Domain Intelligence
Last Updated:
Ca.gov
Safe to Send
Ca.gov is operated by State of California. The domain runs 1 mail exchange and SMTP is responsive, with all three authentication standards in force.
Safe to Send
RISK
15
/100
Low
Verify Mailbox
Verify @ca.gov emails
Live SMTP handshake against ca.gov mail servers. No email is sent. 10 free per day, no signup.
Trusted by 400,000+ senders
4.9/5
From 8,500+ verified reviews
Catch-all detection alone has paid for the subscription. We were hemorrhaging credits at our previous verifier on catch-all domains that accepted the call but never bounced. Saved roughly $400 per month overnight. Brett Anderson · RevOps Manager
SOC 2 Type II
GDPR
CCPA
99.7% Accuracy
Disposable
No
Persistent addresses, not throwaway
SMTP Live
Yes
Mail server responds to SMTP handshake
MX Records
1
Mail exchangers
Mail Exchange (MX) Records for ca.gov Mail Exchange records. They tell other mail servers which hosts are responsible for receiving email at this domain, in priority order. Lower priority numbers are tried first.
#50
state-ca-gov.mail.protection.outlook.com 52.101.9.19
Reachable
SMTP Handshake
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. We open a live SMTP connection to the primary MX and read the greeting banner. A response confirms the mail server is alive and accepting connections.
Responsive
BANNER220 DS4PEPF00000172.mail.protection.outlook.com Microsoft ESMTP MAIL Service ready at Sun, 10 May 2026 20:10:01 +0000 [08DEADB34D7DB7C6]
Primary mail server accepted SMTP connection and returned a banner during the live audit.
ca.gov Email Authentication SPF · DKIM · DMARC
SPF
Sender Policy Framework. A DNS record listing which servers are allowed to send mail for this domain. Receivers reject or flag mail from unauthorized servers.
Pass
TXTv=spf1 mx -all
Authorized senders are defined and pass SPF policy.
DKIM
DomainKeys Identified Mail. The sending server cryptographically signs outbound mail with a private key, and receivers verify the signature using a public key in DNS.
Pass
SELECTORDetected via standard selectors
A DKIM signature was detected. Outbound mail from this domain can be cryptographically verified.
DMARC
Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance. Tells receivers what to do when SPF or DKIM checks fail: none, quarantine, or reject.
None
TXTv=DMARC1; p=none; fo=1; rua=mailto:33aad3d00861457087eeed69b955f5e1@dmarc-reports.cloudflare.net; ruf=mailto:33aad3d00861457087eeed69b955f5e1@dmarc-reports.cloudflare.net
Monitoring only. Receivers take no action when SPF or DKIM fails.
ca.gov Domain Registration WHOIS · Nameservers · Registrar
Registrarget.gov
IANA ID93
RegisteredOctober 1, 1997
Last UpdatedSeptember 7, 2025
ExpiresSeptember 2, 2026
Age28 years
TLD.gov
Authoritative Nameservers (2)
- asa.ns.cloudflare.com
- chase.ns.cloudflare.com
Registrant
Hidden by registrar privacy service
Technical Contact
Hidden by registrar privacy service
About this Domain
About ca.gov
The domain ca.gov is the official web domain for the State of California, the most populous state in the United States. California's state government, headquartered in Sacramento, administers a vast array of public services including education, transportation, environmental protection, healthcare, and public safety for nearly 40 million residents.
As a .gov domain, ca.gov implements SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate official state communications. California's state government follows CISA guidelines and has adopted strict DMARC policies to prevent email spoofing. Given the state's large population and extensive government services, phishing attempts impersonating California agencies represent a significant threat to residents.
California state mail servers do not operate in catch-all mode. The SMTP infrastructure validates recipients and rejects messages to invalid addresses. The state's email environment employs greylisting, rate limiting, and advanced connection filtering to manage the high volume of inbound messages.
Email deliverability to ca.gov requires complete compliance with authentication standards. California's state email gateways use enterprise-grade spam filtering, content analysis, and sender reputation evaluation. Senders must maintain valid SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records and demonstrate consistent, legitimate sending behavior to reach California state government inboxes.
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More Email Verification Tools
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Common Questions About ca.gov
Is ca.gov a disposable or temporary email provider?
No. ca.gov is not a disposable email provider. It is classified as Government Email operated by State of California and addresses on ca.gov are persistent rather than throwaway. Mail sent to a valid ca.gov mailbox reaches a real recipient.
How do I verify if a ca.gov email address is valid?
The fastest way to verify a ca.gov email address is to use our free email checker. Enter any @ca.gov mailbox at the top of this page and our system performs a real-time SMTP handshake against ca.gov's mail servers, confirming whether the mailbox exists, is reachable, and is safe to send to. No email is ever delivered during the check.
Can I check if a ca.gov email exists without sending a message?
Yes. Our real-time email verification API connects directly to ca.gov's mail server, opens an SMTP session, and queries the mailbox using the RCPT TO command without ever transmitting an actual email. The server's response confirms whether the ca.gov mailbox is valid, full, or non-existent. The recipient never receives anything and never sees the check.
What are the MX records for ca.gov?
ca.gov currently publishes 1 mail exchange (MX) record. The primary MX is state-ca-gov.mail.protection.outlook.com, which is the first server contacted when other mail systems try to deliver email to a ca.gov address. The full list with priorities and IP addresses is in the MX Records panel above. MX records tell sending servers where to route email for ca.gov.
Does ca.gov use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC email authentication?
ca.gov enforces all three email authentication standards: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC (policy: none). This is the gold-standard configuration. It means receivers can verify that mail claiming to come from @ca.gov is genuine, and ca.gov's DMARC policy of 'none' instructs receivers how to handle messages that fail those checks.
Why do emails to ca.gov bounce or get blocked?
Bounces from ca.gov usually fall into three buckets: the mailbox doesn't exist (5xx user unknown), the inbox is full, or your sending domain isn't authenticated to ca.gov's satisfaction. The fastest fix is to run each address through a free email verifier before you send, and to make sure your own SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are configured correctly so ca.gov's receivers trust you.
How can I verify a large list of ca.gov email addresses?
Our bulk email verifier accepts CSV or TXT uploads with thousands or millions of ca.gov addresses (or any mix of domains). Every address goes through 30+ checks including SMTP existence, ca.gov catch-all detection, role-account detection, and disposable-domain matching. Results typically come back within minutes and previously-failed addresses on your blacklist are reprocessed for free. For continuous high-volume needs, see our unlimited email verification API.
Is it safe to accept signups from ca.gov email addresses?
Yes, with normal hygiene. ca.gov is a legitimate email service and signups from @ca.gov behave like any other real user. Pipe each address through a real-time email verifier API at the moment of signup to catch typos and dead mailboxes, but there is no need to block ca.gov by default.
What email format does ca.gov use for usernames?
Most ca.gov mailboxes follow common patterns like first.last@ca.gov, firstinitiallast@ca.gov, or first@ca.gov, but the actual local-part rules depend on State of California. The only reliable way to confirm whether a specific @ca.gov address exists is to run it through a free email verification tool. Guessing patterns will produce a high bounce rate and damage your sender reputation.
How is the ca.gov risk score calculated?
The 0-to-100 risk score for ca.gov combines disposable-domain classification, mail-server reachability, MX record presence and depth, SPF / DKIM / DMARC enforcement, DMARC policy strength, SMTP banner response, and domain age. Lower scores mean safer to send to. Disposable domains are pinned at the high end of the scale. The ca.gov score is recomputed on every audit so it always reflects the live state of the domain.
Is ca.gov a valid government email domain?
Yes, ca.gov is a valid official government email domain operated by State of California. It is used by government employees and officials for official correspondence.
Is ca.gov a disposable or temporary email provider?
No, ca.gov is not a disposable or temporary email provider. It is an official government domain used for legitimate government communications and operations.
What mail server does ca.gov use?
ca.gov uses mail servers managed by State of California. Check the MX records section above for specific server details and authentication configuration.
Can I send emails to ca.gov addresses?
Yes, ca.gov addresses accept incoming email. Government mail servers typically enforce strict spam filtering, authentication checks (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and content scanning. Ensure your sending domain is properly authenticated.
How do I verify an email address at ca.gov?
Use BulkEmailChecker to verify ca.gov addresses. Government domains may have specific SMTP behaviors including greylisting and strict rate limiting. Our tool handles these provider-specific configurations automatically.