The city that got its own domain
.nyc entered the root zone in 2014 and opened to New Yorkers that fall, making New York one of the first big U.S. cities with its own top-level domain. The City of New York holds the registry contract and requires a local nexus: a primary residence in the five boroughs for individuals, or a physical address in the city for organizations.
That rule is the point. A .nyc name tells customers you're actually here — useful for restaurants, shops, neighborhood groups and anything that lives and dies by local trust. Other city TLDs work the same way: .london, .berlin, .miami, .vegas.
Good for
- Local businesses, restaurants and shops in the five boroughs
- Neighborhood groups, events and NYC-focused media
Watch out for
- Registrants must have a New York City address
- Outside New York, the ending says little
.nyc by the numbers
.nyc is a generic top-level domain (gTLD), aimed at cities & regions. The City of New York by and through the New York City Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications runs the registry under a contract with ICANN.
ICANN's records put the delegation of .nyc on March 20, 2014. Like most of the newer endings, it was applied for in the 2012 New gTLD Program round and its registry agreement was signed on January 23, 2014.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 6 name servers for .nyc, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .nyc haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.nyc).
.nyc FAQ
Who can register a .nyc domain?
Individuals with a primary residence in New York City and organizations with a physical address in the city.
Who owns .nyc?
The City of New York is the registry operator under its agreement with ICANN.
What does .nyc mean?
.nyc is a generic top-level domain named for the word "nyc", and it's aimed at cities & regions. It doesn't belong to any country.
What is .nyc used for?
.nyc is mostly used for cities & regions. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.
What country is .nyc?
None. .nyc is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .nyc domain extension?
The City of New York by and through the New York City Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications operates .nyc as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .nyc created?
.nyc was delegated to the DNS root zone on March 20, 2014.
Is .nyc a valid domain?
Yes. .nyc is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2014, so .nyc addresses work in every browser.
Is .nyc DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .nyc.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed October 21, 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
