The domain, and who registered it
A domain is controlled by the registrant listed with the registrar where it was registered. Changing the registrant or moving the domain goes through that registrar, and a free public lookup shows which one it is ↗. The trouble that comes up most often is a developer who registered the domain in their own name or on their own account instead of the client's, which is why the standing advice is to insist it is registered in your name, whoever does the paperwork ↗.
Moving a domain can also be blocked for reasons unrelated to ownership. Registrars must lock a domain against transfer for 60 days after a change to the registrant's details ↗, and Squarespace applies locks after a purchase, an inbound transfer or a contact change, sending the transfer code to the registrant's email, usually within 24 hours ↗.
Everything else on the site
Code, design and text belong to the person, or the employee, who wrote them. Otherwise they belong to the creator and are licensed to the client, unless a written agreement assigns them. The wording to look for defines the "finished assembled work" and transfers ownership on completion and final payment ↗. Hosting is almost always leased rather than owned ↗, and moving a domain does not necessarily move the site: a domain can leave Squarespace without cancelling the site subscription ↗, while a Wix site is disconnected when its domain goes ↗.
A ten-minute check
You can see where you stand in about ten minutes.
Look up the domain in ICANN's lookup tool. The result names the registrar ↗.
Log in at that registrar. If you cannot, ask it how to update the registrant ↗.
Check the registrant email address, because transfer codes are sent there ↗ ↗.
Check who pays the renewal. On Wix, an Admin can move a domain only if they own the payment method attached to it ↗.
On Squarespace or Wix, confirm you are listed as the site owner. On Wix, the owner can transfer a domain away ↗.
Ask for a written agreement on who owns the design, code and content ↗.
- Orbit Media, Who Owns My Website? Ownership and Terminology, by Barrett Lombardo, modified October 8, 2026Orbit Media is a web design and marketing agency.
- ICANN, About Change of Registrant, and Registration Data LookupICANN coordinates the domain name system.
- Squarespace Help, Transferring a domain away from SquarespaceSquarespace sells website hosting and domains.
- Wix Help, Transferring Your Wix Domain Away from WixWix sells website hosting and domains.
Read October 16, 2026.
Photo by Magda Ehlers, via Pexels, free to use under the Pexels license.
General information, not legal, financial or professional advice. Figures and rules come from the sources listed, read on the date shown, and may have changed. Corrections: contact@ttpcollective.com.
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