diff --git a/checker/dns.go b/checker/dns.go
index 7270da1..876fde1 100644
--- a/checker/dns.go
+++ b/checker/dns.go
@@ -128,24 +128,46 @@ func resolveZoneNSAddrs(ctx context.Context, zone string) ([]string, error) {
 	return out, nil
 }
 
-// queryAtAuth tries each server in order and returns the first usable answer.
-// dnssec=true sets the DO bit; only the DNSSEC probes need it.
+// queryAtAuth tries each server in order and returns the first definitive
+// answer. Transport errors and transient failures (SERVFAIL/REFUSED) make it
+// fail over to the next server so a single flaky auth server cannot decide the
+// verdict; a definitive response (NOERROR/NXDOMAIN/...) is returned at once.
+// If every server fails it returns the last transient response when there was
+// one (so callers can still inspect the rcode), otherwise the last transport
+// error. dnssec=true sets the DO bit; only the DNSSEC probes need it.
 func queryAtAuth(ctx context.Context, proto string, servers []string, q dns.Question, dnssec bool) (*dns.Msg, string, error) {
 	var lastErr error
+	var transientMsg *dns.Msg
+	var transientServer string
 	for _, s := range servers {
 		r, err := dnsExchange(ctx, proto, s, q, false, dnssec)
 		if err != nil {
 			lastErr = err
 			continue
 		}
+		if isTransientRcode(r.Rcode) {
+			transientMsg, transientServer = r, s
+			continue
+		}
 		return r, s, nil
 	}
+	if transientMsg != nil {
+		return transientMsg, transientServer, nil
+	}
 	if lastErr == nil {
 		lastErr = fmt.Errorf("no servers provided")
 	}
 	return nil, "", lastErr
 }
 
+// isTransientRcode reports whether an rcode is worth retrying against another
+// auth server rather than treating as the zone's final answer. SERVFAIL and
+// REFUSED are typically per-server faults (backend down, server not yet loaded
+// the zone), unlike NXDOMAIN which is an authoritative negative answer.
+func isTransientRcode(rcode int) bool {
+	return rcode == dns.RcodeServerFailure || rcode == dns.RcodeRefused
+}
+
 func rcodeText(r int) string {
 	if s, ok := dns.RcodeToString[r]; ok {
 		return s
diff --git a/checker/dns_test.go b/checker/dns_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35fce22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/checker/dns_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+package checker
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"net"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/miekg/dns"
+)
+
+func TestIsTransientRcode(t *testing.T) {
+	transient := []int{dns.RcodeServerFailure, dns.RcodeRefused}
+	for _, rc := range transient {
+		if !isTransientRcode(rc) {
+			t.Errorf("rcode %s should be transient", rcodeText(rc))
+		}
+	}
+	final := []int{dns.RcodeSuccess, dns.RcodeNameError, dns.RcodeNotImplemented}
+	for _, rc := range final {
+		if isTransientRcode(rc) {
+			t.Errorf("rcode %s should not be transient", rcodeText(rc))
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// startTestServer spins up a UDP DNS server that answers every query with the
+// given handler, returning its address and a shutdown func.
+func startTestServer(t *testing.T, handler dns.HandlerFunc) (string, func()) {
+	t.Helper()
+	mux := dns.NewServeMux()
+	mux.HandleFunc(".", handler)
+	pc, err := net.ListenPacket("udp", "127.0.0.1:0")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("listen: %v", err)
+	}
+	srv := &dns.Server{PacketConn: pc, Handler: mux}
+	go srv.ActivateAndServe()
+	return pc.LocalAddr().String(), func() { srv.Shutdown() }
+}
+
+func answerWith(rcode int, withAnswer bool) dns.HandlerFunc {
+	return func(w dns.ResponseWriter, r *dns.Msg) {
+		m := new(dns.Msg)
+		m.SetReply(r)
+		m.Rcode = rcode
+		if withAnswer && len(r.Question) > 0 {
+			rr, _ := dns.NewRR(r.Question[0].Name + " 300 IN CNAME target.example.")
+			if rr != nil {
+				m.Answer = append(m.Answer, rr)
+			}
+		}
+		w.WriteMsg(m)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestQueryAtAuthFailsOverTransientRcode(t *testing.T) {
+	q := dns.Question{Name: "example.com.", Qtype: dns.TypeCNAME, Qclass: dns.ClassINET}
+
+	t.Run("prefers definitive answer over SERVFAIL", func(t *testing.T) {
+		bad, stopBad := startTestServer(t, answerWith(dns.RcodeServerFailure, false))
+		defer stopBad()
+		good, stopGood := startTestServer(t, answerWith(dns.RcodeSuccess, true))
+		defer stopGood()
+
+		r, server, err := queryAtAuth(context.Background(), "", []string{bad, good}, q, false)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+		if r.Rcode != dns.RcodeSuccess {
+			t.Fatalf("got rcode %s, want NOERROR", rcodeText(r.Rcode))
+		}
+		if server != good {
+			t.Fatalf("answered by %s, want the healthy server %s", server, good)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("returns transient response when every server fails", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s1, stop1 := startTestServer(t, answerWith(dns.RcodeServerFailure, false))
+		defer stop1()
+		s2, stop2 := startTestServer(t, answerWith(dns.RcodeRefused, false))
+		defer stop2()
+
+		r, _, err := queryAtAuth(context.Background(), "", []string{s1, s2}, q, false)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+		if !isTransientRcode(r.Rcode) {
+			t.Fatalf("got rcode %s, want a transient rcode preserved", rcodeText(r.Rcode))
+		}
+	})
+}