ENS Labs proposes ENSv2 activation that would halt new ENSv1 registrations
A draft DAO proposal would freeze new .eth sign-ups on the old registrar, let current owners renew indefinitely, and give the DAO every remaining ENSv2 admin key
ENS Labs wants to close the front door on ENSv1. The doors already inside stay open.
On October 11, 2026, the team behind the Ethereum Name Service posted a draft proposal to the ENS DAO Governance Forum. It would activate ENSv2 on Ethereum mainnet and stop new .eth registrations on the current v1 registrar. Existing owners would keep their names and could renew them on v1 with no deadline to move.
What the proposal would actually do
Once the DAO executes the proposal, the v1 registrar would stop accepting new .eth names. Renewals for existing v1 names would run through a new contract called ETHRenewerV1. Owners who prefer v1 can stay there indefinitely by renewing. There is no forced migration and no cutoff date. If a v1 name expires, it becomes available for registration on v2.
Before v2 opens for registrations and resolution, ENS Labs would run a pre-migration sync. The goal is to preserve every active v1 name for its current owner, so the new system recognizes who holds what from day one.
The proposal needs only a single DAO vote to put these changes into effect.
ENS Labs hands over the keys
After activation, every administrative role tied to ENSv2 would move to the ENS DAO, removing the privileged positions ENS Labs currently holds. Labs plans to publish scripts that let anyone verify where those roles sit onchain.
If approved, the ENS DAO would hold full governance over both versions of the protocol. That follows an August 2026 overhaul that gave the ENS Foundation operational responsibilities and oversight of the endowment.
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The road from Namechain back to mainnet
In February 2026, ENS Labs announced it would develop ENSv2 exclusively on Ethereum mainnet and stop work on Namechain. The reasoning centered on improvements to Ethereum’s base layer, including higher gas limits and much lower registration costs.
ENSv1 uses a flat registry structure. ENSv2 introduces hierarchical registries, which are designed to offer better subname management, finer-grained permission settings and a smoother user experience.
One detail owners should note: the renewal grace period is shorter on v2. ENSv2 offers 28 days after expiration to renew, compared with 90 days on v1.
What this means for ENS users, builders and token holders
With fresh .eth registrations frozen on v1, every new name after activation would land on v2, shifting new user activity and the fees attached to it toward ENSv2 once it launches.
For ENS governance participants, moving every v2 admin role to the DAO means the DAO would carry full responsibility for the protocol’s future changes.
The pre-migration sync has to work cleanly, since any mismatch between v1 ownership and v2 records would undermine trust in the new system. Running two versions side by side, with v1 names renewing indefinitely, also means apps and resolvers will need to support both for the foreseeable future.
The proposal is still a draft on the governance forum. The next markers are community feedback, any revisions ENS Labs makes in response, and the single DAO vote that would set activation in motion. Until that vote passes, v1 registrations continue as usual.