diff --git a/CHANGES.txt b/CHANGES.txt
index 092eee71f92..de407af02b4 100644
--- a/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/CHANGES.txt
@@ -140,6 +140,8 @@ Release 0.19.0 - Unreleased
    HBASE-1116  generated web.xml and svn don't play nice together
    HBASE-1119  ArrayOutOfBoundsException in HStore.compact
    HBASE-1121  Cluster confused about where -ROOT- is
+   HBASE-1125  IllegalStateException: Cannot set a region to be closed if it was
+               not already marked as pending close
 
   IMPROVEMENTS
    HBASE-901   Add a limit to key length, check key and value length on client side
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/RegionManager.java b/src/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/RegionManager.java
index 0db9f83aaf6..909b6998850 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/RegionManager.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/RegionManager.java
@@ -1174,10 +1174,10 @@ class RegionManager implements HConstants {
     }
     
     synchronized void setClosed() {
-      if (!pendingClose) {
+      if (!pendingClose && !pendingOpen) {
         throw new IllegalStateException(
             "Cannot set a region to be closed if it was not already marked as" +
-            " pending close. State: " + toString());
+            " pending close or pending open. State: " + toString());
       }
       this.unassigned = false;
       this.pendingOpen = false;