ENS Labs Unveils Plan to Transition ENSv1 to Centralized Governance Model

Proposal Overview

ENS Labs wants to close the front door on ENSv1. The doors already inside stay open.

The team behind the Ethereum Name Service posted a draft proposal to the ENS DAO Governance Forum, which would activate ENSv2 on Ethereum mainnet and stop new .eth registrations on the current v1 registrar.

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.

Existing owners would keep their names and could renew them on v1 with no deadline to move. There is no forced migration and no cutoff date. If a v1 name expires, it becomes available for registration on v2.

Pre-Migration Sync

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.

Governance and Administrative Roles

The proposal needs only a single DAO vote to put these changes into effect. After activation, every administrative role tied to ENSv2 would move to the ENS DAO, removing the privileged positions ENS Labs currently holds.

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.

Road to ENSv2

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.

Key Details

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.

Conclusion

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.