diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
index 1ff1e27e3bc..91e60682a2c 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
@@ -130,6 +130,9 @@ Release 2.8.0 - UNRELEASED
     HADOOP-11866. increase readability and reliability of checkstyle,
     shellcheck, and whitespace reports (aw)
 
+    HADOOP-11491. HarFs incorrectly declared as requiring an authority.
+    (Brahma Reddy Battula via gera)
+
 Release 2.7.1 - UNRELEASED
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/HarFs.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/HarFs.java
index a2369e32802..4f5fde8b9d0 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/HarFs.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/HarFs.java
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
 public class HarFs extends DelegateToFileSystem {
   HarFs(final URI theUri, final Configuration conf)
       throws IOException, URISyntaxException {
-    super(theUri, new HarFileSystem(), conf, "har", true);
+    super(theUri, new HarFileSystem(), conf, "har", false);
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/TestHarFileSystemBasics.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/TestHarFileSystemBasics.java
index 577abfd090e..53507b932a1 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/TestHarFileSystemBasics.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/TestHarFileSystemBasics.java
@@ -398,4 +398,11 @@ public class TestHarFileSystemBasics {
     }
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testHarFsWithoutAuthority() throws Exception {
+    final URI uri = harFileSystem.getUri();
+    Assert.assertNull("har uri authority not null: " + uri, uri.getAuthority());
+    FileContext.getFileContext(uri, conf);
+  }
+
 }