diff --git a/actor-tests/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/event/DeadLetterListenerShutdownSpec.scala b/actor-tests/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/event/DeadLetterListenerShutdownSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dd4b19eb58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/actor-tests/src/test/scala/org/apache/pekko/event/DeadLetterListenerShutdownSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,185 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.apache.pekko.event
+
+import scala.concurrent.Await
+import scala.concurrent.Future
+import scala.concurrent.Promise
+import scala.concurrent.duration._
+
+import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
+
+import org.apache.pekko
+import pekko.Done
+import pekko.actor.Actor
+import pekko.actor.ActorRef
+import pekko.actor.ActorSystem
+import pekko.actor.CoordinatedShutdown
+import pekko.actor.DeadLetter
+import pekko.actor.Props
+import pekko.testkit.PekkoSpec
+import pekko.testkit.TestDuration
+import pekko.testkit.TestKit
+import pekko.testkit.TestProbe
+
+object DeadLetterListenerShutdownSpec {
+  case object RunningMsg
+  case object ShutdownMsg
+
+  // A shutdown reason whose `terminate-actor-system` is overridden to `off` in the test config, so a
+  // CoordinatedShutdown run for this reason executes its phases without terminating the system.
+  case object NonTerminatingReason extends CoordinatedShutdown.Reason
+
+  // Forwards only the DeadLetterListener's log events (identified by the shared "dead letters
+  // encountered" phrase) so the assertions are not disturbed by other INFO log output produced
+  // during shutdown (e.g. the CoordinatedShutdown "Running ..." message).
+  class DeadLetterLogForwarder(target: ActorRef) extends Actor {
+    def receive: Receive = {
+      case info: Logging.Info if info.message.toString.contains("dead letters encountered") =>
+        target ! info
+      case _ => // ignore any other log event so it is not reported as an unhandled message
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+class DeadLetterListenerShutdownSpec extends PekkoSpec {
+  import DeadLetterListenerShutdownSpec._
+
+  private def newSystem(name: String, extraConfig: String): ActorSystem =
+    ActorSystem(
+      name,
+      ConfigFactory
+        .parseString(s"""
+          pekko.log-dead-letters = on
+          pekko.loglevel = INFO
+          $extraConfig
+        """)
+        .withFallback(system.settings.config))
+
+  private def collectorFor(sys: ActorSystem): TestProbe = {
+    val collector = TestProbe()(sys)
+    val forwarder = sys.actorOf(Props(new DeadLetterLogForwarder(collector.ref)))
+    sys.eventStream.subscribe(forwarder, classOf[Logging.Info])
+    collector
+  }
+
+  // Registers a task that pauses the first CoordinatedShutdown phase, then runs `during` while the
+  // shutdown is paused (the system is mid-shutdown and the DeadLetterListener is still alive, since
+  // the listener is only stopped in the last phase). `triggerShutdown` starts the shutdown
+  // (`terminate()` or `run(...)`) and yields the future to await once the pause is released, so this
+  // works for both terminating and non-terminating runs. The release always happens, even if an
+  // assertion throws, so the system is never left blocked.
+  private def whilePausedDuringShutdown(sys: ActorSystem, triggerShutdown: => Future[?])(during: => Unit): Unit = {
+    val reached = Promise[Done]()
+    val release = Promise[Done]()
+    CoordinatedShutdown(sys).addTask(CoordinatedShutdown.PhaseBeforeServiceUnbind, "pause-for-test") { () =>
+      reached.success(Done)
+      release.future
+    }
+    val shutdown = triggerShutdown
+    try {
+      Await.result(reached.future, 5.seconds)
+      during
+    } finally {
+      release.trySuccess(Done)
+      Await.result(shutdown, 10.seconds)
+    }
+  }
+
+  "DeadLetterListener" must {
+
+    "not log dead letters during shutdown when log-dead-letters-during-shutdown is off (#3256)" in {
+      val sys = newSystem("DeadLetterListenerShutdownSpec-off", "pekko.log-dead-letters-during-shutdown = off")
+      try {
+        val collector = collectorFor(sys)
+
+        // While the system is running the dead letter is logged.
+        sys.eventStream.publish(DeadLetter(RunningMsg, sys.deadLetters, sys.deadLetters))
+        collector.expectMsgType[Logging.Info](3.seconds).message.toString should include("RunningMsg")
+
+        whilePausedDuringShutdown(sys, sys.terminate()) {
+          // A dead letter produced while terminating must not be logged. The window is dilated so the
+          // regression is still caught on a slow CI box (a reintroduced bug would log it here).
+          sys.eventStream.publish(DeadLetter(ShutdownMsg, sys.deadLetters, sys.deadLetters))
+          collector.expectNoMessage(1.second.dilated)
+        }
+      } finally if (!sys.whenTerminated.isCompleted) TestKit.shutdownActorSystem(sys)
+    }
+
+    "still log dead letters during shutdown when log-dead-letters-during-shutdown is on" in {
+      val sys = newSystem("DeadLetterListenerShutdownSpec-on", "pekko.log-dead-letters-during-shutdown = on")
+      try {
+        val collector = collectorFor(sys)
+
+        whilePausedDuringShutdown(sys, sys.terminate()) {
+          // With shutdown logging enabled the dead letter is still logged while terminating.
+          sys.eventStream.publish(DeadLetter(ShutdownMsg, sys.deadLetters, sys.deadLetters))
+          collector.expectMsgType[Logging.Info](3.seconds).message.toString should include("ShutdownMsg")
+        }
+      } finally if (!sys.whenTerminated.isCompleted) TestKit.shutdownActorSystem(sys)
+    }
+
+    "still log dead letters during a coordinated shutdown that does not terminate the system (#3256)" in {
+      // With terminate-actor-system = off a CoordinatedShutdown.run() executes its phases but keeps
+      // the system alive, leaving a shutdown reason set even though the system is not terminating.
+      // Dead-letter logging must keep working in that case rather than being silently disabled for
+      // the remaining lifetime of the still-running system.
+      val sys = newSystem(
+        "DeadLetterListenerShutdownSpec-nonterminating",
+        """
+          pekko.log-dead-letters-during-shutdown = off
+          pekko.coordinated-shutdown.terminate-actor-system = off
+          pekko.coordinated-shutdown.run-by-actor-system-terminate = off
+        """)
+      try {
+        val collector = collectorFor(sys)
+
+        whilePausedDuringShutdown(sys, CoordinatedShutdown(sys).run(CoordinatedShutdown.UnknownReason)) {
+          sys.eventStream.publish(DeadLetter(ShutdownMsg, sys.deadLetters, sys.deadLetters))
+          collector.expectMsgType[Logging.Info](3.seconds).message.toString should include("ShutdownMsg")
+        }
+      } finally TestKit.shutdownActorSystem(sys)
+    }
+
+    "still log dead letters when a shutdown reason overrides terminate-actor-system to off (#3256)" in {
+      // The base config terminates the system, but the specific shutdown reason overrides
+      // terminate-actor-system to off, so this run does NOT terminate the system. The effective
+      // (per-reason) value must be honored, not the base setting, otherwise logging would be
+      // silently suppressed forever on a still-running system.
+      val reasonClass = NonTerminatingReason.getClass.getName
+      val sys = newSystem(
+        "DeadLetterListenerShutdownSpec-reason-override",
+        "pekko.log-dead-letters-during-shutdown = off\n" +
+        "pekko.coordinated-shutdown.run-by-actor-system-terminate = off\n" +
+        "pekko.coordinated-shutdown.reason-overrides.\"" + reasonClass + "\".terminate-actor-system = off")
+      try {
+        val collector = collectorFor(sys)
+
+        whilePausedDuringShutdown(sys, CoordinatedShutdown(sys).run(NonTerminatingReason)) {
+          sys.eventStream.publish(DeadLetter(ShutdownMsg, sys.deadLetters, sys.deadLetters))
+          collector.expectMsgType[Logging.Info](3.seconds).message.toString should include("ShutdownMsg")
+        }
+
+        // The run has completed but the system is still alive and its shutdown reason stays set;
+        // logging must keep working for the rest of the system's life, not be suppressed forever.
+        sys.eventStream.publish(DeadLetter(ShutdownMsg, sys.deadLetters, sys.deadLetters))
+        collector.expectMsgType[Logging.Info](3.seconds).message.toString should include("ShutdownMsg")
+      } finally TestKit.shutdownActorSystem(sys)
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/event/DeadLetterListener.scala b/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/event/DeadLetterListener.scala
index 398dba099b..c3ee6dd2d8 100644
--- a/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/event/DeadLetterListener.scala
+++ b/actor/src/main/scala/org/apache/pekko/event/DeadLetterListener.scala
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import pekko.actor.Actor
 import pekko.actor.ActorLogMarker
 import pekko.actor.ActorRef
 import pekko.actor.AllDeadLetters
+import pekko.actor.CoordinatedShutdown
 import pekko.actor.DeadLetter
 import pekko.actor.DeadLetterActorRef
 import pekko.actor.DeadLetterSuppression
@@ -35,6 +36,22 @@ class DeadLetterListener extends Actor {
   val eventStream: EventStream = context.system.eventStream
   protected val maxCount: Int = context.system.settings.LogDeadLetters
   private val isAlwaysLoggingDeadLetters = maxCount == Int.MaxValue
+  // When dead-letter logging during shutdown is disabled we must stop logging as soon as the
+  // system starts terminating, not only once this listener is finally stopped at the very end of
+  // CoordinatedShutdown. Otherwise dead letters produced throughout the (potentially long) shutdown
+  // are still logged unconditionally. See issue #3256.
+  private val logDeadLettersDuringShutdown = context.system.settings.LogDeadLettersDuringShutdown
+  // The `pekko.coordinated-shutdown` config, used to resolve the EFFECTIVE (per-reason)
+  // `terminate-actor-system` value of an in-progress shutdown; see `terminatingShutdownInProgress`.
+  private val coordinatedShutdownConfig = context.system.settings.config.getConfig("pekko.coordinated-shutdown")
+  // Resolved lazily so that handling a dead letter never forces CoordinatedShutdown initialization
+  // from the actor's constructor. At worst the first dead letter triggers the one-time extension
+  // initialization; afterwards this just caches the reference and avoids a per-dead-letter lookup.
+  private lazy val coordinatedShutdown = CoordinatedShutdown(context.system)
+  // Cached decision of whether the in-progress coordinated shutdown actually terminates the system.
+  // The shutdown reason is set once and never changes, so this is computed at most once. Accessed
+  // only from the actor's own thread, so a plain var is sufficient.
+  private var shutdownTerminatesSystem: Option[Boolean] = None
   protected var count: Int = 0
 
   override def preStart(): Unit = {
@@ -72,7 +89,7 @@ class DeadLetterListener extends Actor {
 
   private def receiveWithAlwaysLogging: Receive = {
     case d: AllDeadLetters =>
-      if (!isWrappedSuppressed(d)) {
+      if (!isSuppressed(d)) {
         incrementCount()
         logDeadLetter(d, doneMsg = "")
       }
@@ -80,7 +97,7 @@ class DeadLetterListener extends Actor {
 
   private def receiveWithMaxCountLogging: Receive = {
     case d: AllDeadLetters =>
-      if (!isWrappedSuppressed(d)) {
+      if (!isSuppressed(d)) {
         incrementCount()
         if (count == maxCount) {
           logDeadLetter(d, ", no more dead letters will be logged")
@@ -93,7 +110,7 @@ class DeadLetterListener extends Actor {
 
   private def receiveWithSuspendLogging(suspendDuration: FiniteDuration): Receive = {
     case d: AllDeadLetters =>
-      if (!isWrappedSuppressed(d)) {
+      if (!isSuppressed(d)) {
         incrementCount()
         if (count == maxCount) {
           val doneMsg = s", no more dead letters will be logged in next [${suspendDuration.pretty}]"
@@ -106,7 +123,7 @@ class DeadLetterListener extends Actor {
 
   private def receiveWhenSuspended(suspendDuration: FiniteDuration, suspendDeadline: Deadline): Receive = {
     case d: AllDeadLetters =>
-      if (!isWrappedSuppressed(d)) {
+      if (!isSuppressed(d)) {
         incrementCount()
         if (suspendDeadline.isOverdue()) {
           val doneMsg = s", of which ${count - maxCount - 1} were not logged. The counter will be reset now"
@@ -151,6 +168,34 @@ class DeadLetterListener extends Actor {
     (snd ne ActorRef.noSender) && (snd ne context.system.deadLetters) && !snd.isInstanceOf[DeadLetterActorRef]
   }
 
+  private def isSuppressed(d: AllDeadLetters): Boolean =
+    isWrappedSuppressed(d) || suppressedDuringShutdown
+
+  // Suppress logging while a terminating coordinated shutdown is in progress and dead-letter logging
+  // during shutdown is disabled (`pekko.log-dead-letters-during-shutdown`, `off` by default).
+  private def suppressedDuringShutdown: Boolean =
+    !logDeadLettersDuringShutdown && terminatingShutdownInProgress
+
+  // True while a coordinated shutdown that actually terminates this ActorSystem is in progress.
+  // `terminate-actor-system` can be overridden per shutdown reason (CoordinatedShutdown
+  // reason-overrides), so the decision must be taken from the EFFECTIVE config for the active reason
+  // rather than from the base setting: a non-terminating run leaves a shutdown reason set on a
+  // still-running system and must NOT suppress logging, otherwise dead-letter logging would be
+  // silently disabled for the rest of that system's life (issue #3256). `confWithOverrides` is the
+  // same resolution CoordinatedShutdown itself uses to decide whether to terminate the system.
+  private def terminatingShutdownInProgress: Boolean =
+    coordinatedShutdown.shutdownReason() match {
+      case reason @ Some(_) =>
+        shutdownTerminatesSystem.getOrElse {
+          val terminates =
+            CoordinatedShutdown.confWithOverrides(coordinatedShutdownConfig, reason).getBoolean(
+              "terminate-actor-system")
+          shutdownTerminatesSystem = Some(terminates)
+          terminates
+        }
+      case None => false
+    }
+
   private def isWrappedSuppressed(d: AllDeadLetters): Boolean = {
     d.message match {
       case w: WrappedMessage if w.message.isInstanceOf[DeadLetterSuppression] => true