.gov
.gov is a sponsored extension, run for a specific community, run by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency since 1985. United States government organisations only: federal, state, local and tribal.
| Type | Sponsored |
|---|---|
| Registry operator | Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency |
| Who can register | Rules apply United States government organisations only: federal, state, local and tribal. |
| In the root zone since | 1 January 1985 |
| DNSSEC | Signed |
| RDAP server | https://rdap.nic.gov/rdap/ |
| WHOIS server | whois.nic.gov |
| IANA record | iana.org/domains/root/db/gov |
Look up a .gov domain
The .gov registry publishes registration data over RDAP. The free domain report reads it and shows a .gov domain's registrar, dates, status and DNS in one place. For the raw record, use the WHOIS lookup.
New to extensions? The guide to how domain extensions work covers generic, country-code and brand extensions. For who sells extensions in general, see the list of domain registrars.
Sources: the IANA root zone database and the ICANN list of generic extensions (refreshed 2026-10-24). Something out of date? Tell us.
Frequently asked questions
Who runs the .gov extension?
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is the registry operator for .gov. The registry keeps the list of every .gov name; registrars sell the names to the public.
Can anyone register a .gov domain?
United States government organisations only: federal, state, local and tribal.
When was .gov created?
.gov was added to the DNS root zone on 1 January 1985, according to IANA.
How do I look up who owns a .gov domain?
The .gov registry publishes registration data over RDAP at https://rdap.nic.gov/rdap/ and over WHOIS at whois.nic.gov. The free domain report on lemon.domains reads it for you and shows the registrar, dates and status.
Is .gov signed with DNSSEC?
Yes. The .gov zone is signed, so a .gov domain can turn on DNSSEC once its registrar adds a DS record.