The county has addressed members, external with a change to the domestic structure and schedule in a bid to reduce player fatigue.
The proposal, which Durham said has been developed along with other counties and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), suggests the current two-division championship should be scrapped.
It would be replaced by two upper divisions of six teams each, and a lower division of six teams.
The top team from each upper division would play in a five-day “Grand Final”, which Durham claim would become “the first £1m domestic red-ball match”.
The Grand Final format is already in use in Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa.
The lower conference sides would be competing for two promotion places, with one county from each upper conference being relegated to accommodate them.
The format would provide 12 games for each county, meeting the other five teams in their group home and away, and then two inter-group games, one home and one away.
Durham are the latest county to announce publicly their preference for the future of the County Championship.
Lancashire have also expressed their preference for two divisions of six, while Surrey and Somerset have supported an eight-team top flight and 10-team second tier, retaining 14 games per season.
Middlesex have backed the status quo: 10 teams in Division One, eight in Division Two and 14 games.