diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/HBaseAdmin.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/HBaseAdmin.java
index bdfd9cab835..90d35bf6f85 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/HBaseAdmin.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/HBaseAdmin.java
@@ -725,6 +725,7 @@ public class HBaseAdmin implements Abortable, Closeable {
    */
   public void enableTableAsync(final byte [] tableName)
   throws IOException {
+    HTableDescriptor.isLegalTableName(tableName);
     execute(new MasterCallable<Void>() {
       @Override
       public Void call() throws ServiceException {
@@ -795,6 +796,7 @@ public class HBaseAdmin implements Abortable, Closeable {
    * @since 0.90.0
    */
   public void disableTableAsync(final byte [] tableName) throws IOException {
+    HTableDescriptor.isLegalTableName(tableName);
     execute(new MasterCallable<Void>() {
       @Override
       public Void call() throws ServiceException {
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAdmin.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAdmin.java
index 8f9eb7dd5a1..24ae44e393c 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAdmin.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestAdmin.java
@@ -1588,6 +1588,21 @@ public class TestAdmin {
       " HBase was not available");
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testDisableCatalogTable() throws Exception {
+    try {
+      this.admin.disableTable(".META.");
+      fail("Expected to throw IllegalArgumentException");
+    } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
+    }
+    // Before the fix for HBASE-6146, the below table creation was failing as the META table
+    // actually getting disabled by the disableTable() call.
+    HTableDescriptor htd = new HTableDescriptor("testDisableCatalogTable".getBytes());
+    HColumnDescriptor hcd = new HColumnDescriptor("cf1".getBytes());
+    htd.addFamily(hcd);
+    TEST_UTIL.getHBaseAdmin().createTable(htd);
+  }
+  
   @org.junit.Rule
   public org.apache.hadoop.hbase.ResourceCheckerJUnitRule cu =
     new org.apache.hadoop.hbase.ResourceCheckerJUnitRule();