diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 467c55ce..0f3c77ba 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ INCLUDE (CheckCSourceCompiles)
 INCLUDE (CheckStructHasMember)
 INCLUDE (CheckLibraryExists)
 
-PROJECT (c-ares LANGUAGES C VERSION "1.30.0" )
+PROJECT (c-ares LANGUAGES C VERSION "1.31.0" )
 
 # Set this version before release
 SET (CARES_VERSION "${PROJECT_VERSION}")
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ INCLUDE (GNUInstallDirs) # include this *AFTER* PROJECT(), otherwise paths are w
 # For example, a version of 4:0:2 would generate output such as:
 #    libname.so   -> libname.so.2
 #    libname.so.2 -> libname.so.2.2.0
-SET (CARES_LIB_VERSIONINFO "17:0:15")
+SET (CARES_LIB_VERSIONINFO "18:0:16")
 
 
 OPTION (CARES_STATIC        "Build as a static library"                                             OFF)
diff --git a/RELEASE-NOTES.md b/RELEASE-NOTES.md
index 7d30a3d4..eea305a5 100644
--- a/RELEASE-NOTES.md
+++ b/RELEASE-NOTES.md
@@ -1,33 +1,24 @@
-## c-ares version 1.30.0 - June 7 2024
+## c-ares version 1.31.0 - June 18 2024
 
 This is a maintenance and bugfix release.
 
-Features:
-
-* Basic support for SIG RR record (RFC 2931 / RFC 2535) [PR #773](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/pull/773)
-
 Changes:
 
-* Validation that DNS strings can only consist of printable ascii characters
-  otherwise will trigger a parse failure.
-  [75de16c](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/commit/75de16c) and
-  [40fb125](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/commit/40fb125)
-* Windows: use `GetTickCount64()` for a monotonic timer that does not wrap. [1dff8f6](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/commit/1dff8f6)
+* Enable Query Cache by default. [PR #786](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/pull/786)
 
 Bugfixes:
 
-* QueryCache: Fix issue where purging on server changes wasn't working. [a6c8fe6](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/commit/a6c8fe6)
-* Windows: Fix Y2K38 issue by creating our own `ares_timeval_t` datatype. [PR #772](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/pull/772)
-* Fix packaging issue affecting MacOS due to a missing header. [55afad6](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/commit/55afad6)
-* MacOS: Fix UBSAN warnings that are likely meaningless due to alignment issues
-  in new MacOS config reader.
-* Android: arm 32bit build failure due to missing symbol. [d1722e6](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/commit/d1722e6)
+* Enhance Windows DNS configuration change detection to also detect manual DNS
+  configuration changes. [PR #785](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/issues/785)
+* Various legacy MacOS Build fixes. [Issue #782](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/issues/782)
+* Ndots value of zero in resolv.conf was not being honored. [852a60a](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/commit/852a60a)
+* Watt-32 build support had been broken for some time. [PR #781](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/pull/781)
+* Distribute `ares_dns_rec_type_tostr` manpage. [PR #778](https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/pull/778)
 
 Thanks go to these friendly people for their efforts and contributions for this
 release:
 
 * Brad House (@bradh352)
-* Daniel Stenberg (@bagder)
-
+* Gregor Jasny (@gjasny)
 
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 0e8dd474..9e21619a 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@ dnl Copyright (C) The c-ares project and its contributors
 dnl SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
 AC_PREREQ([2.69])
 
-AC_INIT([c-ares], [1.30.0],
+AC_INIT([c-ares], [1.31.0],
   [c-ares mailing list: http://lists.haxx.se/listinfo/c-ares])
 
-CARES_VERSION_INFO="17:0:15"
+CARES_VERSION_INFO="18:0:16"
 dnl This flag accepts an argument of the form current[:revision[:age]]. So,
 dnl passing -version-info 3:12:1 sets current to 3, revision to 12, and age to
 dnl 1.
diff --git a/include/ares_version.h b/include/ares_version.h
index e791568e..cd5a2551 100644
--- a/include/ares_version.h
+++ b/include/ares_version.h
@@ -31,12 +31,12 @@
 #define ARES_COPYRIGHT "2004 - 2024 Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>."
 
 #define ARES_VERSION_MAJOR 1
-#define ARES_VERSION_MINOR 30
+#define ARES_VERSION_MINOR 31
 #define ARES_VERSION_PATCH 0
 #define ARES_VERSION                                        \
   ((ARES_VERSION_MAJOR << 16) | (ARES_VERSION_MINOR << 8) | \
    (ARES_VERSION_PATCH))
-#define ARES_VERSION_STR "1.30.0"
+#define ARES_VERSION_STR "1.31.0"
 
 #if (ARES_VERSION >= 0x010700)
 #  define CARES_HAVE_ARES_LIBRARY_INIT    1