diff --git a/sanitiser/_layers.js b/sanitiser/_layers.js
index 25e8ba26..be13526a 100644
--- a/sanitiser/_layers.js
+++ b/sanitiser/_layers.js
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ function sanitize( req ){
   }
 
   // default case (no layers specified in GET params)
+  // don't even set the from_layers key in this case
   if('string' !== typeof params.layers || !params.layers.length){
-    params.layers = 'poi,admin,address'; // default layers
-    clean.default_layers_set = true;
+    return { 'error': false };
   }
 
   // decide which layers can be queried
diff --git a/test/unit/query/search.js b/test/unit/query/search.js
index c4797f16..ff678401 100644
--- a/test/unit/query/search.js
+++ b/test/unit/query/search.js
@@ -275,7 +275,6 @@ module.exports.tests.query = function(test, common) {
       size: 10,
       details: true,
       parsed_input: parser.get_parsed_address(address),
-      default_layers_set: true
     });
 
     var expected = {
@@ -477,7 +476,6 @@ module.exports.tests.query = function(test, common) {
       size: 10,
       details: true,
       parsed_input: parser.get_parsed_address(partial_address),
-      default_layers_set: true
     });
 
     var expected = {
@@ -645,7 +643,6 @@ module.exports.tests.query = function(test, common) {
       size: 10,
       details: true,
       parsed_input: parser.get_parsed_address(partial_address),
-      default_layers_set: true
     });
 
     var expected = {
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitiser/reverse.js b/test/unit/sanitiser/reverse.js
index d8d666c1..73e3b381 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitiser/reverse.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitiser/reverse.js
@@ -6,16 +6,14 @@ var suggest  = require('../../../sanitiser/reverse'),
     defaultError = 'missing param \'lat\'',
     defaultClean =  { lat:0,
                       types: {
-                        from_layers: [ 'geoname', 'osmnode', 'osmway', 'admin0', 'admin1', 'admin2', 'neighborhood',
-                        'locality', 'local_admin', 'osmaddress', 'openaddresses' ],
                       },
                       lon: 0,
                       size: 10,
                       details: true,
-                      default_layers_set: true,
                       categories: []
                     },
     sanitize = function(query, cb) { _sanitize({'query':query}, cb); };
+var all_layers = ( '../../query/indeces' );
 
 module.exports.tests = {};
 
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitiser/search.js b/test/unit/sanitiser/search.js
index e2ccd4ce..9bf695e4 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitiser/search.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitiser/search.js
@@ -9,15 +9,10 @@ var search  = require('../../../sanitiser/search'),
     defaultError = 'invalid param \'input\': text length, must be >0',
     defaultClean =  { input: 'test', 
                       types: {
-                        from_layers: [ 'geoname', 'osmnode', 'osmway', 'admin0', 'admin1', 'admin2', 'neighborhood',
-                        'locality', 'local_admin', 'osmaddress', 'openaddresses' ],
-                        from_address_parsing: [ 'geoname', 'osmnode', 'osmway', 'admin0', 'admin1', 'admin2', 'neighborhood',
-                        'locality', 'local_admin', 'osmaddress', 'openaddresses' ],
                       },
                       size: 10,
                       details: true,
                       parsed_input: defaultParsed,
-                      default_layers_set: true
                     },
     sanitize = function(query, cb) { _sanitize({'query':query}, cb); };
 
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitiser/suggest.js b/test/unit/sanitiser/suggest.js
index 003b44ae..71f2ed63 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitiser/suggest.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitiser/suggest.js
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ var suggest  = require('../../../sanitiser/suggest'),
                       lat:0,
                       lon:0,
                       parsed_input: defaultParsed,
-                      default_layers_set: true
                     },
     sanitize = function(query, cb) { _sanitize({'query':query}, cb); };