diff --git a/sanitizer/_geonames_deprecation.js b/sanitizer/_geonames_deprecation.js
index b3cc8185..2cdef1d1 100644
--- a/sanitizer/_geonames_deprecation.js
+++ b/sanitizer/_geonames_deprecation.js
@@ -1,21 +1,32 @@
 const _ = require('lodash');
 
 /**
-with the release of coarse reverse as a separate thing and ES reverse only
-handling venues, addresses, and streets, geonames make no sense in the reverse context
+ * Now that we have the pip-service, we have stopped supporting returning Geonames for coarse reverse.
+ *
+ * However, until the `/nearby` endpoint is finalized, we still want to support Geonames for
+ * _non-coarse_ reverse.
 **/
 
+const coarse_reverse_message ='coarse /reverse does not support geonames. See https://github.com/pelias/pelias/issues/675 for more info';
+
 function _sanitize( raw, clean, opts ) {
   // error & warning messages
   const messages = { errors: [], warnings: [] };
 
+  // return taking no action unless this is a coarse-only reverse request
+  const non_coarse_layers = ['address', 'street', 'venue'];
+  const is_coarse_reverse = !_.isEmpty(clean.layers) &&
+          _.isEmpty(_.intersection(clean.layers, non_coarse_layers));
+  if (!is_coarse_reverse) {
+    return messages;
+  }
+
   if (_.isEqual(clean.sources, ['geonames']) || _.isEqual(clean.sources, ['gn'])) {
-    messages.errors.push('/reverse does not support geonames');
+    messages.errors.push(coarse_reverse_message);
 
   } else if (_.includes(clean.sources, 'geonames') || _.includes(clean.sources, 'gn')) {
     clean.sources = _.without(clean.sources, 'geonames', 'gn');
-    messages.warnings.push('/reverse does not support geonames');
-
+    messages.warnings.push(coarse_reverse_message);
   }
 
   return messages;
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitizer/_geonames_deprecation.js b/test/unit/sanitizer/_geonames_deprecation.js
index 41bd86c6..13461e15 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitizer/_geonames_deprecation.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitizer/_geonames_deprecation.js
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ const sanitizer = require('../../../sanitizer/_geonames_deprecation')();
 
 module.exports.tests = {};
 
+const coarse_reverse_message ='coarse /reverse does not support geonames. See https://github.com/pelias/pelias/issues/675 for more info';
+
 module.exports.tests.no_warnings_or_errors_conditions = (test, common) => {
   test('undefined sources should add neither warnings nor errors', (t) => {
     const clean = {};
@@ -27,41 +29,71 @@ module.exports.tests.no_warnings_or_errors_conditions = (test, common) => {
 
   });
 
+  test('geonames/gn in sources with layers=venue should add neither warnings nor errors', (t) => {
+    const clean = {
+      sources: ['geonames'],
+      layers: ['venue']
+    };
+
+    const messages = sanitizer.sanitize(undefined, clean);
+
+    t.deepEquals(clean.sources, ['geonames']);
+    t.deepEquals(messages, { errors: [], warnings: [] });
+    t.end();
+  });
 };
 
 module.exports.tests.error_conditions = (test, common) => {
-  test('only geonames in sources should not modify clean.sources and add error message', (t) => {
+  test('only geonames in sources with layers=coarse should not modify clean.sources and add error message', (t) => {
     ['gn', 'geonames'].forEach((sources) => {
       const clean = {
-        sources: [sources]
+        sources: [sources],
+        layers: ['coarse']
       };
 
       const messages = sanitizer.sanitize(undefined, clean);
 
       t.deepEquals(clean.sources, [sources]);
-      t.deepEquals(messages.errors, ['/reverse does not support geonames']);
+      t.deepEquals(messages.errors, [ coarse_reverse_message ]);
       t.deepEquals(messages.warnings, []);
 
     });
 
     t.end();
-
   });
 
+  test('only geonames in sources with layers=locality should not modify clean.sources and add error message', (t) => {
+    ['gn', 'geonames'].forEach((sources) => {
+      const clean = {
+        sources: [sources],
+        layers: ['locality']
+      };
+
+      const messages = sanitizer.sanitize(undefined, clean);
+
+      t.deepEquals(clean.sources, [sources]);
+      t.deepEquals(messages.errors, [ coarse_reverse_message ]);
+      t.deepEquals(messages.warnings, []);
+
+    });
+
+    t.end();
+  });
 };
 
 module.exports.tests.warning_conditions = (test, common) => {
-  test('only geonames in sources should not modify clean.sources and add error message', (t) => {
+  test('only geonames in sources and layers=coarse should not modify clean.sources and add error message', (t) => {
     ['gn', 'geonames'].forEach((sources) => {
       const clean = {
-        sources: ['another source', sources, 'yet another source']
+        sources: ['another source', sources, 'yet another source'],
+        layers: ['coarse']
       };
 
       const messages = sanitizer.sanitize(undefined, clean);
 
       t.deepEquals(clean.sources, ['another source', 'yet another source']);
       t.deepEquals(messages.errors, []);
-      t.deepEquals(messages.warnings, ['/reverse does not support geonames']);
+      t.deepEquals(messages.warnings, [ coarse_reverse_message ]);
 
     });