diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/TimeMgr/include/ESMCI_BaseTime.h b/src/Infrastructure/TimeMgr/include/ESMCI_BaseTime.h
index 9f42c88604..41b3581832 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/TimeMgr/include/ESMCI_BaseTime.h
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/TimeMgr/include/ESMCI_BaseTime.h
@@ -180,6 +180,17 @@ class BaseTime : public Fraction { // it is a fraction !
     // internal validation
     int validate(const char *options=0) const;
 
+    // Check if BaseTime hasn't been initialized yet. 
+    // This was added to avoid going through validate and dumping the error message into the logs for an unset basetime
+    // in TimeSet(). 
+    // Right now this mimics validate() in that it checks for a 0 denominator in the fraction. This works because
+    // the entire structure is init to 0 on the F90 level via ESMF_TimeType.F90 and setting a 0 denominator in Time after that
+    // will result in an error due to the validate() that occurs after the BaseTime set in TimeSet.  
+    //  
+    bool uninit() {
+      return (getd() == 0);
+    }
+  
     // for testing/debugging
     int print(const char *options=0) const;
 
diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/TimeMgr/src/ESMCI_Time.C b/src/Infrastructure/TimeMgr/src/ESMCI_Time.C
index e74047deaf..8214c0c17d 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/TimeMgr/src/ESMCI_Time.C
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/TimeMgr/src/ESMCI_Time.C
@@ -141,8 +141,8 @@ namespace ESMCI{
                timeZone     != ESMC_NULL_POINTER) {
       // only calendar and/or timezone specified, do not re-initialize basetime
 
-      // initialize basetime only if not done previously 
-      if (BaseTime::validate() != ESMF_SUCCESS) {
+      // Initialize basetime only if not done previously 
+      if (BaseTime::uninit()) {
         Fraction::set(0,0,1);  // set seconds = 0
                                // set fractional seconds numerator = 0
                                // set fractional seconds denominator = 1
diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/TimeMgr/tests/ESMF_TimeUTest.F90 b/src/Infrastructure/TimeMgr/tests/ESMF_TimeUTest.F90
index db9ef6a895..d1a7cb0ca3 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/TimeMgr/tests/ESMF_TimeUTest.F90
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/TimeMgr/tests/ESMF_TimeUTest.F90
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ program ESMF_TimeUTest
  
       ! instantitate some general times and timeintervals
       type(ESMF_Time) :: time1, time2, time3, time4, time5, time6, time7, &
-                         midMonth, startTime2
+                         midMonth, startTime2, time8
       type(ESMF_TimeInterval) :: timeInterval2, timeInterval3, timeInterval4, &
                                  timeInterval5, timeInterval6, timeInterval7
 
@@ -1136,6 +1136,18 @@ program ESMF_TimeUTest
 
       ! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+      ! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+      !EX_UTest
+      ! Setting just a calendar in an uninit time
+      write(failMsg, *) " Did not return ESMF_SUCCESS"
+      write(name, *) "Setting just a calendar in an uninitialized Time object."      
+      call ESMF_TimeSet(time8, calendar=julianCalendar, rc=rc)
+      call ESMF_Test((rc.eq.ESMF_SUCCESS).and.(.not.bool), &
+                      name, failMsg, result, ESMF_SRCLINE)
+
+      ! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+      
       ! return number of failures to environment; 0 = success (all pass)
       ! return result  ! TODO: no way to do this in F90 ?