diff --git a/acme/acme/challenges.py b/acme/acme/challenges.py
index c436cc631..6242c376c 100644
--- a/acme/acme/challenges.py
+++ b/acme/acme/challenges.py
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ from acme import crypto_util
 from acme import fields
 from acme import jose
 
-
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
@@ -206,6 +205,74 @@ class KeyAuthorizationChallenge(_TokenChallenge):
                 self.validation(account_key, *args, **kwargs))
 
 
+@ChallengeResponse.register
+class DNS01Response(KeyAuthorizationChallengeResponse):
+    """ACME dns-01 challenge response."""
+    typ = "dns-01"
+
+    def simple_verify(self, chall, domain, account_public_key):
+        """Simple verify.
+
+        :param challenges.DNS01 chall: Corresponding challenge.
+        :param unicode domain: Domain name being verified.
+        :param JWK account_public_key: Public key for the key pair
+            being authorized.
+
+        :returns: ``True`` iff validation with the TXT records resolved from a
+            DNS server is successful.
+        :rtype: bool
+
+        """
+        if not self.verify(chall, account_public_key):
+            logger.debug("Verification of key authorization in response failed")
+            return False
+
+        validation_domain_name = chall.validation_domain_name(domain)
+        validation = chall.validation(account_public_key)
+        logger.debug("Verifying %s at %s...", chall.typ, validation_domain_name)
+
+        try:
+            from acme import dns_resolver
+        except ImportError:  # pragma: no cover
+            raise errors.Error("Local validation for 'dns-01' challenges "
+                               "requires 'dnspython'")
+        txt_records = dns_resolver.txt_records_for_name(validation_domain_name)
+        exists = validation in txt_records
+        if not exists:
+            logger.debug("Key authorization from response (%r) doesn't match "
+                         "any DNS response in %r", self.key_authorization,
+                         txt_records)
+        return exists
+
+
+@Challenge.register  # pylint: disable=too-many-ancestors
+class DNS01(KeyAuthorizationChallenge):
+    """ACME dns-01 challenge."""
+    response_cls = DNS01Response
+    typ = response_cls.typ
+
+    LABEL = "_acme-challenge"
+    """Label clients prepend to the domain name being validated."""
+
+    def validation(self, account_key, **unused_kwargs):
+        """Generate validation.
+
+        :param JWK account_key:
+        :rtype: unicode
+
+        """
+        return jose.b64encode(hashlib.sha256(self.key_authorization(
+            account_key).encode("utf-8")).digest()).decode()
+
+    def validation_domain_name(self, name):
+        """Domain name for TXT validation record.
+
+        :param unicode name: Domain name being validated.
+
+        """
+        return "{0}.{1}".format(self.LABEL, name)
+
+
 @ChallengeResponse.register
 class HTTP01Response(KeyAuthorizationChallengeResponse):
     """ACME http-01 challenge response."""
@@ -231,8 +298,8 @@ class HTTP01Response(KeyAuthorizationChallengeResponse):
             being authorized.
         :param int port: Port used in the validation.
 
-        :returns: ``True`` iff validation is successful, ``False``
-            otherwise.
+        :returns: ``True`` iff validation with the files currently served by the
+            HTTP server is successful.
         :rtype: bool
 
         """
@@ -410,7 +477,7 @@ class TLSSNI01Response(KeyAuthorizationChallengeResponse):
 
 
         :returns: ``True`` iff client's control of the domain has been
-            verified, ``False`` otherwise.
+            verified.
         :rtype: bool
 
         """
diff --git a/acme/acme/challenges_test.py b/acme/acme/challenges_test.py
index 04b7442b0..27976931a 100644
--- a/acme/acme/challenges_test.py
+++ b/acme/acme/challenges_test.py
@@ -77,6 +77,93 @@ class KeyAuthorizationChallengeResponseTest(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertFalse(response.verify(self.chall, KEY.public_key()))
 
 
+class DNS01ResponseTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    # pylint: disable=too-many-instance-attributes
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        from acme.challenges import DNS01Response
+        self.msg = DNS01Response(key_authorization=u'foo')
+        self.jmsg = {
+            'resource': 'challenge',
+            'type': 'dns-01',
+            'keyAuthorization': u'foo',
+        }
+
+        from acme.challenges import DNS01
+        self.chall = DNS01(token=(b'x' * 16))
+        self.response = self.chall.response(KEY)
+
+    def test_to_partial_json(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.jmsg, self.msg.to_partial_json())
+
+    def test_from_json(self):
+        from acme.challenges import DNS01Response
+        self.assertEqual(self.msg, DNS01Response.from_json(self.jmsg))
+
+    def test_from_json_hashable(self):
+        from acme.challenges import DNS01Response
+        hash(DNS01Response.from_json(self.jmsg))
+
+    def test_simple_verify_bad_key_authorization(self):
+        key2 = jose.JWKRSA.load(test_util.load_vector('rsa256_key.pem'))
+        self.response.simple_verify(self.chall, "local", key2.public_key())
+
+    @mock.patch("acme.dns_resolver.txt_records_for_name")
+    def test_simple_verify_good_validation(self, mock_resolver):
+        mock_resolver.return_value = [self.chall.validation(KEY.public_key())]
+        self.assertTrue(self.response.simple_verify(
+            self.chall, "local", KEY.public_key()))
+        mock_resolver.assert_called_once_with(
+            self.chall.validation_domain_name("local"))
+
+    @mock.patch("acme.dns_resolver.txt_records_for_name")
+    def test_simple_verify_good_validation_multiple_txts(self, mock_resolver):
+        mock_resolver.return_value = [
+            "!", self.chall.validation(KEY.public_key())]
+        self.assertTrue(self.response.simple_verify(
+            self.chall, "local", KEY.public_key()))
+        mock_resolver.assert_called_once_with(
+            self.chall.validation_domain_name("local"))
+
+    @mock.patch("acme.dns_resolver.txt_records_for_name")
+    def test_simple_verify_bad_validation(self, mock_dns):
+        mock_dns.return_value = ["!"]
+        self.assertFalse(self.response.simple_verify(
+            self.chall, "local", KEY.public_key()))
+
+
+class DNS01Test(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        from acme.challenges import DNS01
+        self.msg = DNS01(token=jose.decode_b64jose(
+            'evaGxfADs6pSRb2LAv9IZf17Dt3juxGJ+PCt92wr+oA'))
+        self.jmsg = {
+            'type': 'dns-01',
+            'token': 'evaGxfADs6pSRb2LAv9IZf17Dt3juxGJ-PCt92wr-oA',
+        }
+
+    def test_validation_domain_name(self):
+        self.assertEqual('_acme-challenge.www.example.com',
+                         self.msg.validation_domain_name('www.example.com'))
+
+    def test_validation(self):
+        self.assertEqual(
+            "rAa7iIg4K2y63fvUhCfy8dP1Xl7wEhmQq0oChTcE3Zk",
+            self.msg.validation(KEY))
+
+    def test_to_partial_json(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.jmsg, self.msg.to_partial_json())
+
+    def test_from_json(self):
+        from acme.challenges import DNS01
+        self.assertEqual(self.msg, DNS01.from_json(self.jmsg))
+
+    def test_from_json_hashable(self):
+        from acme.challenges import DNS01
+        hash(DNS01.from_json(self.jmsg))
+
+
 class HTTP01ResponseTest(unittest.TestCase):
     # pylint: disable=too-many-instance-attributes
 
diff --git a/acme/acme/dns_resolver.py b/acme/acme/dns_resolver.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f551c6095
--- /dev/null
+++ b/acme/acme/dns_resolver.py
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+"""DNS Resolver for ACME client.
+Required only for local validation of 'dns-01' challenges.
+"""
+import logging
+
+import dns.resolver
+import dns.exception
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+def txt_records_for_name(name):
+    """Resolve the name and return the TXT records.
+
+    :param unicode name: Domain name being verified.
+
+    :returns: A list of txt records, if empty the name could not be resolved
+    :rtype: list of unicode
+
+    """
+    try:
+        dns_response = dns.resolver.query(name, 'TXT')
+    except dns.resolver.NXDOMAIN as error:
+        return []
+    except dns.exception.DNSException as error:
+        logger.error("Error resolving %s: %s", name, str(error))
+        return []
+
+    return [txt_rec.decode("utf-8") for rdata in dns_response
+            for txt_rec in rdata.strings]
diff --git a/acme/acme/dns_resolver_test.py b/acme/acme/dns_resolver_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..53fc0cc77
--- /dev/null
+++ b/acme/acme/dns_resolver_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+"""Tests for acme.dns_resolver."""
+import unittest
+import mock
+
+from acme import dns_resolver
+
+try:
+    import dns
+except ImportError:  # pragma: no cover
+    dns = None
+
+
+def create_txt_response(name, txt_records):
+    """
+    Returns an RRSet containing the 'txt_records' as the result of a DNS
+    query for 'name'.
+
+    This takes advantage of the fact that an Answer object mostly behaves
+    like an RRset.
+    """
+    return dns.rrset.from_text_list(name, 60, "IN", "TXT", txt_records)
+
+
+class TxtRecordsForNameTest(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    @mock.patch("acme.dns_resolver.dns.resolver.query")
+    def test_txt_records_for_name_with_single_response(self, mock_dns):
+        mock_dns.return_value = create_txt_response('name', ['response'])
+        self.assertEqual(['response'],
+                         dns_resolver.txt_records_for_name('name'))
+
+    @mock.patch("acme.dns_resolver.dns.resolver.query")
+    def test_txt_records_for_name_with_multiple_responses(self, mock_dns):
+        mock_dns.return_value = create_txt_response(
+            'name', ['response1', 'response2'])
+        self.assertEqual(['response1', 'response2'],
+                         dns_resolver.txt_records_for_name('name'))
+
+    @mock.patch("acme.dns_resolver.dns.resolver.query")
+    def test_txt_records_for_name_domain_not_found(self, mock_dns):
+        mock_dns.side_effect = dns.resolver.NXDOMAIN
+        self.assertEquals([], dns_resolver.txt_records_for_name('name'))
+
+    @mock.patch("acme.dns_resolver.dns.resolver.query")
+    def test_txt_records_for_name_domain_other_error(self, mock_dns):
+        mock_dns.side_effect = dns.exception.DNSException
+        self.assertEquals([], dns_resolver.txt_records_for_name('name'))
+
+    def run(self, result=None):
+        if dns is None:  # pragma: no cover
+            print(self, "... SKIPPING, no dnspython available")
+            return
+        super(TxtRecordsForNameTest, self).run(result)
diff --git a/acme/setup.py b/acme/setup.py
index ed133e128..94f78d4cd 100644
--- a/acme/setup.py
+++ b/acme/setup.py
@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@ if sys.version_info < (2, 7):
 else:
     install_requires.append('mock')
 
+# dnspython 1.12 is required to support both Python 2 and Python 3.
+dns_extras = [
+    'dnspython>=1.12',
+]
+
 dev_extras = [
     'nose',
     'pep8',
@@ -76,6 +81,7 @@ setup(
     include_package_data=True,
     install_requires=install_requires,
     extras_require={
+        'dns': dns_extras,
         'dev': dev_extras,
         'docs': docs_extras,
     },
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 689bbf513..27979d9df 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ envlist = py{26,33,34,35},cover,lint
 # packages installed separately to ensure that downstream deps problems
 # are detected, c.f. #1002
 commands =
-    pip install -e acme[dev]
+    pip install -e acme[dns,dev]
     nosetests -v acme
     pip install -e .[dev]
     nosetests -v certbot
@@ -38,23 +38,23 @@ deps =
 
 [testenv:py33]
 commands =
-    pip install -e acme[dev]
+    pip install -e acme[dns,dev]
     nosetests -v acme
 
 [testenv:py34]
 commands =
-    pip install -e acme[dev]
+    pip install -e acme[dns,dev]
     nosetests -v acme
 
 [testenv:py35]
 commands =
-    pip install -e acme[dev]
+    pip install -e acme[dns,dev]
     nosetests -v acme
 
 [testenv:cover]
 basepython = python2.7
 commands =
-    pip install -e acme[dev] -e .[dev] -e certbot-apache -e certbot-nginx -e letshelp-certbot
+    pip install -e acme[dns,dev] -e .[dev] -e certbot-apache -e certbot-nginx -e letshelp-certbot
     ./tox.cover.sh
 
 [testenv:lint]
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ basepython = python2.7
 # duplicate code checking; if one of the commands fails, others will
 # continue, but tox return code will reflect previous error
 commands =
-    pip install -q -e acme[dev] -e .[dev] -e certbot-apache -e certbot-nginx -e certbot-compatibility-test -e letshelp-certbot
+    pip install -q -e acme[dns,dev] -e .[dev] -e certbot-apache -e certbot-nginx -e certbot-compatibility-test -e letshelp-certbot
     ./pep8.travis.sh
     pylint --reports=n --rcfile=.pylintrc certbot
     pylint --reports=n --rcfile=acme/.pylintrc acme/acme