ENS DAO Vote Could Activate Ethereum Naming System v2 Upgrade

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) founder Nick Johnson has submitted an executable draft proposal to the ENS decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), seeking approval to activate ENSv2 on the Ethereum mainnet. The upgraded protocol introduces a redesigned registry architecture with more flexible domain management and permission controls. If approved by governance voters, the upgrade would freeze new domain registrations on the original ENS registrar while preserving the ability for existing holders to continue renewing their names without requiring migration.

According to the proposal, new domain sign-ups would be temporarily unavailable on either the legacy or upgraded system for several hours during the transition window. ENS Labs has reserved existing .eth names for their current owners on the upgraded system, giving users the option to migrate at their own pace. Following activation, ENS Labs intends to transfer its remaining administrative control over the upgraded contracts to the DAO, completing the protocol's transition to full community governance.

The activation proposal remains in draft stage and must advance to an onchain DAO vote before implementation. Under existing governance rules, executable proposals require a minimum of 1% voter participation—equivalent to one million ENS votes—and majority approval during a seven-day voting period. A minimum two-day timelock would apply after approval before execution. Johnson has not yet announced a specific voting date, though the proposal signals the next major milestone in Ethereum's decentralized identity infrastructure.