diff --git a/Help/policy/CMP0000.rst b/Help/policy/CMP0000.rst
index 5f146bc47a..2667f3c0f0 100644
--- a/Help/policy/CMP0000.rst
+++ b/Help/policy/CMP0000.rst
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 CMP0000
 -------
 
+.. |REMOVED_IN_CMAKE_VERSION| replace:: 4.0
+.. include:: REMOVED_PROLOGUE.txt
+
 A minimum required CMake version must be specified.
 
 CMake requires that projects specify the version of CMake to which
@@ -26,7 +29,5 @@ behavior was to silently ignore the missing invocation.  The ``NEW``
 behavior is to issue an error instead of a warning.
 
 .. |INTRODUCED_IN_CMAKE_VERSION| replace:: 2.6.0
-.. |WARNS_OR_DOES_NOT_WARN| replace:: warns
-.. include:: STANDARD_ADVICE.txt
-
-.. include:: DEPRECATED.txt
+.. |WARNED_OR_DID_NOT_WARN| replace:: warned
+.. include:: REMOVED_EPILOGUE.txt
diff --git a/Source/cmMakefile.cxx b/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
index 8450f75487..0179d8ea04 100644
--- a/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ cmMakefile::cmMakefile(cmGlobalGenerator* globalGenerator,
   this->PushLoopBlockBarrier();
 
   // By default the check is not done.  It is enabled by
-  // cmListFileCache in the top level if necessary.
+  // cmMakefile::Configure in the top level if necessary.
   this->CheckCMP0000 = false;
 
 #if !defined(CMAKE_BOOTSTRAP)
@@ -986,24 +986,9 @@ void cmMakefile::EnforceDirectoryLevelRules() const
                "support older CMake versions for this project.  "
                "For more information run "
                "\"cmake --help-policy CMP0000\".");
-    switch (this->GetPolicyStatus(cmPolicies::CMP0000)) {
-      case cmPolicies::WARN:
-        // Warn because the user did not provide a minimum required
-        // version.
-        this->GetCMakeInstance()->IssueMessage(MessageType::AUTHOR_WARNING, e,
-                                               this->Backtrace);
-        CM_FALLTHROUGH;
-      case cmPolicies::OLD:
-        // OLD behavior is to use policy version 2.4 set in
-        // cmListFileCache.
-        break;
-      case cmPolicies::NEW:
-        // NEW behavior is to issue an error.
-        this->GetCMakeInstance()->IssueMessage(MessageType::FATAL_ERROR, e,
-                                               this->Backtrace);
-        cmSystemTools::SetFatalErrorOccurred();
-        break;
-    }
+    this->GetCMakeInstance()->IssueMessage(MessageType::FATAL_ERROR, e,
+                                           this->Backtrace);
+    cmSystemTools::SetFatalErrorOccurred();
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/Source/cmPolicies.h b/Source/cmPolicies.h
index 67d3d11c66..c1294ff978 100644
--- a/Source/cmPolicies.h
+++ b/Source/cmPolicies.h
@@ -15,8 +15,7 @@ class cmMakefile;
 
 #define CM_FOR_EACH_POLICY_TABLE(POLICY, SELECT)                              \
   SELECT(POLICY, CMP0000,                                                     \
-         "A minimum required CMake version must be specified.", 2, 6, 0,      \
-         WARN)                                                                \
+         "A minimum required CMake version must be specified.", 2, 6, 0, NEW) \
   SELECT(POLICY, CMP0001,                                                     \
          "CMAKE_BACKWARDS_COMPATIBILITY should no longer be used.", 2, 6, 0,  \
          WARN)                                                                \
diff --git a/Tests/PolicyScope/Bar.cmake b/Tests/PolicyScope/Bar.cmake
index f15124f78a..fb5ef60f5e 100644
--- a/Tests/PolicyScope/Bar.cmake
+++ b/Tests/PolicyScope/Bar.cmake
@@ -3,6 +3,3 @@ cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.31)
 # Make sure a policy set differently by our includer is now correct.
 cmake_policy(GET CMP0180 cmp)
 check(CMP0180 "NEW" "${cmp}")
-
-# Test allowing the top-level file to not have cmake_minimum_required.
-cmake_policy(SET CMP0000 OLD)
diff --git a/Tests/PolicyScope/CMakeLists.txt b/Tests/PolicyScope/CMakeLists.txt
index 36ba01a7fb..fbcfe937b2 100644
--- a/Tests/PolicyScope/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Tests/PolicyScope/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.30)
 project(PolicyScope C)
-# No cmake_minimum_required(VERSION), it's in FindFoo.
 
 #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Helper function to report results.