diff --git a/query/search.js b/query/search.js
index bed5a63c..3e2a591a 100644
--- a/query/search.js
+++ b/query/search.js
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 var peliasQuery = require('pelias-query'),
     defaults = require('./search_defaults'),
     textParser = require('./text_parser'),
-    check = require('check-types');
+    check = require('check-types'),
+    _ = require('lodash');
 
 //------------------------------
 // general-purpose search query
@@ -120,7 +121,7 @@ function generateQuery( clean ){
 }
 
 function getQuery(vs) {
-  if (hasStreet(vs)) {
+  if (hasStreet(vs) || isCityStateOnly(vs)) {
     return {
       type: 'fallback',
       body: fallbackQuery.render(vs)
@@ -137,4 +138,17 @@ function hasStreet(vs) {
   return vs.isset('input:street');
 }
 
+function isCityStateOnly(vs) {
+  var isSet = function(layer) {
+    return vs.isset('input:' + layer);
+  };
+
+  var allowedFields = ['locality', 'region'];
+  var disallowedFields = ['query', 'category', 'housenumber', 'street',
+                          'neighbourhood', 'borough', 'postcode', 'county', 'country'];
+
+  return allowedFields.every(isSet) && !disallowedFields.some(isSet);
+
+}
+
 module.exports = generateQuery;
diff --git a/test/unit/query/search.js b/test/unit/query/search.js
index 36fbd17d..eae7e40a 100644
--- a/test/unit/query/search.js
+++ b/test/unit/query/search.js
@@ -270,6 +270,64 @@ module.exports.tests.query = function(test, common) {
     t.deepEqual(compiled.body, expected, 'valid search query with category filtering');
     t.end();
   });
+
+};
+
+module.exports.tests.city_state = function(test, common) {
+  test('only city and state set should return query', function(t) {
+    var clean = {
+      parsed_text: {
+        'city': 'city value',
+        'state': 'state value'
+      }
+    };
+
+    var query = generate(clean);
+
+    t.notEqual(query, undefined, 'should not have returned undefined');
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+  test('city- OR state-only should return undefined', function(t) {
+    ['city', 'state'].forEach(function(placeType) {
+      var clean = {
+        parsed_text: {}
+      };
+
+      clean.parsed_text[placeType] = placeType + ' value';
+
+      var query = generate(clean);
+
+      t.equals(query, undefined, 'should have returned undefined');
+
+    });
+
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+  test('city and state with at least one other input: field should return undefined', function(t) {
+    ['query', 'category', 'number', 'neighbourhood', 'borough', 'postalcode', 'county', 'country'].forEach(function(placeType) {
+      var clean = {
+        parsed_text: {
+          'city': 'city value',
+          'state': 'state value'
+        }
+      };
+
+      clean.parsed_text[placeType] = placeType + ' value';
+
+      var query = generate(clean);
+
+      t.equals(query, undefined, 'should have returned undefined');
+
+    });
+
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
 };
 
 module.exports.all = function (tape, common) {