Free tool
Blacklist check for domains and IPs
One lookup tells you whether Spamhaus has your sending domain or mail server IP on a blocklist, which list it is on, and what the listing actually means.
Free blocklist check
Check a domain or IP against the Spamhaus blocklists
What we check
The lists that decide whether your mail arrives
Spamhaus is the blocklist most mailbox providers consult first. A listing on any of these can send your mail to spam or get it rejected outright.
Spamhaus ZEN
Combined SBL, CSS, XBL and PBL listings for IP addresses.
Applies to IP addresses
Spamhaus DBL
Domain blocklist: spam and abused domains.
Applies to domains
Spamhaus ZRD
Zero Reputation Domains: newly registered domains.
Applies to domains
Reading the result
What a listing means
Every listing comes back as a return code. The code is the reason, and it tells you what to fix before asking for removal.
Common IP listings
- SBL
- Spamhaus has direct evidence of spam from this address. Usually a compromised account or a bought list.
- CSS
- Snowshoe or low-reputation sending: lots of new IPs, low volume each, poor list hygiene.
- XBL
- The machine looks exploited — a trojan, an open proxy, or a relay someone else is using.
- PBL
- The address is marked as end-user space and should relay through your provider, not send directly.
Common domain listings
- DBL spam
- The domain itself appeared in spam — in the From address, or as a link in the body.
- DBL abused
- A legitimate domain being abused: a hacked site, or a redirector spammers are borrowing.
- DBL phish / malware
- The domain served phishing pages or malware. Treat this as a security incident first.
- ZRD
- The domain was registered very recently. It is not an accusation; most listings age out on their own.
Getting delisted
How to ask Spamhaus to remove a listing
Removal requests are only granted once the cause is gone. Fix first, then ask — a rejected request makes the next one harder.
- 1
Find the cause
Look at the return code above. A compromised account, an old purchased list and a hacked website all look different and need different fixes.
- 2
Fix it properly
Rotate credentials, stop the offending campaign, clean the list, patch the site. Spamhaus re-tests, so a cosmetic fix fails.
- 3
Use the removal centre
Look your IP or domain up in the Spamhaus Blocklist Removal Center, read the evidence they show, and submit the removal request from there.
- 4
Watch it stay clean
Most listings return if the cause comes back. Keep monitoring the domain and the IP so the next listing reaches you, not your customers.
Removal is handled by Spamhaus, not by PilotVerify.
Keep watching
A one-off check tells you about today
Listings usually happen quietly, between campaigns. PilotVerify re-checks your domains and IPs on a schedule and records every listing and delisting, so you hear it from us instead of from a bounced invoice.