Update the List
- Gather domain names. Domains are sometimes confused for “websites”, so consider asking for a “list of websites/domain registrations we manage” from the following types of roles:
- External affairs, web publishing, or press team.
- DNS managers, network/security operations.
- Budget or accounting teams who might process domain registration payments to registrars like GoDaddy, Network Solutions, Namecheap, etc.
If you have questions about whether a certain domain should be included, open an issue in Github or email us.
- Send your updates. We will review all submissions before including them on the list.
- For multiple additions or any changes:
- Open an issue in GitHub. No technical knowledge or code is required, but a GitHub account is. You can also open pull requests.
- Submit bulk changes via email using our template (.csv format).
- For single additions, use this form:
- For multiple additions or any changes:
What’s Included in the List?
- Federal, state, local, tribal, commonwealth, and territorial government agency websites.
- Federal reserve banks and branches.
- Federal home loan banks.
- Libraries, archives, and museums, including Presidential libraries.
- Department of Defense websites for recruiting and service academies.
- Travel and tourism websites for states and U.S. territories.
- State lotteries.
- Cooperative extensions.
- Combined federal campaigns.
- Government sponsored enterprises (such as Fannie Mae).
- Federal and state retirement systems.
- Task forces (such as the Preventive Services Task Force) and commissions (such as the 9/11 Commission).
- A few select, non-government organizations (such as the Red Cross) and public-private partnerships.
What’s Not Included in This List?
- .gov domains – these are managed by the .gov Registry.
- .mil domains – these are managed by DOD.
- Subdomains or folders that are already covered by a higher-level domain.
- State institutions of higher education or their board of regents.
- K-12 school districts.
- Local chambers of commerce or visitor bureaus.
- Nonprofit municipal leagues or councils of government officials.
- Nonprofit historical societies.
- Transit authorities.