websites
Who should own my website, domain and hosting?
Short answer
Your business should own its domain, hosting account, and key logins, in accounts you control, with your web builder added as a user. Get ownership or a license for the design, code, and content in a signed agreement. That way you can change builders, move hosts, or fire a vendor without losing your site or your search history.
What are the parts of "my website"?
Six separate things that people lump together. Each one can be owned by a different person:
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Part | What it is | Who should hold the account |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Your address, like yourbusiness.com, rented yearly from a registrar | You, as the registrant |
| DNS | The settings that point your domain to your site and email | You, usually at your registrar |
| Hosting | The server or platform where the site runs | You, with your builder added as a user |
| Site design and code | The layout, templates, and any custom code | Spelled out in a written agreement |
| Content | Your words, photos, and logo | You, in writing if someone else made them |
| Accounts | Google Business Profile, Search Console, Analytics | You, as Owner, not just a user |
Six separate things that people lump together.
The accounts row is easy to forget. Your Business Profile, Search Console, and Analytics hold your search history. If a vendor owns them, that history leaves with the vendor: Getting found on Google and in AI answers.
How do you check who owns your domain right now?
Look it up. ICANN runs a free public lookup at lookup.icann.org. Many records hide the owner's personal details, so the result may not name you even if you are the registrant. Your registrar account is the surest place to check.
If you can't log in to the registrar yourself, find out who can. Also check who is listed as Owner on your Google Business Profile, Search Console, and Analytics. Being a "user" is not the same as owning them.
Check who is listed as Owner on your Google Business Profile, Search Console, and Analytics.
What rights does ICANN give you as a domain registrant?
ICANN's "Registrants' Benefits and Responsibilities" says your registrar must give you its terms, pricing, and its processes for "registering, managing, transferring, renewing, and restoring" domains. You "shall not be subject to false advertising or deceptive practices," including "hidden fees."
You have duties too: keep your contact and payment details current, respond to your registrar within 15 days when it asks, and "assume sole responsibility for the registration and use of your domain name." That last line is why the registrant should be you (more on the ongoing costs of a business website).
How do domain transfers work, and what can a registrar refuse?
Under ICANN's Transfer Policy in force today:
- When you ask, your registrar must give you the transfer code (called the AuthInfo code) and remove the lock within five calendar days, if it doesn't offer self-service. (Section 5.2)
- It "must not refuse" to release the code to you "solely because there is a dispute" over payment. (Section 5.4)
- It may deny a transfer within 60 days of the domain being created, or within 60 days of a previous transfer. (Sections 3.7.5 and 3.7.6)
- Changing whose name is on the domain can trigger a 60-day transfer lock, unless you take an opt-out the registrar offers. ICANN advises doing any registrar move before changing the registrant. (Section II.C)
Under ICANN's Transfer Policy in force today.
These rights belong to the registrant. If your developer registered the domain in their own name, they are the one who has to approve the move (more on questions to ask before you hire a web builder).
If your developer registered the domain in their own name, they are the one who has to approve the move.
What's changing in the ICANN transfer rules?
New rules are adopted but not yet in effect. On 06/07/2026 the ICANN Board adopted all 47 Transfer Policy Review recommendations, directing implementation "subject to prioritization." ICANN's implementation page lists the project as in queue.
Per the GNSO's Transfer Policy Review Final Report, the AuthInfo code becomes a "Transfer Authorization Code" that must be issued within 120 hours and can be used only once. The lock after a new registration or a transfer becomes a consistent 30 days, and the transfer lock after a change of registrant would be removed. These rules are adopted, not yet in effect. No effective date had been published as of 10/19/2026.
If someone builds your site, who owns the design and code?
Don't assume "I paid for it, so I own it." The US Copyright Office's Circular 30 says a commissioned work is a "work made for hire" only if it fits one of nine listed categories and there is a written agreement signed by both sides saying so. "If a work fails to satisfy any of these requirements, it is not a work made for hire."
Get ownership, or a clear license, in writing before the work starts.
The practical takeaway: get ownership, or a clear license, for the design, code, and content in writing before the work starts. This is not legal advice. Check your state's rules, and have an attorney read the contract.
Do you own a site built on Wix or a similar builder?
You own your content, but the site lives on their platform. Wix, for example, says your content belongs to you, but a Wix site "needs to be hosted and operated on Wix's servers." You can transfer a Wix-purchased domain away, but ICANN's 60-day locks apply and the transfer disconnects the Wix site.
That is a fair trade for a lot of small businesses. Just know that leaving means rebuilding the site, not moving it.
When is it fine to let someone else hold it?
When you truly don't want to deal with it and you trust the arrangement in writing. Some owners are happy to let a builder or agency manage hosting day to day (more on what a website care plan is). That works if:
- The domain is still registered in your business's name
- You have your own login, or the agreement says you get one on request
- The contract says what you get if you part ways
If all three are true, the simpler setup is fine.
How 3Fold Labs helps
Settle these questions before any site work starts, with any builder, me included. If you're planning a new site, put them next to what a contractor website costs and exactly what's included. You and I agree on the deliverables and cost before work begins, so those answers can be written down alongside them.
If you're ready to plan one, here's how I build custom websites for service businesses.
FAQ
Should my web designer register my domain?
They can do the clicking, but the registrant should be your business, using an email address you control.
My old developer won't answer. What can I do?
If you are the registrant, ask the registrar for the transfer code; ICANN requires it within five calendar days. If the developer is the registrant, you are back to your contract. Check your state's rules and consider an attorney.
Can my registrar refuse to transfer my domain because I owe them money?
ICANN's policy says the registrar must not refuse to release the code to the registrant solely over a payment dispute, and a transfer may not be denied for nonpayment for a future registration period.
What is a domain auth code?
It's the code that proves you approve a move to a new registrar. ICANN calls it the AuthInfo code today and will call it the Transfer Authorization Code under the adopted new rules.
Sources
- ICANN, Registrants' Benefits and ResponsibilitiesAccessed 10/20/2026
- ICANN, Transfer PolicyAccessed 10/20/2026
- ICANN Board, Approved Resolutions, Regular Meeting 06/07/2026Accessed 10/20/2026
- ICANN, Policy implementationAccessed 10/20/2026
- ICANN GNSO, Transfer Policy Review Final Report (4 February 2025)Accessed 10/20/2026
- ICANN LookupAccessed 10/20/2026
- US Copyright Office, Circular 30: Works Made for HireAccessed 10/20/2026
- Wix Help Center, Exporting or embedding your Wix site elsewhereAccessed 10/20/2026
- Wix Help Center, Transferring your Wix domain away from Wix, via search resultAccessed 10/20/2026