ARIN IPv4 Waiting List: How It Works, Limits and Alternatives

As of September 2026, the ARIN IPv4 waiting list remains active and continues to distribute IPv4 address space to qualifying organizations.

But getting on the list does not mean getting IPv4 addresses immediately.

ARIN limits how much space an organization can receive, sets eligibility requirements based partly on existing IPv4 holdings, and can only distribute addresses as suitable resources return to its inventory.

For a company that needs a relatively small amount of IPv4 space and can be flexible about timing, the waiting list may be worth considering. For businesses that need larger volumes or more predictable deployment, IPv4 transfers, purchasing, or IPv4 leasing may be more practical.

This guide explains how the ARIN IPv4 waiting list works, who qualifies, how much IPv4 space can be obtained, and where other sourcing options fit.

Key Takeaways

 • ARIN’s general IPv4 free pool was depleted on September 24, 2015.

The ARIN IPv4 waiting list is still active in 2026.

• The maximum aggregate amount an organization can qualify for at one time is a /22, or 1,024 IPv4 addresses.

• Organizations holding more than a /20 equivalent of IPv4 address space generally aren’t eligible to apply.

• IPv4 availability depends on suitable address blocks returning to ARIN’s inventory.

• Waiting-list space generally cannot be transferred to another organization for 60 months, except for qualifying Section 8.2 transfers.

• Businesses that need more IPv4 space, faster access, or greater flexibility may need to evaluate transfers, purchasing, or leasing instead.

What Is the ARIN IPv4 Waiting List?

The ARIN IPv4 waiting list is a mechanism that allows eligible organizations to request IPv4 resources that become available after depletion of ARIN’s general free pool.

ARIN — the American Registry for Internet Numbers — depleted that pool on September 24, 2015. IPv4 addresses did not stop working or disappear at that point. What changed was the supply of previously unallocated addresses ARIN could routinely distribute.

IPv4 resources can still return to ARIN, often through revocations or other circumstances that place address space back into its inventory. ARIN can then use those resources to satisfy approved waiting-list requests.

It is one part of the broader challenge created by IPv4 exhaustion and the strategies businesses now use to keep scaling.

The key distinction is simple:

Approval puts an organization on the waiting list. It does not guarantee that a suitable IPv4 block is immediately available.

How Does the ARIN IPv4 Waiting List Work?

An organization submits an IPv4 request to ARIN and must meet the applicable policy requirements.

If ARIN approves the request, the organization is placed on the waiting list for its approved maximum block size. The applicant also specifies the smallest block it is willing to accept.

ARIN fills requests on a first-approved basis as IPv4 resources become available, but block size matters.

For example, an organization may qualify for a /22 while another organization is willing to accept a /24. If ARIN receives a /24, that block cannot fulfill the /22-only requirement but may be suitable for the organization willing to accept the smaller range.

This is why a company’s numerical position on the waiting list does not provide an exact delivery date.

ARIN explicitly says the chronological waiting-list table does not necessarily represent the order in which requests will be fulfilled. That depends on the size, order, and quantity of IPv4 blocks that return to its inventory.

How Many IPv4 Addresses Can You Get From the ARIN Waiting List?

Under ARIN’s current policy, the maximum aggregate amount an organization can qualify for at one time is a /22.

A /22 contains 1,024 IPv4 addresses.

ARIN allows qualifying organizations to elect a smaller block, down to a /24.

For context, a /24 contains 256 IPv4 addresses, a /23 contains 512, a /22 contains 1,024, a /21 contains 2,048, a /20 contains 4,096, a /19 contains 8,192, and a /18 contains 16,384 IPv4 addresses.

For a small network, 1,024 additional addresses may provide useful capacity.

For IP-intensive infrastructure, it can be a very different story.

A proxy provider, hosting company, VPN service, cybersecurity platform, or web data business may require thousands or tens of thousands of addresses, sometimes across different geographies, ASNs, or network environments.

Proxy operators, for example, often need to consider reputation, routing, geographic coverage, and scalability in addition to the raw number of addresses. We cover that use case in more detail in our guide to IPv4 leasing for proxy companies.

The waiting list can provide IPv4 capacity, but it is not designed to satisfy unlimited or rapidly changing address requirements.

Who Is Eligible for the ARIN IPv4 Waiting List?

Existing IPv4 holdings are one of the most important eligibility restrictions.

Under ARIN’s current waiting-list policy, organizations holding more than a /20 equivalent of IPv4 space in aggregate generally aren’t eligible to apply.

Certain special-use resources issued under Sections 4.4 and 4.10 are excluded from that calculation.

A /20 represents 4,096 IPv4 addresses.

ARIN also currently requires that:

• an organization have no more than one approved waiting-list request at a time;
• the request does not exceed a /22;
• the applicant specifies the smallest block it is willing to accept;
applicable ARIN fees are current when space becomes available.

Receiving IPv4 space through an 8.3 Specified Recipient Transfer or an 8.4 Inter-RIR Transfer while on the waiting list also removes the organization from the list.

Organizations should check ARIN’s current policy before applying rather than building infrastructure plans around older eligibility information.

How Long Does the ARIN IPv4 Waiting List Take?

There is no fixed waiting time.

Unlike buying a product from inventory, ARIN cannot simply allocate a /22 to every approved applicant on demand.

Fulfillment depends on the IPv4 resources that become available, including their size, and how those blocks match the requirements of organizations already waiting.

This makes timing difficult to predict.

The waiting list is, however, actively distributing resources.

On July 2, 2026, ARIN fulfilled 307 waiting-list requests using 199 IPv4 blocks that had been cleared for distribution.

As of September 2026, ARIN lists the next distribution as expected on or about October 1, 2026.

These distribution dates demonstrate that address space continues to move through the system. They do not provide a guaranteed timeline for a particular applicant.

For infrastructure teams working against a fixed deployment date, that uncertainty may be the deciding factor.

The secondary IPv4 leasing market, for example, works differently because businesses access address space that has already been allocated rather than waiting for new inventory to return to a registry.

Can You Transfer IPv4 Addresses Received From the Waiting List?

Not immediately.

ARIN’s current policy states that IPv4 space distributed through the waiting list is not eligible for transfer to another organization for 60 months.

Section 8.2 transfers, which cover certain mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations, are an exception.

Organizations therefore shouldn’t approach the waiting list as a way to receive IPv4 space for quick resale or transfer.

If permanent control of IPv4 resources is the goal, purchasing through the transfer market may be a better comparison. If flexibility and lower upfront capital are more important, leasing may make more sense.

The differences are explored further in PubConcierge’s guide to IPv4 leasing versus buying IPv4 addresses.

What Happens If You Decline an IPv4 Block?

The smallest acceptable block size deserves careful thought when the request is submitted.

Under ARIN’s current process, if an organization declines a block that becomes available and meets the parameters of its waiting-list request, ARIN considers the request fulfilled and removes it from the waiting list.

Teams should therefore know what prefix sizes are actually useful for their infrastructure.

A smaller block may arrive sooner but provide too little capacity. A larger minimum requirement reduces the range of blocks capable of satisfying the request.

What About the Reputation of ARIN Waiting-List IPv4 Addresses?

IPv4 addresses have histories.

A range returning to ARIN may previously have been announced by another organization or used for a completely different type of traffic. Registration can change faster than third-party reputation data.

ARIN acknowledges this issue directly.

It publishes the IPv4 blocks cleared for waiting-list distribution and encourages blocklist operators to remove potentially stale reputation information associated with previous registrants.

That does not mean IPv4 addresses distributed by ARIN are inherently low quality.

It means historical reputation should not be ignored simply because a block now has a new registrant.

Before production deployment, technical teams may want to review:

• blocklist and reputation status;
• geolocation accuracy;
• registry records;
• ASN and previous network associations;
• routing readiness;
• RPKI or ROA configuration where relevant.

These checks are equally relevant when acquiring or leasing address space.

Our guide to evaluating IP address quality before deployment covers reputation, ASN context, geolocation, routing, assignment history, and other factors in more detail.

ARIN Waiting List vs. Buying vs. IPv4 Leasing

There is no single best way to obtain additional IPv4 capacity.

The practical choice usually depends on volume, timing, budget, intended use, and how much long-term control the organization requires.

ARIN Waiting List

• The waiting list can make sense when an organization qualifies, needs no more than a /22, and has enough flexibility to accommodate uncertain fulfillment timing.
• Its main advantage is access to IPv4 resources directly through ARIN.
• Its main constraints are eligibility, block size, availability, and the 60-month transfer restriction.

Buying IPv4 Addresses

• Purchasing may suit organizations that expect to use the address space for many years and want permanent control of the resource.
• That usually requires more upfront capital and involves the appropriate registry transfer process.
• For long-lived infrastructure with predictable demand, that investment may be justified.

IPv4 Leasing

• Leasing gives an organization the right to use IPv4 space for a defined period while the resource holder retains ownership.
• It can be useful when capacity requirements change over time, when purchasing a large address portfolio is unnecessary, or when a business wants to deploy additional IPv4 space without tying up significant capital.

A detailed explanation of the model is available in IPv4 Address Leasing Explained.

For companies evaluating current costs and availability, it is also worth looking beyond a simple price-per-IP comparison. The IPv4 leasing market is increasingly shaped by reputation, routing, geography, prefix size, and deployment readiness as well as price.

Availability Is Only Part of the IPv4 Decision

There was a time when the central IPv4 question was simply:

Can we get enough addresses?

Today, technical teams often need to ask another question:

Will those addresses work properly for our workload?

A block can be technically available and still create operational problems because of poor reputation, inaccurate geolocation, routing issues, or previous network associations.

This becomes more important as IPv4 resources are reused and redistributed between organizations.

For production infrastructure, the most useful range is not necessarily the cheapest or the first one available. It is the range that meets the requirements of the actual deployment.

PubConcierge’s guide to what makes a valuable IP block looks at the factors that determine that value, including reputation, routing stability, ASN context, geolocation, and provenance.

Where IPv4 Leasing Fits

The ARIN waiting list remains a legitimate source of IPv4 space.

For an eligible organization seeking up to a /22 without a hard deployment deadline, it may be a perfectly reasonable option.

The limitations become more significant when requirements are larger or more time-sensitive.

Businesses may need more than 1,024 addresses, capacity across several networks or locations, or IPv4 resources that can be tested before production deployment.

This is where leasing can fill a different role.

Rather than waiting for suitable inventory to return to a registry or purchasing address space outright, businesses can lease IPv4 capacity according to their operational requirements.

At PubConcierge, we work with proxy providers, hosting companies, VPN services, web data platforms, cybersecurity businesses, and other IP-dependent organizations that need IPv4 resources for production infrastructure.

That process can include evaluating reputation, geolocation, routing readiness, documentation, and previous usage, rather than treating every available IPv4 address as interchangeable.

The Bottom Line

The ARIN IPv4 waiting list can be useful for eligible organizations with limited IPv4 needs, but its /22 allocation cap, uncertain availability, and transfer restrictions make it less suitable for larger or time-sensitive projects.

For businesses that need more flexibility, faster deployment, or greater IPv4 capacity, leasing can be a more practical option.

Need IPv4 resources for an upcoming project? PubConcierge can help you evaluate available IPv4 leasing options and test resources before deployment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the ARIN IPv4 waiting list still active?

Yes. As of September 2026, the ARIN IPv4 waiting list remains active. ARIN’s most recent distribution was completed on July 2, 2026, and the next distribution is scheduled for on or about October 1, 2026.

Does ARIN still give out IPv4 addresses?

Yes, under specific policies. ARIN’s general IPv4 free pool was depleted in 2015, but organizations may still obtain resources through the waiting list, certain reserved pools, or approved transfers.

What is the maximum IPv4 allocation from the ARIN waiting list?

The maximum aggregate amount an organization can qualify for at one time is a /22, equivalent to 1,024 IPv4 addresses.

Who qualifies for the ARIN IPv4 waiting list?

Organizations must meet ARIN’s current policy requirements. Among the main restrictions, organizations holding more than a /20 equivalent of IPv4 space in aggregate generally aren’t eligible, excluding certain special-use resources.

How long does the ARIN IPv4 waiting list take?

There is no fixed waiting period. Fulfillment depends on the quantity and size of IPv4 resources that return to ARIN and how those blocks match approved requests.

Can ARIN waiting-list IPv4 addresses be transferred?

Generally not for the first 60 months after distribution. Section 8.2 transfers are an exception.

Is IPv4 leasing an alternative to the ARIN waiting list?

Yes. Leasing may be appropriate for organizations that need larger IPv4 volumes, more predictable access, or greater flexibility without purchasing address space outright.

Is IPv4 leasing the same as owning IPv4 addresses?

No. A lease provides the right to use IPv4 space according to the agreement, while ownership remains with the resource holder. A purchase normally involves transferring the IPv4 resource to the acquiring organization through the appropriate registry process.

Should IPv4 addresses be tested before deployment?

For many production workloads, yes. Reputation, routing, geolocation, ASN context, and previous use can affect the operational suitability of an IPv4 range.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, regulatory, or compliance advice. Policy information is based on publicly available ARIN documentation as of September 2026 and may change. Organizations should verify current requirements directly with ARIN and seek appropriate professional advice before making allocation, transfer, or compliance decisions.

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