diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HRegionInfo.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HRegionInfo.java
index 0c1fa3fe4c2..2a24d0bcad1 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HRegionInfo.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HRegionInfo.java
@@ -600,12 +600,12 @@ implements WritableComparable<HRegionInfo> {
    * either <code>.META.</code> or <code>-ROOT-</code>
    */
   public boolean isMetaTable() {
-    return Bytes.equals(tableName, HRegionInfo.FIRST_META_REGIONINFO.getTableName());
+    return isRootRegion() || isMetaRegion();
   }
 
   /** @return true if this region is a meta region */
   public boolean isMetaRegion() {
-     return isMetaTable();
+     return Bytes.equals(tableName, HRegionInfo.FIRST_META_REGIONINFO.getTableName());
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/AssignmentManager.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/AssignmentManager.java
index c3420e5c526..680b426aa5a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/AssignmentManager.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/AssignmentManager.java
@@ -359,8 +359,7 @@ public class AssignmentManager extends ZooKeeperListener {
     // its a clean cluster startup, else its a failover.
     boolean regionsToProcess = false;
     for (Map.Entry<HRegionInfo, ServerName> e: this.regions.entrySet()) {
-      if (!e.getKey().isMetaRegion()
-          && !e.getKey().isRootRegion()
+      if (!e.getKey().isMetaTable()
           && e.getValue() != null) {
         LOG.debug("Found " + e + " out on cluster");
         regionsToProcess = true;
@@ -489,7 +488,7 @@ public class AssignmentManager extends ZooKeeperListener {
 
         // Just insert region into RIT
         // If this never updates the timeout will trigger new assignment
-        if (regionInfo.isMetaRegion() || regionInfo.isRootRegion()) {
+        if (regionInfo.isMetaTable()) {
           regionsInTransition.put(encodedRegionName, new RegionState(
               regionInfo, RegionState.State.OPENING, data.getStamp(), data
                   .getOrigin()));
@@ -1514,7 +1513,7 @@ public class AssignmentManager extends ZooKeeperListener {
   }
 
   private void debugLog(HRegionInfo region, String string) {
-    if (region.isMetaTable() || region.isRootRegion()) {
+    if (region.isMetaTable()) {
       LOG.info(string);
     } else {
       LOG.debug(string);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/handler/OpenedRegionHandler.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/handler/OpenedRegionHandler.java
index f5e1dd9f454..f171a5a3b8d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/handler/OpenedRegionHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/handler/OpenedRegionHandler.java
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ public class OpenedRegionHandler extends EventHandler implements TotesHRegionInf
   }
 
   private void debugLog(HRegionInfo region, String string) {
-    if (region.isMetaTable() || region.isRootRegion()) {
+    if (region.isMetaTable()) {
       LOG.info(string);
     } else {
       LOG.debug(string);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/HBaseFsck.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/HBaseFsck.java
index b5e7015d060..80cb7fd2f11 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/HBaseFsck.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/HBaseFsck.java
@@ -1095,7 +1095,7 @@ public class HBaseFsck {
   throws IOException, KeeperException, InterruptedException {
     List <HbckInfo> metaRegions = Lists.newArrayList();
     for (HbckInfo value : regionInfo.values()) {
-      if (value.metaEntry.isMetaTable()) {
+      if (value.metaEntry.isMetaRegion()) {
         metaRegions.add(value);
       }
     }
@@ -1501,7 +1501,7 @@ public class HBaseFsck {
     private List<HRegionInfo> filterOnlyMetaRegions(List<HRegionInfo> regions) {
       List<HRegionInfo> ret = Lists.newArrayList();
       for (HRegionInfo hri : regions) {
-        if (hri.isMetaRegion() || hri.isRootRegion()) {
+        if (hri.isMetaTable()) {
           ret.add(hri);
         }
       }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAdmin.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAdmin.java
index 940d7265b38..c0b09224b48 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAdmin.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAdmin.java
@@ -1137,7 +1137,7 @@ public class TestAdmin {
     HRegionServer rs = TEST_UTIL.getRSForFirstRegionInTable(TABLENAME);
     List<HRegionInfo> onlineRegions = rs.getOnlineRegions();
     for (HRegionInfo regionInfo : onlineRegions) {
-      if (!regionInfo.isMetaRegion() && !regionInfo.isRootRegion()) {
+      if (!regionInfo.isMetaTable()) {
         info = regionInfo;
         admin.closeRegionWithEncodedRegionName(regionInfo.getEncodedName(), rs
             .getServerName().getServerName());
@@ -1158,7 +1158,7 @@ public class TestAdmin {
     HRegionServer rs = TEST_UTIL.getRSForFirstRegionInTable(TABLENAME);
     List<HRegionInfo> onlineRegions = rs.getOnlineRegions();
     for (HRegionInfo regionInfo : onlineRegions) {
-      if (!regionInfo.isMetaRegion() && !regionInfo.isRootRegion()) {
+      if (!regionInfo.isMetaTable()) {
         if (regionInfo.getRegionNameAsString().contains("TestHBACloseRegion1")) {
           info = regionInfo;
           admin.closeRegionWithEncodedRegionName("sample", rs.getServerName()
@@ -1180,7 +1180,7 @@ public class TestAdmin {
     HRegionServer rs = TEST_UTIL.getRSForFirstRegionInTable(TABLENAME);
     List<HRegionInfo> onlineRegions = rs.getOnlineRegions();
     for (HRegionInfo regionInfo : onlineRegions) {
-      if (!regionInfo.isMetaRegion() && !regionInfo.isRootRegion()) {
+      if (!regionInfo.isMetaTable()) {
 
         if (regionInfo.getRegionNameAsString().contains("TestHBACloseRegion2")) {
           info = regionInfo;
@@ -1211,7 +1211,7 @@ public class TestAdmin {
     try {
       List<HRegionInfo> onlineRegions = rs.getOnlineRegions();
       for (HRegionInfo regionInfo : onlineRegions) {
-        if (!regionInfo.isMetaRegion() && !regionInfo.isRootRegion()) {
+        if (!regionInfo.isMetaTable()) {
           if (regionInfo.getRegionNameAsString()
               .contains("TestHBACloseRegion3")) {
             admin.closeRegionWithEncodedRegionName(regionInfo.getEncodedName(),
@@ -1235,7 +1235,7 @@ public class TestAdmin {
     try {
       List<HRegionInfo> onlineRegions = rs.getOnlineRegions();
       for (HRegionInfo regionInfo : onlineRegions) {
-        if (!regionInfo.isMetaRegion() && !regionInfo.isRootRegion()) {
+        if (!regionInfo.isMetaTable()) {
           if (regionInfo.getRegionNameAsString()
               .contains("TestHBACloseRegionWhenServerNameIsEmpty")) {
             admin.closeRegionWithEncodedRegionName(regionInfo.getEncodedName(),
@@ -1258,7 +1258,7 @@ public class TestAdmin {
 
     List<HRegionInfo> onlineRegions = rs.getOnlineRegions();
     for (HRegionInfo regionInfo : onlineRegions) {
-      if (!regionInfo.isMetaRegion() && !regionInfo.isRootRegion()) {
+      if (!regionInfo.isMetaTable()) {
         if (regionInfo.getRegionNameAsString().contains("TestHBACloseRegion4")) {
           info = regionInfo;
           admin.closeRegionWithEncodedRegionName(regionInfo
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/coprocessor/TestMasterObserver.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/coprocessor/TestMasterObserver.java
index 1a531572eae..d82022f53d2 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/coprocessor/TestMasterObserver.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/coprocessor/TestMasterObserver.java
@@ -688,7 +688,7 @@ public class TestMasterObserver {
     int moveCnt = openRegions.size()/2;
     for (int i=0; i<moveCnt; i++) {
       HRegionInfo info = openRegions.get(i);
-      if (!(info.isMetaRegion() || info.isRootRegion())) {
+      if (!info.isMetaTable()) {
         master.move(openRegions.get(i).getEncodedNameAsBytes(), destRS);
       }
     }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/TestDistributedLogSplitting.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/TestDistributedLogSplitting.java
index 51daa1fac21..fb26c23ecf8 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/TestDistributedLogSplitting.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/TestDistributedLogSplitting.java
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ public class TestDistributedLogSplitting {
     Iterator<HRegionInfo> it = regions.iterator();
     while (it.hasNext()) {
       HRegionInfo region = it.next();
-      if (region.isMetaRegion() || region.isRootRegion()) {
+      if (region.isMetaTable()) {
         it.remove();
       }
     }
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ public class TestDistributedLogSplitting {
       HRegionServer hrs = rst.getRegionServer();
       List<HRegionInfo> hris = hrs.getOnlineRegions();
       for (HRegionInfo hri : hris) {
-        if (hri.isMetaRegion() || hri.isRootRegion()) {
+        if (hri.isMetaTable()) {
           continue;
         }
         LOG.debug("adding data to rs = " + rst.getName() +
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/TestOpenedRegionHandler.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/TestOpenedRegionHandler.java
index d7fcf1fa324..e1f98af1bf1 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/TestOpenedRegionHandler.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/TestOpenedRegionHandler.java
@@ -197,8 +197,7 @@ public class TestOpenedRegionHandler {
     HRegion region = null;
     while (iterator.hasNext()) {
       region = iterator.next();
-      if (!region.getRegionInfo().isMetaRegion()
-          && !region.getRegionInfo().isRootRegion()) {
+      if (!region.getRegionInfo().isMetaTable()) {
         break;
       }
     }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/TestHRegionInfo.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/TestHRegionInfo.java
index 477e77237a8..baca241a395 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/TestHRegionInfo.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/TestHRegionInfo.java
@@ -113,4 +113,10 @@ public class TestHRegionInfo {
     } catch (IllegalArgumentException iae) {
     }
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testMetaTables() {
+    assertTrue(HRegionInfo.ROOT_REGIONINFO.isMetaTable());
+    assertTrue(HRegionInfo.FIRST_META_REGIONINFO.isMetaTable());
+  }
 }