Domain status codes explained: the complete EPP reference

Domain status codes are defined by the Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP, RFC 5731) and exposed today through both RDAP and WHOIS. There are two fundamental categories: "client" codes set by your registrar, and "server" codes set by the registry itself. That distinction determines who can change the status and how quickly. This article is a complete reference for every EPP status, what it means, and what it implies for domain transfers, renewals, and DNS resolution.

Client statuses vs. server statuses: the fundamental distinction

Understanding this split is the key to knowing what you can do when you see an unexpected status.

Client statuses are set and removed by the registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, OVH, etc.) at the request of the domain owner. If you see a clientHold and want it removed, you contact your registrar. Resolution is typically fast, hours to days.

Server statuses are set by the registry (Verisign for .com, AFNIC for .fr, DENIC for .de, etc.). Your registrar cannot unilaterally remove a server status. It requires direct intervention from the registry, which may involve documentation, legal processes, or waiting out a mandatory lock period.

If you're troubleshooting a domain issue and see a server status you didn't expect, the resolution path is longer and less under your control.

Complete EPP status code reference

Client statuses (set by the registrar)

Status	Meaning	Practical impact
clientDeleteProhibited	Deletion blocked by the registrar	Protects against accidental or malicious deletion
clientHold	Domain suspended by the registrar	DNS does not resolve, site and email are inaccessible
clientRenewProhibited	Renewal blocked by the registrar	Domain cannot be renewed; often related to a dispute or non-payment
clientTransferProhibited	Transfer to another registrar blocked	Standard default on most domains; normal protection
clientUpdateProhibited	WHOIS data modification blocked	Freezes registrant information (hijacking protection)

clientTransferProhibited is on by default for most domains and is actually a good thing, it prevents unauthorized transfers. If you're initiating a legitimate transfer, you'll need to remove it first via your registrar's control panel, which is a deliberate friction point.

clientHold is the one that causes immediate operational pain. DNS stops resolving entirely. If you see this on a domain you own, contact your registrar immediately, it's often tied to payment issues, abuse reports, or compliance flags.

Server statuses (set by the registry)

Status	Meaning	Practical impact
serverDeleteProhibited	Deletion blocked by the registry	Often associated with a UDRP dispute or registry-level security lock
serverHold	Domain suspended by the registry	DNS does not resolve; more serious than clientHold, takes longer to resolve
serverRenewProhibited	Renewal blocked by the registry	Rare; typically tied to a legal or regulatory decision
serverTransferProhibited	Transfer blocked by the registry	Applied automatically for 60 days after registration or transfer
serverUpdateProhibited	Data modification blocked by the registry	Complete freeze imposed by the registry

serverHold is more serious than clientHold because the registrar can't fix it, you need to go through the registry. If a domain is in serverHold due to an abuse complaint, the resolution process can take weeks.

serverTransferProhibited is often misunderstood. It's not a sign of a problem, it's automatically applied for 60 days after a new registration or after a completed transfer, to prevent immediately moving the domain again.

Lifecycle statuses (neither client nor server)

Status	Meaning	Practical impact
active	Domain is active and healthy	Normal operational state
inactive	No nameservers registered	Domain doesn't resolve but isn't suspended
pendingCreate	Registration being processed	Transient, resolves within minutes to hours
pendingDelete	Queued for deletion	5-day window for .com before the domain drops
pendingRenew	Renewal being processed	Transient
pendingRestore	Restoration from redemption in progress	Domain being recovered from the redemption period
pendingTransfer	Inter-registrar transfer in progress	Awaiting confirmation, typically 5 days
pendingUpdate	Data modification being processed	Transient
redemptionPeriod	Domain in recovery window	Expired but can be recovered with a fee ($150–200 at most registrars)
transferPeriod	Post-transfer lock period	60-day serverTransferProhibited applied automatically

The five statuses worth alerting on immediately

If you're managing domains in production, these are the ones that warrant an immediate alert rather than a weekly check:

1. serverHold or clientHold: your domain is inaccessible right now. DNS is not resolving. Every minute costs you.
2. pendingDelete: you have at most 5 days (for .com) before the domain is gone. There's still time to act, but urgency is real.
3. clientTransferProhibited removed: this may mean someone at your registrar (or someone with access to your account) has unlocked the domain for transfer. Verify immediately.
4. redemptionPeriod: the domain has expired and entered the recovery window. You can still get it back, but it costs significantly more than a standard renewal.
5. pendingTransfer: a transfer has been initiated. If you didn't authorize this, contact your registrar to block it before the 5-day window closes.

How Domain Sentinel monitors status changes

Domain Sentinel stores a snapshot of each domain's RDAP data after every verification cycle. On the next cycle, it compares the new response against the stored snapshot field by field. Any status that appears or disappears generates a change event.

If you've configured an alert for status changes on a domain, you'll receive a notification within the next monitoring cycle after the change occurs. The data comes directly from the registry (not from an intermediate cache) which means there's no lag between when the registry updates a status and when Domain Sentinel can detect it.

Keep this reference accessible, and configure alerts on your critical domains so you're reading it because you're curious, not because something is broken.