In general, any official agency, department or organization within the County must use domain names within the miamidade.gov domain space (i.e., example.miamidade.gov or miamidade.gov/global/example/). This ensures a consistent identity that our citizens can trust and also passes along the domain authority of a .gov URL to official agencies, departments and organizations within the County.

Under specific, limited circumstances, official County organizations may request the use of a URL with an alternate top-level domain, such as a .com, for example. With approval, these may be used for marketing campaigns or official organizations with unique, differentiated branding.

 

Domain Registration and Cancellation

All URLs, whether within the miamidade.gov domain space or through an alternate top-level domain, must be approved by and registered with the County's Web Manager.

Alternate top-level domains, if approved, will be purchased by the Information Technology Department. These domains will be renewed prior to expiration until a written request is provided to the Web Manager.

 

URL Guidelines

  • Use only lowercase letters and numbers
  • Underscores are not permitted
  • Dashes can be used, sparingly, as spacers between words
  • Do not use names and acronyms that are likely to be confused with another agency or department
  • Do not request URLs that may be interpreted as an advertisement or endorsement for a private person, product or service
  • Do not request URLs that may be interpreted as a political endorsement or implies any connection to a candidate, political party or campaign URLs that violate these guidelines may be removed without notice.

URLs that violate these guidelines may be removed without notice.

 

Requesting a Domain Name

To request a domain name, contact the Digital Communications Web Manager ([email protected]). Please include your desired URL, your organization name, and a detailed description of the purpose for your URL request. The Web Manager will review requests – weighing availability, cost, suitability, usability, strategic value and other factors – and provide a final determination.

 

No non-government advertisements

A .gov domain may not be used to advertise for private individuals, firms or corporations. It may not be used to imply in any manner that the government endorses or favors any specific commercial product, commodity or service.

 

No political or campaign information

The .gov domain is for the operation of government, not the political, political party or campaign environment. No campaigning can be done using .gov domains. The .gov domain websites may not be directly linked to or refer to websites created or operated by a campaign or any campaign entity or committee. No political sites or party names or acronyms can be used. Separate websites and emails on other top-level domains (TLDs), such as .com or .org, will have to be used for political activity.