diff --git a/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js b/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js
index 3b031089..01475eaf 100644
--- a/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js
+++ b/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ var defaults = require('../query/reverse_defaults');
 var LAT_LON_IS_REQUIRED = true,
     CIRCLE_IS_REQUIRED = false;
 
+const non_coarse_layers = ['venue', 'address', 'street'];
+
 // validate inputs, convert types and apply defaults
 module.exports = function sanitize( raw, clean ){
 
@@ -23,22 +25,21 @@ module.exports = function sanitize( raw, clean ){
     // first verify that point.lat/point.lon are valid
     geo_common.sanitize_point( 'point', clean, raw, LAT_LON_IS_REQUIRED );
 
-    // overwrite boundary.circle.lat/lon with point.lat/lon
-    raw['boundary.circle.lat'] = clean['point.lat'];
-    raw['boundary.circle.lon'] = clean['point.lon'];
+    // only set boundary.circle things if the request is non-coarse
+    if (_.isEmpty(clean.layers) || !_.isEmpty(_.intersection(non_coarse_layers, clean.layers))) {
+      // overwrite boundary.circle.lat/lon with point.lat/lon
+      raw['boundary.circle.lat'] = clean['point.lat'];
+      raw['boundary.circle.lon'] = clean['point.lon'];
 
-    // if no radius was passed, set the default
-    if ( _.isUndefined( raw['boundary.circle.radius'] ) ) {
-      // the default is small unless layers other than venue or address were explicitly specified
-      if (clean.layers && clean.layers.length > 0 && !_.includes(clean.layers, 'venue') && !_.includes(clean.layers, 'address')) {
-        raw['boundary.circle.radius'] = defaults['boundary:circle:radius:coarse'];
-      } else {
+      // if no radius was passed, set the default
+      if ( _.isUndefined( raw['boundary.circle.radius'] ) ) {
         raw['boundary.circle.radius'] = defaults['boundary:circle:radius'];
       }
-    }
 
-    // santize the boundary.circle
-    geo_common.sanitize_circle( 'boundary.circle', clean, raw, CIRCLE_IS_REQUIRED );
+      // santize the boundary.circle
+      geo_common.sanitize_circle( 'boundary.circle', clean, raw, CIRCLE_IS_REQUIRED );
+
+    }
 
   }
   catch (err) {
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js b/test/unit/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js
index d0b99ca7..2fc1444b 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js
@@ -1,17 +1,17 @@
-var sanitize = require('../../../sanitizer/_geo_reverse');
-var defaults = require('../../../query/reverse_defaults');
+const sanitize = require('../../../sanitizer/_geo_reverse');
+const defaults = require('../../../query/reverse_defaults');
 
 module.exports.tests = {};
 
-module.exports.tests.sanitize_boundary_country = function(test, common) {
-  test('raw with boundary.circle.lat should add warning about ignored boundary.circle', function(t) {
-    var raw = {
+module.exports.tests.warning_situations = (test, common) => {
+  test('raw with boundary.circle.lat should add warning about ignored boundary.circle', (t) => {
+    const raw = {
       'point.lat': '12.121212',
       'point.lon': '21.212121',
       'boundary.circle.lat': '13.131313'
     };
-    var clean = {};
-    var errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+    const clean = {};
+    const errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
 
     t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.lat'], 12.121212, 'should be set to point.lat');
     t.deepEquals(errorsAndWarnings, {
@@ -19,16 +19,17 @@ module.exports.tests.sanitize_boundary_country = function(test, common) {
       warnings: ['boundary.circle.lat/boundary.circle.lon are currently unsupported']
     }, 'no warnings/errors');
     t.end();
+
   });
 
-  test('raw with boundary.circle.lon should add warning about ignored boundary.circle', function(t) {
-    var raw = {
+  test('raw with boundary.circle.lon should add warning about ignored boundary.circle', (t) => {
+    const raw = {
       'point.lat': '12.121212',
       'point.lon': '21.212121',
       'boundary.circle.lon': '31.313131'
     };
-    var clean = {};
-    var errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+    const clean = {};
+    const errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
 
     t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.lon'], 21.212121, 'should be set to point.lon');
     t.deepEquals(errorsAndWarnings, {
@@ -36,16 +37,17 @@ module.exports.tests.sanitize_boundary_country = function(test, common) {
       warnings: ['boundary.circle.lat/boundary.circle.lon are currently unsupported']
     }, 'no warnings/errors');
     t.end();
+
   });
 
-  test('raw with boundary.circle.radius shouldn\'t add warning about ignored boundary.circle', function(t) {
-    var raw = {
+  test('raw with boundary.circle.radius shouldn\'t add warning about ignored boundary.circle', (t) => {
+    const raw = {
       'point.lat': '12.121212',
       'point.lon': '21.212121',
       'boundary.circle.radius': '17'
     };
-    var clean = {};
-    var errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+    const clean = {};
+    const errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
 
     // t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.radius'], 12.121212, 'should be set to point.lat')
     t.deepEquals(errorsAndWarnings, {
@@ -53,80 +55,133 @@ module.exports.tests.sanitize_boundary_country = function(test, common) {
       warnings: []
     }, 'no warnings/errors');
     t.end();
+
   });
 
-  test('boundary.circle.lat/lon should be overridden with point.lat/lon', function(t) {
-    var raw = {
-      'point.lat': '12.121212',
-      'point.lon': '21.212121',
-      'boundary.circle.lat': '13.131313',
-      'boundary.circle.lon': '31.313131'
-    };
-    var clean = {};
-    var errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+};
+
+module.exports.tests.non_coarse_reverse = (test, common) => {
+  test('boundary.circle.lat/lon should be overridden with point.lat/lon when non-coarse layers', (t) => {
+    [[], ['venue', 'locality'], ['address', 'county'], ['street', 'country']].forEach((layers) => {
+      const raw = {
+        'point.lat': '12.121212',
+        'point.lon': '21.212121',
+        'boundary.circle.lat': '13.131313',
+        'boundary.circle.lon': '31.313131'
+      };
+      const clean = {
+        layers: layers
+      };
+      const errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+
+      t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.lat'], 12.121212, 'should be set to point.lat');
+      t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.lon'], 21.212121, 'should be set to point.lon');
+      t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.lat'], 12.121212, 'should be set to point.lat');
+      t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.lon'], 21.212121, 'should be set to point.lon');
+
+    });
 
-    t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.lat'], 12.121212, 'should be set to point.lat');
-    t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.lon'], 21.212121, 'should be set to point.lon');
-    t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.lat'], 12.121212, 'should be set to point.lat');
-    t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.lon'], 21.212121, 'should be set to point.lon');
     t.end();
+
   });
 
-  test('no boundary.circle.radius and no layers supplied should be set to default', function(t) {
-    var raw = {
-      'point.lat': '12.121212',
-      'point.lon': '21.212121'
-    };
-    var clean = {};
-    var errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+  test('no boundary.circle.radius supplied should be set to default when non-coarse layers', (t) => {
+    [[], ['venue', 'locality'], ['address', 'county'], ['street', 'country']].forEach((layers) => {
+      const raw = {
+        'point.lat': '12.121212',
+        'point.lon': '21.212121'
+      };
+      const clean = {
+        layers: layers
+      };
+      const errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+
+      t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.radius'], defaults['boundary:circle:radius'], 'should be from defaults');
+      t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.radius'], parseFloat(defaults['boundary:circle:radius']), 'should be same as raw');
+
+    });
 
-    t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.radius'], defaults['boundary:circle:radius'], 'should be from defaults');
-    t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.radius'], parseFloat(defaults['boundary:circle:radius']), 'should be same as raw');
     t.end();
+
   });
 
-  test('no boundary.circle.radius and coarse layers supplied should be set to coarse default', function(t) {
-    var raw = {
-      'point.lat': '12.121212',
-      'point.lon': '21.212121'
-    };
-    var clean = { layers: 'coarse' };
-    var errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+  test('explicit boundary.circle.radius should be used instead of default', (t) => {
+    [[], ['venue', 'locality'], ['address', 'county'], ['street', 'country']].forEach((layers) => {
+      const raw = {
+        'point.lat': '12.121212',
+        'point.lon': '21.212121',
+        'boundary.circle.radius': '3248732857km' // this will never be the default
+      };
+      const clean = {
+        layers: layers
+      };
+      const errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+
+      t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.radius'], '3248732857km', 'should be parsed float');
+      t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.radius'], 3248732857.0, 'should be copied from raw');
+
+    });
 
-    t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.radius'], defaults['boundary:circle:radius:coarse'], 'should be from defaults');
-    t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.radius'], parseFloat(defaults['boundary:circle:radius:coarse']), 'should be same as raw');
     t.end();
+
   });
 
-  test('no boundary.circle.radius and coarse layer supplied should be set to coarse default', function(t) {
-    var raw = {
-      'point.lat': '12.121212',
-      'point.lon': '21.212121'
-    };
-    var clean = { layers: 'locality' };
-    var errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+};
+
+module.exports.tests.coarse_reverse = (test, common) => {
+  test('coarse layers should not set boundary.circle things since they\'re not applicable', (t) => {
+    ['coarse', 'neighbourhood', 'borough', 'locality', 'localadmin', 'county',
+      'macrocounty', 'region', 'macroregion', 'dependency', 'country'].forEach((layer) => {
+        const raw = {
+          'point.lat': '12.121212',
+          'point.lon': '21.212121'
+        };
+        const clean = { layers: [layer] };
+        const errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+
+        t.notOk(raw['boundary.circle.lat']);
+        t.notOk(raw['boundary.circle.lon']);
+        t.notOk(raw['boundary.circle.radius']);
+        t.notOk(clean['boundary.circle.lat']);
+        t.notOk(clean['boundary.circle.lon']);
+        t.notOk(clean['boundary.circle.radius']);
+
+        t.deepEquals(errorsAndWarnings, { errors: [], warnings: [] });
+
+    });
 
-    t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.radius'], defaults['boundary:circle:radius:coarse'], 'should be from defaults');
-    t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.radius'], parseFloat(defaults['boundary:circle:radius:coarse']), 'should be same as raw');
     t.end();
+
   });
 
-  test('explicit boundary.circle.radius should be used instead of default', function(t) {
-    var raw = {
-      'point.lat': '12.121212',
-      'point.lon': '21.212121',
-      'boundary.circle.radius': '3248732857km' // this will never be the default
-    };
-    var clean = {};
-    var errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+  test('coarse layers should not use explicit boundary.circle.radius since it\'s not applicable', (t) => {
+    ['coarse', 'neighbourhood', 'borough', 'locality', 'localadmin', 'county',
+      'macrocounty', 'region', 'macroregion', 'dependency', 'country'].forEach((layer) => {
+        const raw = {
+          'point.lat': '12.121212',
+          'point.lon': '21.212121',
+          'boundary.circle.radius': '3248732857km' // this will never be the default
+        };
+        const clean = { layers: [layer] };
+        const errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
+
+        t.notOk(raw['boundary.circle.lat'], 'should not have been copied');
+        t.notOk(raw['boundary.circle.lon'], 'should not have been copied');
+        t.notOk(clean['boundary.circle.lat'], 'should not have been copied');
+        t.notOk(clean['boundary.circle.lon'], 'should not have been copied');
+        t.notOk(clean['boundary.circle.radius'], 'should not have been copied');
+
+        t.deepEquals(errorsAndWarnings, { errors: [], warnings: [] });
+
+    });
 
-    t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.radius'], '3248732857km', 'should be parsed float');
-    t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.radius'], 3248732857.0, 'should be copied from raw');
     t.end();
+
   });
+
 };
 
-module.exports.all = function (tape, common) {
+module.exports.all = (tape, common) => {
   function test(name, testFunction) {
     return tape('SANTIZE _geo_reverse ' + name, testFunction);
   }