diff --git a/helper/layers.js b/helper/layers.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8efce727
--- /dev/null
+++ b/helper/layers.js
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+module.exports = function(alias_layers) {
+  // make a copy of the array so, you are not modifying original ref
+  var layers = alias_layers.slice(0); 
+
+  // expand aliases
+  var expand_aliases = function(alias, layers, layer_indeces) {
+    var alias_index  = layers.indexOf(alias);
+    if (alias_index !== -1 ) {
+      layers.splice(alias_index, 1);
+      layers = layers.concat(layer_indeces);
+    }
+    return layers;
+  };
+
+  layers = expand_aliases('poi',   layers, ['geoname','osmnode','osmway']);
+  layers = expand_aliases('admin', layers, ['admin0','admin1','admin2','neighborhood']);
+  layers = expand_aliases('address', layers, ['osmaddress','openaddresses']);
+
+  // de-dupe
+  layers = layers.filter(function(item, pos) {
+    return layers.indexOf(item) === pos;
+  });
+
+  return layers;
+};
diff --git a/helper/queryMixer.json b/helper/queryMixer.json
index c22670dd..4e2eb696 100644
--- a/helper/queryMixer.json
+++ b/helper/queryMixer.json
@@ -1,37 +1,37 @@
 {
   "suggest": [
     {
-      "layers": ["geoname","osmnode","osmway","admin0","admin1","admin2","neighborhood"],
+      "layers": ["poi", "admin"],
       "precision": [5, 3, 1]
     },
     {
-      "layers": ["admin0","admin1","admin2","neighborhood"],
+      "layers": ["admin"],
       "precision": []
     },
     {
-      "layers": ["geoname","osmnode","osmway","admin0","admin1","admin2","neighborhood"],
+      "layers": ["poi", "admin"],
       "precision": [3],
       "fuzzy": "AUTO"
     }
   ],
   "suggest_nearby": [
     {
-      "layers": ["geoname","osmnode","osmway","admin0","admin1","admin2","neighborhood"],
+      "layers": ["poi", "admin"],
       "precision": []
     },
     {
-      "layers": ["geoname","osmnode","osmway","admin0","admin1","admin2","neighborhood"],
+      "layers": ["poi", "admin"],
       "precision": [],
       "fuzzy": "AUTO"
     }
   ],
   "coarse": [
     {
-      "layers": ["admin0","admin1","admin2","neighborhood"],
+      "layers": ["admin"],
       "precision": [5, 3, 1]
     },
     {
-      "layers": ["admin0","admin1","admin2","neighborhood"],
+      "layers": ["admin"],
       "precision": [3],
       "fuzzy": "AUTO"
     }
diff --git a/query/suggest.js b/query/suggest.js
index 4e9d30b6..9d81da05 100644
--- a/query/suggest.js
+++ b/query/suggest.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 
-var logger = require('../src/logger');
+var logger = require('../src/logger'),
+    get_layers = require('../helper/layers');
 
 // Build pelias suggest query
 function generate( params, query_mixer, fuzziness ){
@@ -49,12 +50,13 @@ function generate( params, query_mixer, fuzziness ){
   var cmd = new CmdGenerator(params);
   if (query_mixer && query_mixer.length) {
     query_mixer.forEach(function(item, index){
+      var expanded_layers = get_layers(item.layers);
       if (item.precision && Array.isArray( item.precision ) && item.precision.length ) {
         item.precision.forEach(function(precision) {
-          cmd.add_suggester(index, precision, item.layers, item.fuzzy);
+          cmd.add_suggester(index, precision, expanded_layers, item.fuzzy);
         });
       } else {
-        cmd.add_suggester(index, undefined, item.layers, item.fuzzy);
+        cmd.add_suggester(index, undefined, expanded_layers, item.fuzzy);
       }
     });  
   } else {
diff --git a/sanitiser/_layers.js b/sanitiser/_layers.js
index 96739146..87fd6b07 100644
--- a/sanitiser/_layers.js
+++ b/sanitiser/_layers.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 
 var isObject = require('is-object'),
-    indeces = require('../query/indeces');
+    indeces = require('../query/indeces'),
+    get_layers = require('../helper/layers');
 
 // validate inputs, convert types and apply defaults
 function sanitize( req ){
@@ -38,27 +39,8 @@ function sanitize( req ){
     }
   }
 
-  // expand aliases
-  var expand_aliases = function(alias, layers, layer_indeces) {
-    var alias_index  = layers.indexOf(alias);
-    if (alias_index !== -1 ) {
-      layers.splice(alias_index, 1);
-      layers = layers.concat(layer_indeces);
-    }
-    return layers;
-  };
-
-  layers = expand_aliases('poi',   layers, ['geoname','osmnode','osmway']);
-  layers = expand_aliases('admin', layers, ['admin0','admin1','admin2','neighborhood']);
-  layers = expand_aliases('address', layers, ['osmaddress','openaddresses']);
-
-  // de-dupe
-  layers = layers.filter(function(item, pos) {
-    return layers.indexOf(item) === pos;
-  });
-
   // pass validated params to next middleware
-  clean.layers = layers;
+  clean.layers = get_layers(layers);
   req.clean = clean;
   
   return { 'error': false };
diff --git a/test/unit/helper/queryMixer.js b/test/unit/helper/queryMixer.js
index 8b8ac3ad..7e202ef4 100644
--- a/test/unit/helper/queryMixer.js
+++ b/test/unit/helper/queryMixer.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 
 var query_mixer = require('../../../helper/queryMixer.json');
 var indeces = require('../../../query/indeces');
+var alias_layers  = ['poi', 'admin', 'address'];
 
 module.exports.tests = {};
 
@@ -16,7 +17,7 @@ module.exports.tests.interface = function(test, common) {
 module.exports.tests.valid = function(test, common) {
   var valid_keys = ['layers', 'precision', 'fuzzy'];
   var valid_fuzzy_vals = ['AUTO', 0, 1, 2];
-  var valid_layer_vals = indeces;
+  var valid_layer_vals = indeces.concat(alias_layers);
 
   var isValidPrecision = function(t, precisionArr) {
     precisionArr.forEach(function(precision) {