Municipal government — Use of authorized domain extension. [Effective June 1, 2026, for cities and towns with population of 10,000 inhabitants or more; effective January 1, 2027, for cities and towns with population of fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.]

Ark. Code Ann. § 14-1-115 — under General Provisions.

Ark. Code Ann. § 14-1-115

(a) A municipal government shall use a “.gov” sponsored top-level domain for:(1) The website address for the website, if any, of the municipal government; and(2) Any email addresses made available by the municipal government for use by the:(A) Municipal government; and(B) Employees of the municipal government.

(1) The website address for the website, if any, of the municipal government; and

(2) Any email addresses made available by the municipal government for use by the:(A) Municipal government; and(B) Employees of the municipal government.

(A) Municipal government; and

(B) Employees of the municipal government.

(b) A municipal government may operate a website that uses a sponsored top-level domain that is not a “.gov” domain if:(1) A reasonable person would not mistake the website as the primary website of the municipal government; and(2) The website of the municipal government is:(A) Solely for internal use and not intended for use by members of the public;(B) Temporary and in use by the municipal government for a period of no more than one (1) year; or(C) Related to an event, program, or informational campaign operated by the municipal government in partnership with another person or entity that is not a governmental entity.

(1) A reasonable person would not mistake the website as the primary website of the municipal government; and

(2) The website of the municipal government is:(A) Solely for internal use and not intended for use by members of the public;(B) Temporary and in use by the municipal government for a period of no more than one (1) year; or(C) Related to an event, program, or informational campaign operated by the municipal government in partnership with another person or entity that is not a governmental entity.

(A) Solely for internal use and not intended for use by members of the public;

(B) Temporary and in use by the municipal government for a period of no more than one (1) year; or

(C) Related to an event, program, or informational campaign operated by the municipal government in partnership with another person or entity that is not a governmental entity.

(c) The Legislative Council may authorize a waiver of the requirements of subsection (a) of this section if:(1) There are extraordinary circumstances under which use of a “.gov” sponsored top-level domain extension would cause demonstrable harm to citizens or businesses; and(2) A representative of the municipal government submits a written request to the Legislative Council that includes a justification for the waiver.

(1) There are extraordinary circumstances under which use of a “.gov” sponsored top-level domain extension would cause demonstrable harm to citizens or businesses; and

(2) A representative of the municipal government submits a written request to the Legislative Council that includes a justification for the waiver.