How to Register a Free *.city.state.us Locality Domain (and Why It’s Not a Magic Bullet)

Locality domains—addresses that end with city.state.us—have been around since the early 1990s. They are technically free, but the process is still a bit of a scavenger hunt. Below I walk through the real steps, point out where the paperwork actually adds value, and explain why you shouldn’t expect this to become a mainstream alternative to .com or .org.

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What the marketing copy claims

• You can get a domain like somename.seattle.wa.us at no cost.
• All you need is an AWS account for free nameservers.
• Fill out a PDF, email a registrar, and you’re live within a week.

What’s actually new

The only recent development is that Amazon Lightsail now offers free DNS zones for any domain, even ones that are not top‑level. That makes it possible to satisfy the “you must already have nameservers” requirement that the US locality‑domain policy imposes.

The concrete workflow

1. Find a delegated locality domain

The US government maintains a master list of which sub‑domains are delegated to private registrars. The list is old (last updated 2009) but still the only public source.

• Where to look: The US Nexus registry list (PDF) contains entries such as seattle.wa.us → [email protected].
• What to do: Identify the contact for your city or county. If the listed company has been renamed, hunt down the current support address (e.g., [email protected] for the former NW Nexus).
• If you can’t find a delegate: Undelegated domains are managed by NeuStar, which only registers them for official government agencies. In practice that means you’re out of luck.

2. Get free nameservers from Amazon Lightsail

1. Create an AWS account (the free tier covers Lightsail DNS without any charge).
2. Open the Lightsail console → Networking → DNS zones → Create DNS zone.
3. Choose “Use a domain from another registrar” and type the locality domain you intend to register.
4. Lightsail will generate 2‑4 nameserver hostnames (e.g., ns1.lightsail.aws), and you can view their IP addresses with dig ns1.lightsail.aws +short.

Why Lightsail? Most traditional registrars only provide nameservers after they have already issued the domain. The locality‑domain policy flips that order, so you need a third‑party DNS service that works without prior registration.

3. Fill out the Interim .us Domain Template (v2.0)

The PDF is a bureaucratic form, but only a handful of fields actually affect the outcome.

Section	What to put	Tips
2 – Fully‑Qualified Domain Name	myname.seattle.wa.us	Exact spelling matters; no trailing dot.
3a‑e – Organization Information	Your personal name and address if you’re an individual.	The address is not published in WHOIS for locality domains, so privacy‑wise it’s safe.
4 – Description	A short sentence like “personal website and portfolio”.
5 – Date Operational	Any date you like; many use their birthdate.
6 & 7 – Administrative / Technical Contacts	Your email and phone; fax can be left blank.
8‑9 – Primary / Secondary Server	The IPs of the Lightsail nameservers you recorded earlier.
10 – US Nexus Requirements	Choose Category 11 – Natural person who is a United States citizen (or the appropriate corporate category). Leave the validator field empty for personal use.

Download the template from the US Nexus site. Fill it out with a plain‑text editor to avoid hidden formatting, then copy the whole thing into the body of your email.

4. Send the email and wait

• Recipient: The registrar contact you found in step 1.
• Subject line: Something like “Request to register locality domain myname.seattle.wa.us”.
• Body: Paste the completed PDF text verbatim. Attach the PDF only if the registrar explicitly asks for it.

Processing time varies from a couple of days to several weeks because most registrars handle these requests manually. If they approve, you’ll receive a confirmation email with the domain officially under your control.

5. Point the domain to your host

Return to the Lightsail DNS zone you created earlier and add the usual records:

• A record → IP of your web server (or GitHub Pages IP range).
• CNAME for www if you want www.myname.seattle.wa.us to work.
• MX / TXT if you need email or verification records.

Once the records propagate (usually under an hour), the domain resolves like any other.

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Practical limitations

Issue	Reality
Cost	The domain itself is free, but you still need a hosting provider (or a free static‑site host like GitHub Pages).
Availability	Only the sub‑domains that have been delegated can be registered. Many smaller towns never delegated theirs, leaving a large gap in coverage.
Renewal	There is no annual fee, but you must keep the DNS zone active in Lightsail; otherwise the domain may be considered abandoned.
Support	Registrars treat these requests as a low‑priority, manual task. Expect delayed replies and occasional “we don’t handle that” replies.
Brand perception	A .city.state.us address is unfamiliar to most internet users and may look like a government site, which can affect trust.

When (and when not) to use a locality domain

• Good fit: Personal projects, hobby sites, or community portals that want a “local flavor” without paying for a .com.
• Bad fit: Commercial ventures that need strong brand recognition or SEO benefits; search engines treat these domains like any other ccTLD, but the unfamiliar suffix can hurt click‑through rates.

Quick FAQ

Do I really have to live in the city? The policy says yes, but enforcement is lax. People have kept domains after moving abroad. Still, be prepared for a registrar to ask for proof if they are strict.

Will my address appear in WHOIS? No. WHOIS for locality domains only shows the registrar’s contact information, not the applicant’s address.

Can I use the domain for email? Yes, as long as you add the appropriate MX records in Lightsail. Many users point the domain to a Gmail‑compatible service like Google Workspace.

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Bottom line

The free locality domain trick works, but it isn’t a plug‑and‑play replacement for conventional domains. You still need to locate a delegated registrar, set up external DNS (Lightsail makes that painless), and tolerate a slower, manual registration process. If you value the local identifier and don’t mind the extra steps, it’s a viable, cost‑free option.

Further reading

• Official US Nexus policy page
• Lightsail DNS documentation
• GitHub Pages custom domain guide