Domain Name Request System FAQ

Starting April 2026, the new expiration date for your active ca.gov domain is the last date of the month your domain was approved.

For example, if your domain was approved on April 10, 2020, your new expiration date is April 30 of the renewal year.

For legacy domains that were approved before the Domain Name Request System went live and have an approval date recorded as June 1, 2017, those domains will be assigned a separate expiration date.

You can view the expiration date for your domain by:

• Navigating to domainnamerequest.cdt.ca.gov
• Clicking Manage my existing domains and requests
• Viewing the Expires field underneath the approved date

During the renewal period, the Domain Name Request System sends a reminder email with a direct link to your domain's renewal page. Fill out any missing required items marked with a red asterisk or check box, and the Request Renewal button will become enabled.

If the email does not work for you, you can still complete the renewal by:

• Navigating to domainnamerequest.cdt.ca.gov
• Clicking Manage my existing domains and requests
• Selecting the domain that is expiring
• Completing any required fields marked with an asterisk or check box
• Clicking Request Renewal
• Entering a brief justification
• Clicking Submit Request to Renew

The domain status will become Renewal Requested, and the Ca.gov Domains Team will review your renewal for approval. Once approved, an email will be sent confirming the renewal and your domain's next expiration date.

This process launched in 2017 to fulfill federal mandates. The system and the state policy that mandates it, SAM 5195 and SIMM 40A, launched in May 2017, with the first renewal in mid-2018.

It is important to know who to contact when something comes up. Previously, contacts on file could have retired for many years, or the domain itself might no longer be in use and could confuse the public. The annual renewal process helps keep this information current and allows discrepancies to be addressed quickly. This is also mandated by the federal government, which ultimately owns everything under .gov.

In 2024 and 2025, due to resource constraints, renewals were automated. That can no longer continue, so the renewal changes are now live.

The full contact role name is Chief Information Officer or Equivalent. The purpose of this contact is to provide oversight of the domain request and ensure policy compliance.

If your organization does not have a CIO, anyone of equivalent status within the organization can be listed in that role. This can be a city manager, director, executive, or other high-level supervisor acting on behalf of the organization.

As of April 2026, this document has been replaced by an online CIO or Equivalent contact approval method. It is no longer required with new domain requests.

To request a new domain:

• Navigate to the DNRS Getting Started page
• Click Check if the 3rd-level ca.gov domain I want is available
• Enter the ca.gov domain you would like
• Click Check
• If the domain is available, click Submit a Request
• Proceed by filling out the required information

See SIMM 40A Section 4 for more detailed instructions for new requests.

To access an existing domain request, you must be listed as a contact. An Administrative contact can add you from their end.

If the previous contacts are unavailable or have left the organization, you can request to be added by:

• Navigating to the DNRS Getting Started page
• Clicking Join an existing domain
• Entering the exact ca.gov domain name
• Choosing the contact type and entering a justification
• Clicking Submit Request to Join

After submission, a claim request will appear for the Ca.gov Domains Team to review. A team member may approve your claim or contact you with additional questions. Please allow 2 to 3 business days for a response.

Most existing domains were grandfathered in if they were reported to the Government Operations Agency by May 2017. As with all existing domains, renewal is required each year to validate that the domain is in use, the contacts are current, and the domain remains compliant with federal policies and guidelines.

If you have a non-compliant domain and want to request a compliant domain:

• You may be granted the new, compliant domain if you phase out the existing non-compliant domain within one year of the new approval date. Upload a document in the Domain Name Request System stating the phase-out date, or email it to domains@ca.gov as part of the approval process.

If you already have both a non-compliant domain and a compliant domain:

• You may keep both if they are registered and renewed in the Domain Name Request System, but you are encouraged to phase out the non-compliant domain within one year.

If you already have one or more non-compliant domains:

• You may keep them if they are already registered and renewed in the Domain Name Request System, but you are encouraged to phase them out within one year and use subdirectories such as dmv.ca.gov/xxxx or subdomains such as xxxx.dmv.ca.gov going forward, as defined in SIMM 40A.

Any non-compliant domain may be subject to removal if the Government Operations Agency, the California Department of Technology, or the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency determines the domain is appropriate for removal.

The Domain Name Request System tracks only 3rd level domains such as xxxx.ca.gov. These require approval by CDT and must follow the nomenclature standards in SIMM 40A and the rules outlined in SAM 5195.1.

Once your 3rd level domain is approved, or grandfathered in, you can add 4th level domains without further naming approvals as long as the 3rd level domain owner concurs. Because CDT approval is not needed for 4th level domains, requests for technical work on them should be directed to CDT's ServiceNow system or CDT Customer Engagement if you do not yet have a ServiceNow account.

• 1st level domain: .gov, owned by the federal government
• 2nd level domain: ca.gov, az.gov, ny.gov, delegated by the federal government to the state executive branch
• 3rd level domain: dmv.ca.gov, edd.ca.gov, xxxx.ca.gov, which are governed by GovOps and processed by CDT under SAM 5195
• 4th level domain: NewProgram.dmv.ca.gov, xxxx.dhcs.ca.gov, which are handled within each respective department

ServiceNow handles technical work requests, while not all matters of domain ownership require technical help. The Domain Name Request System tracks domain ownership even when the owner does not currently need technical support.

DNRS is also available to current non-customers of CDT, such as new departments or newly formed independent commissions, so they can check availability and get immediate answers before deciding whether to pursue a domain. It also allows domain administrators to log in at any time to update contacts instantly. Because DNRS was created to fulfill federal mandates, it is also available for federal government use.

If you have a CDT ServiceNow login ID, you can submit a DNS Services request or a Report an Incident request, as applicable.

If you do not have a ServiceNow login ID, contact CDT Customer Engagement for assistance, or use Request DNS Work under the Actions menu on your domain screen and Customer Engagement will respond.

Although agencies and state entities are encouraged to have domains hosted by CDT, it is acceptable for domains to be hosted elsewhere as long as they remain in compliance with state and federal policies and guidelines.

No matter where a domain is hosted, all 3rd level ca.gov domains must still be renewed annually through Domain Request in accordance with SIMM 40A instructions.

Not at this time. The California Domain Name Service is offered at no cost to all agencies and state entities with an approved domain name.

If you have additional questions, contact us.