diff --git a/validators/SignalDecay.ts b/validators/SignalDecay.ts
index a8dc7df..f7a02e8 100644
--- a/validators/SignalDecay.ts
+++ b/validators/SignalDecay.ts
@@ -17,30 +17,34 @@
 import { decay } from "@afi-protocol/afi-math";
 
 /**
- * Default half-life for signal decay (in hours).
- * 
- * Signals lose 50% of their value after this many hours.
- * Default: 24 hours (1 day)
- * 
- * TODO: Source from governance config (afi-config)
+ * DLC-GOV D-DLC-3(2): the silent 24h default (`DEFAULT_SIGNAL_HALF_LIFE_HOURS`)
+ * is RETIRED — a half-life a caller never chose is never quietly substituted.
+ * Every entry point below requires the half-life explicitly. The canonical,
+ * minutes-based production derivation is `applyTimeDecay` in `src/decay`
+ * (KAT-bound to afi-config's governed 32-vector apply-time-decay KAT);
+ * this hour-unit wrapper survives only for the dormant validator surface
+ * (ValidatorDecision), which always passes explicit parameters.
  */
-export const DEFAULT_SIGNAL_HALF_LIFE_HOURS = 24;
 
 /**
  * Apply time-based decay to a UWR score.
- * 
+ *
  * Formula: decayed_score = uwr_score * e^(-λ * age)
  * where λ = ln(2) / half_life
- * 
+ *
+ * SUPERSEDED for production use by the minutes-based `applyTimeDecay`
+ * (`src/decay`, DLC-GOV D-DLC-1) — hour-unit, explicit-parameter wrapper
+ * kept for the dormant validator surface only (D-DLC-3(2)).
+ *
  * @param uwrScore - Base UWR score in [0, 1]
  * @param ageHours - Signal age in hours
- * @param halfLifeHours - Half-life in hours (default: 24)
+ * @param halfLifeHours - Half-life in hours (required — no default)
  * @returns Time-decayed score in [0, 1]
  */
 export function applyTimeDecayToUwrScore(
   uwrScore: number,
   ageHours: number,
-  halfLifeHours: number = DEFAULT_SIGNAL_HALF_LIFE_HOURS
+  halfLifeHours: number
 ): number {
   return decay.timeWeightedScore({
     baseScore: uwrScore,
@@ -81,7 +85,10 @@ export function calculateAdjustedHalfLife(
  * @param ageHours - Signal age in hours
  * @param volatility - Volatility factor (1.0 = normal)
  * @param conviction - Conviction factor (1.0 = normal)
- * @param baseHalfLifeHours - Base half-life in hours
+ * @param baseHalfLifeHours - Base half-life in hours (required — no default,
+ *   D-DLC-3(2); note this adjusted-half-life family is expressly NOT wired
+ *   by DLC-GOV D-DLC-3(4) — an adjusted half-life is a different declared
+ *   parameter, introducible only by a future filing)
  * @returns Volatility-adjusted decayed score in [0, 1]
  */
 export function applyVolatilityAdjustedDecay(
@@ -89,7 +96,7 @@ export function applyVolatilityAdjustedDecay(
   ageHours: number,
   volatility: number,
   conviction: number,
-  baseHalfLifeHours: number = DEFAULT_SIGNAL_HALF_LIFE_HOURS
+  baseHalfLifeHours: number
 ): number {
   const adjustedHalfLife = calculateAdjustedHalfLife(
     baseHalfLifeHours,
diff --git a/validators/ValidatorDecision.ts b/validators/ValidatorDecision.ts
index dc68978..e2fda10 100644
--- a/validators/ValidatorDecision.ts
+++ b/validators/ValidatorDecision.ts
@@ -60,7 +60,12 @@ export function computeValidatorScore(
   
   // Calculate adjusted half-life based on conviction
   // Higher conviction → longer half-life (signal stays relevant longer)
-  const baseHalfLifeHours = 24; // Default 24 hours
+  // DLC-GOV D-DLC-3(2) conformance: every half-life here is an EXPLICIT
+  // parameter of this dormant surface — no silent library default is
+  // reachable. The canonical live derivation is src/decay applyTimeDecay,
+  // driven by the determination's stamped decayParams (D-DLC-1); the
+  // adjusted-half-life family stays unwired per D-DLC-3(4).
+  const baseHalfLifeHours = 24; // this module's own declared base (hours)
   const adjustedHalfLife = calculateAdjustedHalfLife(
     baseHalfLifeHours,
     volatility,
diff --git a/validators/__tests__/SignalDecay.test.ts b/validators/__tests__/SignalDecay.test.ts
index 493692a..6d1c644 100644
--- a/validators/__tests__/SignalDecay.test.ts
+++ b/validators/__tests__/SignalDecay.test.ts
@@ -12,15 +12,14 @@ import {
   applyTimeDecayToUwrScore,
   calculateAdjustedHalfLife,
   applyVolatilityAdjustedDecay,
-  remainingAfterHalfLives,
-  DEFAULT_SIGNAL_HALF_LIFE_HOURS
+  remainingAfterHalfLives
 } from "../SignalDecay.js";
 
 describe("SignalDecay - Time-based UWR Decay", () => {
   describe("applyTimeDecayToUwrScore", () => {
     it("should not decay a fresh signal (age = 0)", () => {
       const uwrScore = 0.8;
-      const decayed = applyTimeDecayToUwrScore(uwrScore, 0);
+      const decayed = applyTimeDecayToUwrScore(uwrScore, 0, 24);
       
       expect(decayed).toBe(0.8);
     });
@@ -54,13 +53,13 @@ describe("SignalDecay - Time-based UWR Decay", () => {
       expect(decayed).toBeGreaterThan(uwrScore * 0.5);
     });
 
-    it("should use default half-life of 24 hours", () => {
+    it("requires an explicit half-life — the silent 24h default is retired (DLC-GOV D-DLC-3(2))", () => {
       const uwrScore = 0.8;
       const ageHours = 24;
-      
-      const decayed = applyTimeDecayToUwrScore(uwrScore, ageHours);
-      
-      // After 24 hours with default half-life, should be 0.8 * 0.5 = 0.4
+
+      const decayed = applyTimeDecayToUwrScore(uwrScore, ageHours, 24);
+
+      // After 24 hours with an EXPLICIT 24h half-life: 0.8 * 0.5 = 0.4
       expect(decayed).toBeCloseTo(0.4, 6);
     });
   });
@@ -98,8 +97,8 @@ describe("SignalDecay - Time-based UWR Decay", () => {
       const uwrScore = 0.8;
       const ageHours = 24;
       
-      const normalDecay = applyVolatilityAdjustedDecay(uwrScore, ageHours, 1.0, 1.0);
-      const highVolDecay = applyVolatilityAdjustedDecay(uwrScore, ageHours, 2.0, 1.0);
+      const normalDecay = applyVolatilityAdjustedDecay(uwrScore, ageHours, 1.0, 1.0, 24);
+      const highVolDecay = applyVolatilityAdjustedDecay(uwrScore, ageHours, 2.0, 1.0, 24);
       
       // High volatility should cause more decay
       expect(highVolDecay).toBeLessThan(normalDecay);
@@ -109,8 +108,8 @@ describe("SignalDecay - Time-based UWR Decay", () => {
       const uwrScore = 0.8;
       const ageHours = 24;
       
-      const normalDecay = applyVolatilityAdjustedDecay(uwrScore, ageHours, 1.0, 1.0);
-      const highConvictionDecay = applyVolatilityAdjustedDecay(uwrScore, ageHours, 1.0, 2.0);
+      const normalDecay = applyVolatilityAdjustedDecay(uwrScore, ageHours, 1.0, 1.0, 24);
+      const highConvictionDecay = applyVolatilityAdjustedDecay(uwrScore, ageHours, 1.0, 2.0, 24);
       
       // High conviction should cause less decay
       expect(highConvictionDecay).toBeGreaterThan(normalDecay);
@@ -126,7 +125,8 @@ describe("SignalDecay - Time-based UWR Decay", () => {
         uwrScore,
         ageHours,
         volatility,
-        conviction
+        conviction,
+        24
       );
       
       // Should be between 0 and original score