A domain suffix exclusively for U.S. counties — owned and operated by the U.S. county community
Counties across the United States could have intuitive .county domain names, allowing residents, businesses, and visitors to find their county government websites more easily.
Examples of possible domain names:
- www.broward.county
- www.queens.county
- www.cook.county
- www.bexar.county
- www.bronx.county
- www.fresno.county
- www.essex.county
The .county initiative is proposed as a community-based top-level domain for the U.S. county community. The intended model would verify eligibility through appropriate government authorities and reserve these domain names for legitimate county use.
One county, several recognizable names
A county could use a short domain name while also registering commonly understood variations. For example, San Bernardino County in California could choose a short name such as www.sb.county and also use:
www.sanbernardino.county
www.san-bernardino.county
www.bernardino.county
These names could all lead to the same official county website. The proposed approach contemplates a limited set of variations per county so visitors can still find their destination when they remember a different version of the name.
Fair access for counties of every size
Counties range from large urban administrations to small rural communities. The proposed not-for-profit structure would seek a fair, cost-based registration system, with fees reflecting differences in county size and resources.
When county names are shared
County names such as Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Monroe, Lincoln, and Madison occur in more than one U.S. state. The proposed .county model would distinguish these counties while keeping shared names useful.
- www.washington.county could show a directory of Washington Counties.
- www.washingtonar.county could identify Washington County, Arkansas, using the official state abbreviation.
- www.washingtonarkansas.county could serve as an additional spelling for the same county.
This would help people locate their intended county without requiring them to know its current website address.
Contact
For further information, email alexander.schubert@dotcounty.org or call +1 (202) 684-6806.