The 3rd-level domain requires registration and annual renewal in the Domain Name Request System/statewide registry. See State Administrative Manual (SAM) 5195.2
The 4th-level domain does not require registration and annual renewal in the Domain Name Request System/statewide registry.
In the example above, RealID is a program run by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). It’s up to DMV what programs they run and up to DMV what 4th-level domains to build off of their existing 3rd-level (organization) domain.
Basic standards and rules
Domain names must be owned by a California state entity, county, city, state-recognized tribal government, Joint Powers Authority, or independent local district within the State of California.
Domain names must match the organization’s official name.
Domain names must be consistent with federal policy and guidelines including, but not limited to, 41 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 102-173, the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s DotGov Registrar domain policy, and the Federal Interagency Committee on Government Information’s Recommendations for Federal Public Websites.
All websites in the “ca.gov” DNS Zone must contain a direct link to https://www.ca.gov/ and must provide both general information and details on digital services to be used on https://www.ca.gov/.
In case of an official organization name change, the previous domain name must be relinquished when requesting a new domain to correspond with the new organization name.
Domain names must explicitly and unambiguously identify the origin of service.
Domain names must not be likely to mislead or confuse the general public.
Each entity shall have only one ca.gov domain (except for approved legacy domain names). If an entity already has one or more domain names, additional domains will not be granted for that entity.
If multiple entities are involved, identify the lead entity and use a subdirectory or sub-domain within the domain that the lead entity already has, instead of requesting a new domain. Collaborations and interagency agreements exist across all state entities, they do not necessitate or entitle a separate domain.
Ca.gov must be the primary domain name even if an agency/state entity also operates non-ca.gov domains such as .com, .org, etc., ca.gov. The non-ca.gov domain(s) can redirect to the ca.gov site.
Domain names for state agencies cannot consist solely of generic terms (such as “privacy.ca.gov”).
Existing domain names that do not comply with current policies may not be used as precedent for requesting new non-compliant domains.
Domain names must not be used for commercial purposes, such as advertising benefitting private individuals or entities.
Domain names must not be used for political campaign purposes.
Domain names must not be used to distribute or promote materials whose distribution violates applicable law.
Domain names must not be used for malicious cyber activity, such as activity that affects the integrity, security, and overall trustworthiness of the ca.gov domain.
In the case of a domain name conflict, California Department of Technology (CDT) will allocate domain name to the most appropriate party, at CDT and/or California Government Operations Agency’s (GovOps) discretion. It is not on “first come, first served” basis.