diff --git a/crates/tempo-zone/src/l1_state/tip403/provider.rs b/crates/tempo-zone/src/l1_state/tip403/provider.rs
index 51fd58a9..37df5e2f 100644
--- a/crates/tempo-zone/src/l1_state/tip403/provider.rs
+++ b/crates/tempo-zone/src/l1_state/tip403/provider.rs
@@ -659,7 +659,96 @@ impl PolicyCheck for PolicyProvider {
     }
 
     fn policy_id_counter(&self) -> u64 {
-        let cache = self.cache.read();
-        cache.policies().keys().max().map_or(2, |max| max + 1)
+        // The cache only holds policies the zone has observed events for, so its
+        // highest key is a lower bound on L1's authoritative `policyIdCounter`
+        // (policies created before the subscriber started, or never referenced
+        // by a tracked token, are absent). Returning the cache-derived bound
+        // would hand the in-zone TIP-403 proxy a value lower than L1's.
+        let cache_derived = self
+            .cache
+            .read()
+            .policies()
+            .keys()
+            .max()
+            .map_or(2, |max| max + 1);
+
+        // Read the authoritative counter from L1 at `last_l1_block` for a
+        // deterministic, cross-node-consistent value (mirroring the other proxy
+        // reads). Fall back to the cache-derived bound only if the RPC fails.
+        let block_number = self.cache.read().last_l1_block();
+        let registry = ITIP403Registry::new(TIP403_REGISTRY_ADDRESS, &self.provider);
+        let on_chain = tokio::task::block_in_place(|| {
+            self.runtime_handle.block_on(async {
+                registry
+                    .policyIdCounter()
+                    .block(BlockId::number(block_number))
+                    .call()
+                    .await
+            })
+        });
+
+        match on_chain {
+            Ok(counter) => counter,
+            Err(e) => {
+                self.metrics.rpc_errors.increment(1);
+                warn!(
+                    block_number,
+                    cache_derived,
+                    %e,
+                    "policyIdCounter RPC failed, using cache-derived lower bound"
+                );
+                cache_derived
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use alloy_primitives::{Bytes, U256};
+    use alloy_provider::{Provider, ProviderBuilder};
+    use alloy_transport::mock::Asserter;
+
+    fn abi_encode_u64(value: u64) -> Bytes {
+        Bytes::copy_from_slice(&U256::from(value).to_be_bytes::<32>())
+    }
+
+    fn provider_with(asserter: Asserter, cache: PolicyCache) -> PolicyProvider {
+        let provider = ProviderBuilder::new_with_network::<TempoNetwork>()
+            .connect_mocked_client(asserter)
+            .erased();
+        PolicyProvider::new(cache, provider, tokio::runtime::Handle::current())
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread", worker_threads = 2)]
+    async fn policy_id_counter_reads_authoritative_value_from_l1() {
+        let asserter = Asserter::new();
+        // `policyIdCounter()` (uint64) resolves to 42 on L1, higher than
+        // anything the cache has observed.
+        asserter.push_success(&abi_encode_u64(42));
+
+        let provider = provider_with(asserter, PolicyCache::default());
+        let counter = tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || provider.policy_id_counter())
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(counter, 42);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread", worker_threads = 2)]
+    async fn policy_id_counter_falls_back_to_cache_on_rpc_error() {
+        let cache = PolicyCache::default();
+        {
+            let mut inner = cache.write();
+            inner.set_policy_type(5, PolicyType::WHITELIST);
+        }
+        // Empty asserter → the RPC call errors → cache-derived lower bound (5 + 1).
+        let provider = provider_with(Asserter::new(), cache);
+        let counter = tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || provider.policy_id_counter())
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(counter, 6);
     }
 }