How to remove your IP from WPBL

The WPBL shut down in 2024 and lists nobody. If something still flags it, here is why, and what you actually need to fix instead.

Check your domain free → WPBL removal tool ↗

What it is

The list, in plain terms.

The Weighted Private Block List (WPBL) was an IP-based DNSBL fed by a set of private spamtraps. An address that sent mail to those traps accrued weight toward a listing — the "weighted" in the name — and was published under the zone db.wpbl.info once it crossed the threshold. It listed IP addresses only, never domains or message content.

The WPBL is now defunct. The operator emptied the list in November 2023, then shut the service down in 2024 after roughly 20 years of operation. Following the graceful-termination guidance in RFC 6471, the nameservers for db.wpbl.info now point to dummy TEST-NET addresses, so lookups return errors or time out rather than real answers, and the rsync feed was switched off in August 2025.

In practice this means you cannot be listed on the WPBL today — it holds zero entries. If your mail is bouncing "because of the WPBL", the cause is a receiver still querying a dead zone with an out-of-date configuration, not your IP. There is nothing on your side to delist.

Why you get listed

What a listing on WPBL means.

A hit on a WPBL spamtrap (historical) While the service ran, it was fed by private spamtrap addresses. Mail arriving at one of those traps from your IP counted toward a listing. Reaching a trap you were never meant to mail usually pointed to scraped or purchased lists, or a compromised sender.

Crossing the weighting threshold (historical) The list was scored rather than triggered on a single event: trap activity had to accumulate past a weight threshold before the IP was published. That is what the "weighted" in Weighted Private Block List referred to.

Nothing today Since November 2023 the WPBL has contained no entries and accepts no new ones. No IP can currently be listed for any reason, so a present-day WPBL flag is never a genuine listing.

How to get removed

Delisting, in order.

Removal is free. Fix the cause first — a listing you clear without a fix comes straight back.

1 Confirm the listing is not real. Any bounce or tool citing the WPBL today is querying a zone that no longer answers. db.wpbl.info holds no entries and its nameservers now return dummy TEST-NET addresses, so you are not actually listed. There is no WPBL removal form to submit because there is nothing to remove.
2 Find what is really blocking your mail. Because the WPBL is a false alarm, the real reason a message was rejected lies elsewhere. Read the full SMTP rejection or bounce text, and look your sending IP up against the lists receivers still use — Spamhaus, Barracuda, SpamCop — to find the listing that actually matters.
3 If you run a mail server, drop db.wpbl.info from your config. The operator asks anyone still querying the WPBL to remove it. A dead DNSBL left in your own filtering can cause lookup timeouts and mis-scored mail, so delete db.wpbl.info from your MTA, spam filter, or monitoring checks.
4 If a receiver rejected you citing WPBL, tell them it is defunct. The fix is on their side, not yours. Point the receiving postmaster to the shutdown notice at www.wpbl.info and to RFC 6471; the correct action is for them to remove the WPBL from their filter, not for you to attempt a delisting that does not exist.
5 Ignore any paid WPBL removal offer. No removal process exists, free or paid. Nobody can remove your IP from an empty, shut-down list, so any service charging to "delist you from the WPBL" is selling nothing.

The official route

Straight to the source.

Removal happens on WPBL's own tool — never through a paid service.

WPBL removal tool ↗

How long it takes

There is no removal timeline because there is nothing to remove. The WPBL has held no entries since November 2023 and was shut down in 2024, and the operator is decommissioning the db.wpbl.info zone under RFC 6471. Stale queries will simply return errors or time out until receivers drop the list from their configurations.

Common questions

About WPBL, specifically.

Is the WPBL still active, or did it shut down? It shut down. The operator emptied the list in November 2023 and ended the service in 2024 after about 20 years. The nameservers for db.wpbl.info now point to dummy TEST-NET addresses, so the zone can no longer be meaningfully queried.

My IP shows as listed on the WPBL — how do I remove it? You cannot be listed, and there is nothing to remove. The WPBL contains no entries. A checker reporting WPBL is querying a dead zone; treat it as noise and look elsewhere for the real cause of your delivery problem.

A blacklist checker still reports WPBL — why? Some tools still query db.wpbl.info out of habit. Because the zone now resolves to TEST-NET addresses, those queries can error or return misleading results, but they do not mean your IP is listed. The list has been empty since 2023.

My mail bounced mentioning the WPBL — what do I do? It means the receiving server still has the WPBL in an out-of-date configuration. Ask their postmaster to remove it — the operator itself requests that everyone stop querying the list — then check your IP against the blocklists receivers actually still use.

Does WPBL removal cost anything, and are removal services legitimate? There is no WPBL removal at any price. The list is empty and the service is shut down, so any offer to delist you from the WPBL for a fee is a scam — there is nothing for them to act on.

What replaced the WPBL? Nothing directly. It was a private, spamtrap-fed list that simply closed down. For genuine IP reputation checks, rely on mainstream blocklists such as Spamhaus ZEN, Barracuda and SpamCop instead.

The bounce behind the listing.

554 5.7.1 message rejected → The permanent bounce a listing most often triggers — what it means and how to clear it. 550 5.7.1 blocked → A rejection on reputation grounds — usually the same listing, seen from the sender side. Blacklist checker → Re-check your domain and every sending IP once the cause is fixed.

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