# init(zoneName:) Creates a record zone object with the specified zone name. ``` init(zoneName: String) ``` ## Parameters `zoneName` The name of the new zone. Zone names inside a user’s private database are unique, consist of up to 255 ASCII characters, and don’t start with an underscore. One way to satisfy the uniqueness of zone names is to create a string from a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID), but you can also use other techniques. If this parameter is `nil` or is an empty string, the method throws an exception. ## Return Value The new custom zone. ## Discussion Use this method to create a new record zone. The new zone has the name you provide and the zone’s owner is the current user. After creating the zone, save it to the server using a [`CKModifyRecordZonesOperation`](/documentation/CloudKit/CKModifyRecordZonesOperation) object or the [`save(_:completionHandler:)`](/documentation/CloudKit/CKDatabase/save(_:completionHandler:)-32ffr) method of [`CKDatabase`](/documentation/CloudKit/CKDatabase). You must save the zone to the server before you attempt to save any records to that zone. Don’t use this method to create a `CKRecordZone` object that corresponds to a zone that already exists in the database. If the zone exists, fetch it using a [`CKFetchRecordZonesOperation`](/documentation/CloudKit/CKFetchRecordZonesOperation) object or the [`fetch(withRecordZoneID:completionHandler:)`](/documentation/CloudKit/CKDatabase/fetch(withRecordZoneID:completionHandler:)) method of [`CKDatabase`](/documentation/CloudKit/CKDatabase). --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)