diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 7260e9581a..7f0a7f9617 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+3141.	[bug]		Silence spurious "zone serial (0) unchanged" messages
+			associated with empty zones. [RT #25079]
+
 3140.	[func]		New command "rndc flushtree <name>" clears the 
 			specified name from the server cache along with
 			all names under it. [RT #19970]
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/builtin/ns1/named.conf b/bin/tests/system/builtin/ns1/named.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6e61d62f4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/tests/system/builtin/ns1/named.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011  Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. ("ISC")
+ * Copyright (C) 2001  Internet Software Consortium.
+ *
+ * Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any
+ * purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
+ * copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND ISC DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH
+ * REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY
+ * AND FITNESS.  IN NO EVENT SHALL ISC BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT,
+ * INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM
+ * LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE
+ * OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR
+ * PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
+ */
+
+/* $Id: named.conf,v 1.2 2011/08/09 02:24:28 marka Exp $ */
+
+include "../../common/rndc.key";
+
+controls { inet 10.53.0.1 port 9953 allow { any; } keys { rndc_key; }; };
+
+options {
+	query-source address 10.53.0.1;
+	notify-source 10.53.0.1;
+	transfer-source 10.53.0.1;
+	port 5300;
+	pid-file "named.pid";
+	listen-on { 10.53.0.1; };
+	listen-on-v6 { none; };
+	recursion yes;
+	notify no;
+};
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/builtin/tests.sh b/bin/tests/system/builtin/tests.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4c5a2c4788
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/tests/system/builtin/tests.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# Copyright
+
+status=0
+n=0
+
+n=`expr $n + 1`
+echo "I:Checking that reconfiguring empty zones is silent ($n)"
+$RNDC -c ../common/rndc.conf -s 10.53.0.1 -p 9953 reconfig
+ret=0
+grep "automatic empty zone" ns1/named.run > /dev/null || ret=1
+grep "received control channel command 'reconfig'" ns1/named.run > /dev/null || ret=1
+grep "reloading configuration succeeded" ns1/named.run > /dev/null || ret=1
+sleep 1
+grep "zone serial (0) unchanged." ns1/named.run > /dev/null && ret=1
+if [ $ret != 0 ] ; then echo I:failed; status=`expr $status + $ret`; fi
+
+n=`expr $n + 1`
+echo "I:Checking that reloading empty zones is silent ($n)"
+$RNDC -c ../common/rndc.conf -s 10.53.0.1 -p 9953 reload > /dev/null
+ret=0
+grep "automatic empty zone" ns1/named.run > /dev/null || ret=1
+grep "received control channel command 'reload'" ns1/named.run > /dev/null || ret=1
+grep "reloading configuration succeeded" ns1/named.run > /dev/null || ret=1
+sleep 1
+grep "zone serial (0) unchanged." ns1/named.run > /dev/null && ret=1
+if [ $ret != 0 ] ; then echo I:failed; status=`expr $status + $ret`; fi
+
+exit $status
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.in b/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.in
index ea36dbef41..51d9b8ad43 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.in
+++ b/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.in
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 # OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR
 # PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
 
-# $Id: conf.sh.in,v 1.67 2011/04/19 22:30:52 each Exp $
+# $Id: conf.sh.in,v 1.68 2011/08/09 02:24:28 marka Exp $
 
 #
 # Common configuration data for system tests, to be sourced into
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ JOURNALPRINT=$TOP/bin/tools/named-journalprint
 # The "stress" test is not run by default since it creates enough
 # load on the machine to make it unusable to other users.
 # v6synth
-SUBDIRS="acl allow_query addzone autosign cacheclean checkconf
+SUBDIRS="acl allow_query addzone autosign builtin cacheclean checkconf
 	 checknames checkzone database dlv dlvauto dlz dlzexternal
          dname dns64 dnssec forward glue gost ixfr limits
 	 logfileconfig lwresd masterfile masterformat metadata notify
diff --git a/lib/dns/zone.c b/lib/dns/zone.c
index 10f91d38c5..395853ee38 100644
--- a/lib/dns/zone.c
+++ b/lib/dns/zone.c
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
  * PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
  */
 
-/* $Id: zone.c,v 1.622 2011/07/21 06:26:09 marka Exp $ */
+/* $Id: zone.c,v 1.623 2011/08/09 02:24:28 marka Exp $ */
 
 /*! \file */
 
@@ -3568,7 +3568,8 @@ zone_postload(dns_zone_t *zone, dns_db_t *db, isc_time_t loadtime,
 				dns_zone_log(zone, ISC_LOG_ERROR,
 					     "zone serial (%u/%u) has gone "
 					     "backwards", serial, oldserial);
-			else if (serial == oldserial && !hasinclude)
+			else if (serial == oldserial && !hasinclude &&
+				 strcmp(zone->db_argv[0], "_builtin") != 0)
 				dns_zone_log(zone, ISC_LOG_ERROR,
 					     "zone serial (%u) unchanged. "
 					     "zone may fail to transfer "