diff --git a/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js b/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js
index 01475eaf..5a7195eb 100644
--- a/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js
+++ b/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js
@@ -25,22 +25,18 @@ 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 );
 
-    // 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'] ) ) {
-        raw['boundary.circle.radius'] = defaults['boundary:circle:radius'];
-      }
-
-      // santize the boundary.circle
-      geo_common.sanitize_circle( 'boundary.circle', clean, raw, CIRCLE_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'];
 
+    // 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 );
+
   }
   catch (err) {
     messages.errors.push( err.message );
diff --git a/test/unit/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js b/test/unit/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js
index 2fc1444b..4df32711 100644
--- a/test/unit/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js
+++ b/test/unit/sanitizer/_geo_reverse.js
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+'use strict';
+
 const sanitize = require('../../../sanitizer/_geo_reverse');
 const defaults = require('../../../query/reverse_defaults');
 
@@ -60,121 +62,44 @@ module.exports.tests.warning_situations = (test, common) => {
 
 };
 
-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.end();
-
-  });
-
-  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.end();
-
-  });
-
-  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.end();
-
-  });
-
-};
-
-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: [] });
+module.exports.tests.success_conditions = (test, common) => {
+  test('boundary.circle.radius specified in request should override default', (t) => {
+    const raw = {
+      'point.lat': '12.121212',
+      'point.lon': '21.212121',
+      'boundary.circle.radius': '3248732857km' // this will never be the default
+    };
+    const clean = {};
+    const errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
 
-    });
+    t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.lat'], 12.121212);
+    t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.lon'], 21.212121);
+    t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.radius'], '3248732857km');
+    t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.lat'], 12.121212);
+    t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.lon'], 21.212121);
+    t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.radius'], 3248732857.0);
 
+    t.deepEquals(errorsAndWarnings, { errors: [], warnings: [] });
     t.end();
 
   });
 
-  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: [] });
+  test('boundary.circle.radius not specified should use default', (t) => {
+    const raw = {
+      'point.lat': '12.121212',
+      'point.lon': '21.212121'
+    };
+    const clean = {};
+    const errorsAndWarnings = sanitize(raw, clean);
 
-    });
+    t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.lat'], 12.121212);
+    t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.lon'], 21.212121);
+    t.equals(raw['boundary.circle.radius'], defaults['boundary:circle:radius'], 'should be from defaults');
+    t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.lat'], 12.121212);
+    t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.lon'], 21.212121);
+    t.equals(clean['boundary.circle.radius'], parseFloat(defaults['boundary:circle:radius']), 'should be same as raw');
 
+    t.deepEquals(errorsAndWarnings, { errors: [], warnings: [] });
     t.end();
 
   });
@@ -183,10 +108,10 @@ module.exports.tests.coarse_reverse = (test, common) => {
 
 module.exports.all = (tape, common) => {
   function test(name, testFunction) {
-    return tape('SANTIZE _geo_reverse ' + name, testFunction);
+    return tape(`SANTIZE _geo_reverse ${name}`, testFunction);
   }
 
-  for( var testCase in module.exports.tests ){
+  for( const testCase in module.exports.tests ){
     module.exports.tests[testCase](test, common);
   }
 };