Reference · 2 of 4
ENS lifecycle and status meanings
Active, expiring, grace, temporary premium, and released.
stableLiving referenceVerified 2026-07-29Owner: ENS.Tools Product and Security
A .eth name moves through predictable lifecycle stages. The exact timestamp is more useful than a colour or label when renewal or registration timing matters.
Active — controlled by the registrant and renewable.
Expiring — active with less than 90 days remaining in the ENS.Tools urgency view.
Grace period — legacy and reserved names retain 90 days; registered v2 names use 28 days. New registration is blocked during grace.
Temporary premium — 21 days after grace with a declining registration premium.
Released — after the applicable grace period plus the 21-day temporary premium; 111 days for legacy names or 49 for upgraded v2 names.
Production contract
Before you run this workflow
Networks
- Ethereum mainnet unless otherwise stated
Prerequisites
- Use live chain data and transaction quotes for time-sensitive decisions
Wallet permissions
- Reference pages request no wallet permissions
Expected result
- Definitions preserve unknown, failed, stale, and confirmed as distinct states
Errors and recovery
- Use the linked workflow guide
- Check live status and explorer evidence before repeating an action
Workflow
How to use it
- 1
Read the absolute expiry
An upgrade adds 62 days onchain to compensate for shorter grace. ENS.Tools displays the recorded expiry without adding it a second time.
- 2
Distinguish grace from premium
Grace protects the previous registrant; temporary premium is a new-registration auction period.
- 3
Refresh near boundaries
Provider caches, block time, and transaction confirmation can matter near a transition.