WHITE PLAINS, NY (March 2, 2026) — Westchester County Government will officially transition its website domain from westchestergov.com to WestchesterCountyNY.gov effective March 2, reinforcing the County’s commitment to transparency, security and public trust.
Because .gov domains are restricted to verified government entities and subject to federal domain management standards, the transition standardizes security controls and eliminates ambiguity about whether the website is an official government source.
Under the transition, the County’s official website address will now be WestchesterCountyNY.gov, and the previous address, westchestergov.com, will redirect automatically to ensure a seamless experience for residents, businesses and partners.
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said the change is intended to strengthen public confidence.
“This is about clarity, credibility and public confidence. When residents visit a .gov website, they know they are accessing official government information. Moving to WestchesterCountyNY.gov aligns us with federal standards and strengthens trust in how we communicate with the public. Our goal is simple: make it easier for people to know they are in the right place,” Jenkins said.
County officials said several elements will not change, including County services and programs, department pages and content, online forms and resources, and how residents access services. The online experience will remain the same, with only the web address changing.
The transition is part of a broader modernization effort to ensure the County’s digital presence reflects best practices in government communications and cybersecurity.
Westchester County Communication Director Catherine Cioffi said the original .com domain was chosen decades ago.
“When the .com domain was originally selected decades ago, it was viewed as modern and forward-thinking. Today, however, it can create confusion about what is official government information. Additionally, there is also now a federal requirement that government entities use a .gov domain, and that mandate was a key driver behind the County’s recent rebranding efforts which removed the website address from our logo. Most importantly, while the address is changing, the content and services residents rely on every day remain exactly where they expect them to be,” Cioffi said.
The reference to a federal mandate relates to the DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act of 2020 and subsequent guidance from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget requiring federal executive agencies to use .gov domains for official communications. While the requirement applies directly to federal agencies, it reflects a broader federal policy framework that limits .gov domains to verified government entities and promotes their use as the standard for official public websites.
Westchester County Chief Information Officer Marguerite Beirne said cybersecurity has long been a strategic priority.
“Cybersecurity has been a top strategic priority of the Department of Information Technology for years. Transitioning to a secure, verified .gov domain further strengthens our digital infrastructure and ensures residents can confidently access trusted County information in an increasingly complex online environment,” Beirne said.
A .gov domain is restricted to verified government entities and is administered under federal domain management standards, including required use of secure DNS and HTTPS encryption. Because only authenticated public agencies can obtain and maintain a .gov address, it reduces the risk of spoofed or impersonation websites and provides a clear signal to users that they are accessing an official government source.
Beginning March 2, residents are encouraged to update bookmarks and saved links to reflect the new address, WestchesterCountyNY.gov.
The County will continue to share updates across its digital platforms to ensure a smooth transition. Officials noted that the .gov domain is restricted to verified government entities, providing an added layer of public assurance.
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.