diff --git a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-provenance-repository-bundle/nifi-persistent-provenance-repository/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/provenance/serialization/EmptyRecordReader.java b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-provenance-repository-bundle/nifi-persistent-provenance-repository/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/provenance/serialization/EmptyRecordReader.java
index d4487ab2e5..6c717788ca 100644
--- a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-provenance-repository-bundle/nifi-persistent-provenance-repository/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/provenance/serialization/EmptyRecordReader.java
+++ b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-provenance-repository-bundle/nifi-persistent-provenance-repository/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/provenance/serialization/EmptyRecordReader.java
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ public class EmptyRecordReader implements RecordReader {
 
     @Override
     public long getMaxEventId() throws IOException {
-        return 0;
+        return -1;
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-provenance-repository-bundle/nifi-persistent-provenance-repository/src/test/java/org/apache/nifi/provenance/store/TestWriteAheadStorePartition.java b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-provenance-repository-bundle/nifi-persistent-provenance-repository/src/test/java/org/apache/nifi/provenance/store/TestWriteAheadStorePartition.java
index c17bafb1c4..28c8deee86 100644
--- a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-provenance-repository-bundle/nifi-persistent-provenance-repository/src/test/java/org/apache/nifi/provenance/store/TestWriteAheadStorePartition.java
+++ b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-provenance-repository-bundle/nifi-persistent-provenance-repository/src/test/java/org/apache/nifi/provenance/store/TestWriteAheadStorePartition.java
@@ -18,9 +18,11 @@
 package org.apache.nifi.provenance.store;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
@@ -42,6 +44,7 @@ import org.apache.nifi.provenance.serialization.StorageSummary;
 import org.apache.nifi.provenance.toc.StandardTocWriter;
 import org.apache.nifi.provenance.toc.TocUtil;
 import org.apache.nifi.provenance.toc.TocWriter;
+import org.apache.nifi.provenance.util.DirectoryUtils;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.mockito.Mockito;
 import org.mockito.invocation.InvocationOnMock;
@@ -97,6 +100,46 @@ public class TestWriteAheadStorePartition {
         }
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testInitEmptyFile() throws IOException {
+        final RepositoryConfiguration repoConfig = createConfig(1, "testInitEmptyFile");
+        repoConfig.setMaxEventFileCount(5);
+
+        final String partitionName = repoConfig.getStorageDirectories().keySet().iterator().next();
+        final File storageDirectory = repoConfig.getStorageDirectories().values().iterator().next();
+
+        final RecordWriterFactory recordWriterFactory = (file, idGenerator, compressed, createToc) -> {
+            final TocWriter tocWriter = createToc ? new StandardTocWriter(TocUtil.getTocFile(file), false, false) : null;
+            return new EventIdFirstSchemaRecordWriter(file, idGenerator, tocWriter, compressed, 32 * 1024, IdentifierLookup.EMPTY);
+        };
+
+        final RecordReaderFactory recordReaderFactory = (file, logs, maxChars) -> RecordReaders.newRecordReader(file, logs, maxChars);
+
+        WriteAheadStorePartition partition = new WriteAheadStorePartition(storageDirectory, partitionName, repoConfig, recordWriterFactory,
+                recordReaderFactory, new LinkedBlockingQueue<>(), new AtomicLong(0L), EventReporter.NO_OP);
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
+            partition.addEvents(Collections.singleton(TestUtil.createEvent()));
+        }
+
+        long maxEventId = partition.getMaxEventId();
+        assertTrue(maxEventId > 0);
+        partition.close();
+
+        final List<File> fileList = Arrays.asList(storageDirectory.listFiles(DirectoryUtils.EVENT_FILE_FILTER));
+        Collections.sort(fileList, DirectoryUtils.LARGEST_ID_FIRST);
+
+        // Create new empty prov file with largest id
+        assertTrue(new File(storageDirectory, "1" + fileList.get(0).getName()).createNewFile());
+
+        partition = new WriteAheadStorePartition(storageDirectory, partitionName, repoConfig, recordWriterFactory,
+                recordReaderFactory, new LinkedBlockingQueue<>(), new AtomicLong(0L), EventReporter.NO_OP);
+
+        partition.initialize();
+
+        assertEquals(maxEventId, partition.getMaxEventId());
+    }
+
     private RepositoryConfiguration createConfig(final int numStorageDirs, final String testName) {
         final RepositoryConfiguration config = new RepositoryConfiguration();
         final File storageDir = new File("target/storage/" + testName + "/" + UUID.randomUUID().toString());