XooCode(){

GovernmentService

GovernmentService is a Service subtype for services provided by government organizations: food stamps, veterans benefits, trash pickup, business permits, drivers license renewal, vaccinations. It has 2 properties of its own: jurisdiction (where the service is available) and serviceOperator (the agency providing it). All Service properties apply: provider, serviceType, areaServed, availableChannel.

The type hierarchy is Thing → Intangible → Service → GovernmentService. Use GovernmentService for any public-sector service to distinguish it from commercial Services. Government search experiences and civic technology tools (Code for America, public benefits navigators) read this type to surface eligible services for residents.

Full example of schema.org/GovernmentService json-ld markup

The markup is verified as valid with Rich Results Test from Google.

Highlight legend:Required by GoogleRecommendedOptional
schema.org/GovernmentService
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "GovernmentService",
  "name": "Dunmore Residential Trash and Recycling Pickup",
  "description": "Weekly curbside trash and recycling collection for residential addresses in the Borough of Dunmore. Trash on Mondays, recycling on Thursdays.",
  "url": "https://dunmore.gov/services/trash-pickup",
  "jurisdiction": {
    "@type": "AdministrativeArea",
    "name": "Borough of Dunmore, Pennsylvania"
  },
  "serviceOperator": {
    "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
    "name": "Borough of Dunmore Public Works Department",
    "url": "https://dunmore.gov/departments/public-works"
  },
  "provider": {
    "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
    "name": "Borough of Dunmore",
    "url": "https://dunmore.gov"
  },
  "serviceType": "Waste Management",
  "areaServed": {
    "@type": "City",
    "name": "Dunmore"
  },
  "availableChannel": {
    "@type": "ServiceChannel",
    "serviceUrl": "https://dunmore.gov/services/trash-pickup/schedule",
    "servicePhone": "+1-570-555-0700"
  }
}
</script>

jurisdiction

jurisdiction takes an AdministrativeArea or text. This is the geographic scope of the service: a city service is jurisdiction-scoped to the city; a federal service to the country. Critical for residents searching for services they can actually access.

serviceOperator vs provider

serviceOperator is GovernmentService-specific: the agency that operates the service day-to-day. provider (inherited from Service) is the broader provider relationship. Often these are the same; for federally-funded but locally-operated services, they differ.

Minimal valid version

The smallest markup that still produces a valid GovernmentService entity. Use it as the floor. Reach for the advanced example above when you want search engines and AI agents to understand more about your content.

schema.org/GovernmentService (minimal)
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "GovernmentService",
  "name": "Dunmore Residential Trash and Recycling Pickup",
  "jurisdiction": { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Borough of Dunmore, Pennsylvania" },
  "serviceOperator": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "Borough of Dunmore Public Works Department" },
  "url": "https://dunmore.gov/services/trash-pickup",
  "description": "Weekly curbside trash and recycling collection."
}
</script>

Google rich results this unlocks

Markup matching this example makes your page eligible for the following Google Search rich results. The primary target drives the required / recommended property classification in the advanced code block above.

Common GovernmentService mistakes

Mistakes that pass validation but silently fail to earn rich results or mislead consumers walking the graph. Avoid these and your markup will be ahead of most sites in the wild.

  1. 01

    Using Service for a government service

    Wrong
    "@type": "Service" for a public benefits program
    Right
    "@type": "GovernmentService"

    GovernmentService signals that this is a public-sector service. Civic technology tools and government search experiences filter on GovernmentService specifically. Generic Service does not trigger these features.

  2. 02

    Missing jurisdiction

    Wrong
    GovernmentService with no jurisdiction
    Right
    "jurisdiction": { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Borough of Dunmore, Pennsylvania" }

    Government services are jurisdiction-scoped. Without jurisdiction, residents cannot tell if they are eligible. Always include the geographic scope (city, county, state, or country) where the service is available.

Schema properties in this example

GovernmentServiceServicenamedescriptionurljurisdictionAdministrativeAreaserviceOperatorGovernmentOrganizationproviderserviceTypeareaServedCityavailableChannelServiceChannelserviceUrlservicePhone

About the example data

The trash and recycling pickup service operated by the Borough of Dunmore for residents.

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